The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-07-28

q At the outset VIII say illat III iueFe - any
credit to be attached TO any one for the KlillnS
of Gen Mcpherson, ] am not entitled TO III.
His blood is not on my hands. But 40 say
that at the time Gen. Mcpherson rode with
his staff or a portion of it, down that loneiy
forest road near Atlanta, and found hlmseli ln
the immediate presence Of rebel soi0leTS, anu
lust before lie checked his horse ana wheeled
to the right to make his escape, he was ID
few feet OF where stood. j couiG alinost nave
touched him with the point of nay SWORD A
young soldier, whose name will hereaiter give
and who is now dead. fired, am satisfied, the
fatal hail that tronght him down.
Gen Sherman, in delivering an address
some 10 or y years ago before the Society oil the
Army OF the Tennessee at indianapolis. speak
ing in reference TO the death OF Gen. Acfher-
son. stated the facts which were published at
the time and which ] give III substance below,
were correct, and that the only Issue between
ms was as TO the number of men with him at
the time OF his death.
81 WIS ruder the impression that he had
considerable retinue while Gen. sherman dld
not think he had more than five or SIX IN ms
psrty. The simple, unYarnished facts OF the
case are as follows. / give them because there
seems to be a newly awakened interest IN re-
gard TO McPhersons DEATH and TO assert the
truth OF history:
THE immersion is made that ], in command
of my company, was ordered 10 storm fortlh-
cation. winch Is erroneous, lOT VIC "ciS ia Inv
of battle at The time with cur regiment-the
5th Tenn. Cenfederate-and with Cleburne's
Division TO which it belonged.
For a day or two previous to the battle July
% 1864 / had been in command of brigade
line of skirmishers, and early on the morning
of the 22d ef .July was ordered 10 join my regl-
lnent and division, which were moving out
from Atlanta on the Decatur road, in order to
strike the lett flank of Sherman's army, under
command of Gen. Mcpherson, which stretched
across the Augusta Railroad.
"Mhiie hating upon the road We were fur
nished with 60 additional rounds OF ammuni-
fion, and were told that there was a hard days
work before Us.
ave were placed in line of battle about II or
O'Clock ia the day. and the last orders given
by Gen Pat Cleburne to us were to move for
ward turning neither to ;be right nor 10 the
left. until we were within the enemy's breast
works. Shortly afterward heavy and rapid
cannonading commenced, from what we sup
posed TO be Gen. Bates Division, which an
nounced clearly that the ball was about to
open in good earnest.
Under the excitement aroused by 1t, we
commenced "A double quick through a forest
covered hy dense underbrush. Here we ran
through a line of skirmisbers. and took them
without tho firing OF a gun. and suddenly came
TO the edge Of little wagOn-road running
parallel with line of march, and down
which Gen. Mcpherson came laundering at
the head Of his staff He had evidently just
left the last conference he ever had with Gen.
Sherman, near the Howard house, and was on
his way 10 see what the rapid and sudden firing
on his left meant. lie came upon US suddenly,
and was SURPRISED TO find himself face TO face
with the rebel line. My Own company, and
possibly others of the regiment, had reached
the verge of the road, when he discovered, for
the frs; time that he was within few feet OF
where stood. j was so near him as to see
every feature of bis face j YVES satisfied he
was a General Officer and nothing less than
Corps Commander / threw up my sword as q
signal 10 him TO surrender. He checked his
horse slightly. raised his hat as politely as
Though saiuting lady, wheeled his horses
head directly 10 the right, and dashed of to
the rear IN full gallop.
Young Corp1 Coleman, who was standing
near me. MAS ordered to fire upon him. He
did So and it was his ball that brought Gen.
Mcpherson down. lie was shot passing under
the thick branches of tree. and he was
bending ever his horses neck, either TO avoid
coming in contact with the limbs or probably
70 escape the dezth-dealing bullets of the enc
my thai be knew were sure TO follow him. he
was shot in the back, and, Gen Sherman
says in iIis Memoirs, the bail ranged upward
across the body. and passed near the heart"
"A number Of shots were also fired into his
retreating staff ran up immediately 20 where
the dead General lay, just as he had fallen,
upon his knees and face i was among the
first, if not the first. who reached him.
"a number of Federal writers have said that
he was not killed instantly. But at the time
saw him there was not a culver OF his body
TO be seen-Bot q sign of life perceptible. The
fatal bullet had done its work we'll and TO
every appearances he was dead. Even as he Law
there, dressed IN his Msjer-General's uniform,
with his face IN the dust. he was as maguifi-
cent looking specimen OF manhood as 1 ever
Haw. Right by his side Lay man who, If at
all hurt. Was but slightly wounded, whose
horse had been shot from under him. no.
ticed spot OF blood upon his cheek. From his
appearance i took him to lie the Adjutant or
1nspecto;-Geaeral of the STAFF, but he after
ward, j think, turned out 10 be a Signal off,
Ger.
Pointing TO the dead man, / asked: Who
IS this lying beref' lie answered, with tears
in his eyes: Sir, il is Gen. Mcpherson You
have kliiei the best man in our army
This was the frst intimation we had as 10
who the officer and TO has rank. Gen.
Sherman alleges ia his book that Gen Nc
Pherson's pocketbook aud papers were found
in the haverssck of prisoner afierward.
That may be so, but that prisoner did not
belong 10 party. Capt. W. A. Brown, OF
Mississippi. who wRs my nlessmste, and slept
with me II months afterward on Johnson's Is
land, picked up his hat, which had caught in
the branches 0! the trees under which be had
1allen, and that was the only piece of Nc
PhersOn's property that was disturbed by any
Of us.
From this point we pushed on, under the
command OF Maj Richard Pierson, to the
enemys line Of defenses away 10 our front.
These We reached and took possession of, but
only to find ourselves iu a trap. Few in num-
bers, detached from the rest of the division,
with TIE enemy in heavy force in front. hi:
ekirnishers slowly feeling their way toward US
from the right, and spreading his coils away
around 10 our rear. 50 rs to retale the body OF
Gen. Mcpherson, we waited calmly for the in
evitable. From over the line OF defenses and
from every leoibole kept M FIRE Oh
everything that was blue in sight. So few
were we fhat we all knew what the conse
ouences would be If a determined dash should
be made OF ~ by the enemy.
In the meantime young Sergeant Major O
the 18Th Nlch., who by some means had fount
out how small our numbers were, ran acros
from the enemy's line of works in onr from
and Climbed up on top our breast works, and
waving his pistol over his head, shouted 10 us
Boys, II you want TO surrender now is yol
only chance
Ia the excifenea. of the moment doze,
guns were ieveled on him. bat the authority O
cooler heads prevailed, and we accepted, il no
cheerfaily. the changed situation.
i have often thought that this was tn
bravest act i saw during the war. As gos owe
the works found the gun Of a six-foot Michi
gander at nfy head, against which protested
j handed my sword TO Major OF regiment nea