The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-15
KILLED IN BATTLE.
Some Personal RecolIections of Four Ex-
Members of Congress who Died Upon
the Rebel Battlefield.
Hon. John j. Perry.l

then and there the hot bed OF SeceSSl on
Members of the House and Senate from
the seeding states, under the cover OF
night were plotting treason and laying
their plans to inuagurate civil war.
Among other things it was arranged that
certain mem bers of that and previous
Congresses should enter the military SER
vice under the Jeff Davis Con federacy.
These arrangements were carried into
effect and the history of the war shows,
that among the military commanders
were quite number of men who we've
and had been members of Congress.
But few of these men ever achieved any
distinction as military chieftains. Such
men as Bob Toombs and Howell Cobb of
Georgia, Humphrey Marshall and j. G.
Breckenridge of Kentucky, Tom Hind
man of Arkansas, Roger A. Pryor OF
Virginia and "Zebn Vance of North
Carolina were all military failures.
There were three men in the Both, and
and one in the Saith Congress, members
OF the House that l personally knew,
who were entrusted with military COM
mands in the confederacy, and were all
killed in battle. refer to Lawrence NJ
Keitt of South Carolina, William Barks-
dale of Mississippi, L. o. B. Branch of
North Carolina and Felix K Zolicoffer of
Tennessee. Col. Keitt will be remem bered
as the accessory of Preston S. Brooks,
when he made his cowardly assault on
Senator Sumner in the Senate chamb er
standing with loaded revolver ready to
shoot down the first man who should in
terfere with the murderous assault of
Brooks. Keitt was born in Orangeburg,
S. C., in 1924, graduated at the college
of South Carolina, studied law and was
mem Der of Congress from that state
from 1858 to 1860, when he resigned to
enter the Confederate service. He was
always rank secessionist, an enthusiast
tic admirer of John G. Calhoun, and all
his reasonable doctrines. AS long ago
as 1856, in the 34th Congress, he was the
same fiery secessionist that he was when
he joined in active service in the rebel
lion. He was killed in battle in Vir-
ginia in June, 1864
Williams Barksdale was a native of
Tennessee, born August 81, 1891 and was
educated at the Nashville university. He
wasaa lawyer by profession, staff officer
of the Second Mississippi regiment in the
Mexican war of 1S47, and was represen-
tative to Congress from Mississippi from
1858 to 1861, inclusive. Col. Barksdale
was one of the most ,rabid, violent pro
slavery men / ever knew. He was a
regular fire-eater," a man of most ungov-
ernable temper, always in a quarrel with
somebody and ready to fight whenever he
could provoke one. AS a sample, when
one day he was in the Congressional
Globe Office and the clerk politely asked
him to settle his bill for the paper for
that session, he few at him in rage
and was only prevented from making a
present forcibly took him away. Upon
one occasion Barksdale, with several other
mem ers of the House, when it was in
session, got into trough and tumble
fight" in which his wig (Which he
always wore) was knocked off his head
and in the hurry of the moment, he put
it on, the hind side before His ludicrous
laughter, all over the house, and really
ended the fight
With Barksdale it seems the "ruling
passion was strong in DEATH for after he
was mortally wounded in battle, he said
to comrade who survived him, to tell
his wife that he died fighting like HI"
Gen. L. O. B. Branch OF North Carolina,
was native of that state, and born in
1920. He was educated at Princeton col
lege and was lawyer by profession. He
was member of the 34th, 35th, and Both
Congresses. Gen. Branch was in many re-
spects a very different man from Keitt or
Barksdale. Upon the slavery question
he was more conservative, and rather
slow to deliberate, but firm in his
opinions when once formed. AS rule,
he was cautious in debate, although up
on one occasion he got into an alteration
with Hon. Galusha A. Grow of Pennsyl-
vania, which resulted in a challenge
from Branch to Grow, but was settled
without fight by the interference of
mutual friends. He was not originally a
secessionist, but drifted into the rebellion
by following the lead of his state. But
it cost him his life. for, while leading his
Antietam in September, 1862.
Felix K. Zollicoffer was different man
from either of the persons above named.
He was an old fashioned Wing in politics,
and never had any sympathy with the
Bourbon democracy. He was fine
specimen of a gentleman in the best
sense of the word; genial, kind-hearted
and compnlOnable.
He was native of Tennessee, born in
Mauray county, May 10, 1872 and re-
ceived an academical education He was
connected with the newspaper press of
that state from 1884, more or less until
1853 He was three years state printer,
from 1872 to 1915, comptroller of the state
treasury, a member of the state senate
and representative in Congress from
1858 to 1857.
Gen. Zollicoffer did everything he could
against the secession of his state, but
likemany others y ielded at last to the.
force of circumstances and drifted into
the rebel camp and was made a general
of volunteers. While leading his troops
at the battle Of Somerset, Kentucky, he
was instantly killed. That such men sas
Barksdale and Keitt should lose their
lives upon the rebel battlefield, would
seem to be but a just retribution for
their long, continuous efforts to plunge
thesSouth into an armed rebellion. On
the score of simple justice they got their
deserts. For resisting secession in their
several states, Branch and Zollicoffer are
to be kindly remembered, but no mantle
of charity can cover the treason Of
taking up arms against ones own
country" They died not as heroes, but
as martyrs to the avewed demon of Sc
cession.
Portland Noyem her ID 1909