The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-10

ana syntaX IN the modesty as to his own
exploits and in his almost Rirlish but. in
tensely earnest expressions of love for my
self and prayers Tor my safety and eleva-
ton, and, above all, in his devotion to the
cause of the Union and his mistaken faith
as to its final triumph.
After November, 1864, he ceased to write.
In February, 1865, ] wrote to Captain Cliff,
of Hardin county Kentucky, who was then
with General Gillem, asking for news of
Bell, and the following is an extract from
Cliffs reply:
Captain Bell brought me your letter as soon
as he reached this command, and l need not
say, old fellow, how rejoiced was TO learn that
you had escaped Bell gave you all the credit
OF the exploit, but soldiers know that kind OF
spirit and like it, Captain Bells story feyour
coming through ought to be written out, and L
hope you will do it some day,
Have you heard of the battle of Strawberry
PlalnsI Or have the rejoicings over Shermans
success deafened you to everything else mill
tary: Well we we're wallopped at Strawberry
Plains. Nor was il the fault of General Gillem
and his shrunken and wretchedly equipped
brigade. The rebs, under General Breckin-
ridge and Basil Duke, with about 10000 men. in
GLIDING the remnant of John Morgans old COM
mand, attacked US, dark and early, in the be-
aforementioned place. OF course we fought
that is what we we're there for-but the sun
wasn't two hours high over the Alleghanies be-
fore the dullest private in the command saw
Inat the game was up Win US ana InaL prudence
dictated a retreat, with guns and baggage II pos
Sible, but without them if they could not be
carried OFF. By reading the reports you Will see
we came through to London with about half
our men, and in the lightest kind OF marching
order. But we are not disheartened. Steve
Burbridge is hurrying to our ald-then gooupy
Mr.. Breckenridge
But as to CAPTAIN Tom Bell; he commanded
company of mountaineers who had been de-
tailed for scouting duty after his return, and
need not say they were good men. / say were"
instead of are for 1 regret to report that most
of them were called at Strawberry Plains.
They responded to the call like gallant fellows,
and have gone into the eternal camp over there
The last saw OF Bell was on the Held He and
a handful OF his men were trying TO drag OIL an
abandoned howitZer. His hat was on, and
there was q red stained handkerchief tied about
his head Just then the rebs swooped down in
force, and everything got mixed into one OF
those battle snarls which we are all so familiar
with.
My horse saved me. but I either expected to
learn that Bell was either killed OF again cap
tured. Great, then, was my surprise on reach
ing London a few days after the fight TO find
him in the hospital, with his head in bandages
and his right arm of between the elbow and
shoulder. The brave fellow was terribly cut up
over our defeat but he seemed to regard his
except as to writing, and this will account for
his silence. From London our wounded were
sent on to Camp Dick Robinson, Bell with
them.
1 thought as did every one else who knew
Tom Bell, that he was out of the fuss for good
and all. You can therefore imagine my surprise
when we were advancing 10 destroy the works
at Saltville, Virginia, TO find Captain Tom Bell
back and again IN command of the remnant OF
the Moth Calinyans. - He drew on his varied
and ample stock of profanity or, is it profanity
to express his JOY at meeting me?-and failing
to do il in that way he threw his left arm
| about my neck and Rugged me till threatened
to strange.
Tom assured me with comical seriousness
] ffo5r -rfT h 1aff
hand in his odd time, = and as soon as he had
become sufficiently expert to handle pen you
would hear from him over his own fist"
have not seen him since, but know that he is
with the raiders who are pushing toward Lynch
burgh. The end is right in sight This com
mand is now moving into North Carolina to joir
Sherman.
in May 1866, a few days after the grand
review in Washington (the envelope is
| postmarked May 10y, received O letter OF
few lines from Bell. The chirography
was very much like that done with his
right hand. He was then at Knoxville
/ and had just been mustered out. He wrote
not in the old spirit of intense affection foI
/ the Union and myself, nor the old burning
! hate for the rebellion, but with manly
restraint that showed, even more than his
widest torrents of profanity or his fercest
! prayers, the supreme satisfaction that hsd
come to his heart, bringing with it calm
after the four years of deadly storm.
! Captain Bell begged me to come down tt
see him in July. lie was going 10 make his
home at Greenville for the present, anC
Molly MacNeal, whose father was now
dead, was coming over to meet him, aEC
! they were 10 be married on sight," on the
/ 10th.
! Although l was not in the best travelling
condition my self, for 1 was on crutches,
was once more my own master, and 1 de
termined TO be present at the wedding Of
my friend. On the 9th of July L reached
/! Greenville, which had then risen into muct
Importance as the home of President John
son. Some of the citizens showed lne witt
pride his old shop and the sign, "a John
son, Tailor" Our Provost marshal a
Greedville, on my making inquiry abou
Captain Bell, said:
captain Tom Bell is dead"
''Dead!" | exclaimed, and felt gidd!
and cold. Glow long has he been dead
where did he die! How did he die"
In response to my torrent Of questions
the provost told me that on July l Bel
went to Bristol to see a friend-one of hi
men, who was still in hospital He ex
pected TO be back on the 2nd, for he wa
taking an active part III the preparation
the Union people of Greenville we're lnak
ing to celebrate this particular Fourtl
~
he did not return.
Briefly, this is the story: The mountain
GERS who had been in the Union army wer
returning home with their DISCHARGES an,
an unusual amount of mouey-for them
in their pockets. Many of these men wer
assembled at Bristol when Bell reache
there Despite the precauton of the prC
vost and his guard, whisky was to be had
and majority of the returned Union me-
kept drunk, when out of the guardhouse
and many Of the veterans of Lees an
Johnson's armies were forced, not reluc
family, to join in these orgies.
Among the ex-Uuion soldiers in Bristo
at that tine was the sergeant of the Firs
!, Federal North Corolina named Burns. wit
| whom Bell had had fight when they wer
boys of nineteen-that was three wears he
fore the war Bell supposed that the ana,
: rel was forgotten, for he had. freouentl
} met Burns, auterward, both before an
l during the war, without having it allude
, to- But on this occasisn Burns wa
drunk.
) Bell was very abstemious-for a mour
l taineer. His friends induced him to ente
l q saloon, or some place where LIQUOR Wa
2 secretly sold. Burns came in soon afteI
with q pistol in his belt and murder in nj
: drunken eyes.
Hot words, osths, then two men stoo
facing each other with pistols Burns WIS
: shot through the shoulder and Bell fe
dead with bullet in his heart
| met confederate Tennesseean who ha
I seen the fight, and he said:
"Hit was all on account of TOMS riRl
| arm bein gone. You see the trigger kiIde
ketcaed in his belt and he lost a good tire