The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1892-08-10

us lOllOWS'
"For day or two previous to the
battle CIuly 20, 1861 had been in
command of brigade line of skir-
mishers, and early on the morning of
the 22d Of July was ordered to join my
regiment and division, which were
moving out from Atlanta on the De-
.catur road, in order to strike the left
flank of Shcrman's army, under com
mand of Gen. Mcpherson, which
stretched across the Augusta Rail
road.
"Whilc halting upon the road we
were furnished with 60 additional
rounds of ammunition, and were told
that there was hard days work be-
fore us.
ave were placed in line Of battle
about 12 or / o'clock in the day, and
the last orders given by General Pat
Clrburne to us were to move forward.
turning neither to the right nor to the
lett. until we were within the enemy's
breastworks. Shortly ailerward n
heavy and rapid cannonading COM
menccd, from what we supposed to be
Gen Bates Division, which announc-
ed clearly that the ball was about to
open in good earnest.
"Under the excitement aroused by
il, we commenced o double.quick
through forest covered by dense
underbrush. Here we ran through a
line of skirmishcrs, and took them
without the firing ofa gun,and sudden
ly came to the edge of II little wagon
road running parallel with our line of
march, and down which Gen. McPher-
son 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 to see what the
rapid and sudden firing on his left
meant. He 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 first
time, that he was within "A few feet of
where we stood. | was so near him as
to see every feature of his face. was
satisfied he was n General officer, and
nothing less than Corps Commander,
threw up my sword as n signal to
him to surrender. He checked his
horse slightly, raised his hat as polite.
ly as though saluting lady, wheeled
his horses head directly to the right,
and dashed of to the rear in full
gallop.
"Young Corpl Coleman, who was
standing near me, was ordered to fire
upon him. He did so, and it was his
ball that brought Gen. Mcpherson
down. He was shot passing under the
thick branches of a tree, and as he was
bending over his horses neck, either
to avoid coming in contact with the
limbs or probably to escape the death
dealing bullets of the enemy that he
knew were sure to follow him, he was
shot in the back and, as Gen. Sherman
says IN his Memoirs, "the ball ranged
upward across the body, and passed
near the heart.n.
"a number of shots were also fired
into his retreating staff, ran up inn
mediately to where the dead General
lay, just as he had fallen, upon his
knees and face. | was among the first
if not the first, who reached him.
"A number of Federal writer's have
,said that he was not killed instantly.
But at the time | saw him there was
not quiver of his body to be seem
not sign of life perceptible, The
fatal bullet had done its work well,
and to every appearance he WAS dead.
Even as he lay there, dressed in his
Major Generals uniform, with his face
in the dust, he was as magnificent q
hooking specimen of manhood as l ever
saw. Right by his side lay man who,
If at all hurt, was but slightly wound
led, whose horse had been shot from
under him. / noticed a spot of blood
npon his cheek. From his appearance
took him to be the Adjutant or In
spector-General Of the staff, Lut he
afterward turned out to be II Signal
officer.
pointing to the dead man, asked:
''Who is this lying here9' He answered,
with tears in his eyes: Sir, it is Gen,
Mcpherson. You have killed the best
man in our army
''This was the first intimation we
had as to who the officer was and to
his rank. Gen. Sherman alleges in his
book that Gen. McPherson's pocket
book and papers were found in the
haversack of a prisoner afterward.
"That may be so, but that prisoner
did not belong to our party. Capt.
w. A. Brown, of Mississippi, who was
my messmate, and slept with me II
months aftcrward on Johnson's Island,
picked up his hat, which had caught
in the branches Of the trees under
which he had fallen and that was the
only piece Of Mc-Phersons property
that was disturbed by any Of us.
"From this point We pushed on
sundcr the command Of Maj. Richard