The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-08-01
THE LOUISIANA TIGERS.
The Manner of Their Taking OF.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The terrible
and undaunted Solomon" the last of the
Louisiana Tigers" who publishes his
thrilling NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in the st. Louis
| Republic, in narrating how ID of his terrible
band were killed at Rappahannock Bridge,
says: Here We're driven back three
times but finally won the fight, and captured
fine battery. All of the original Tigers
that were left after Malvern Hill were killed
here but three. The other 397 had either
been killed or captured, and, as it was our
motto to die rather than surrender | think
pretty nearly all of them had either been
killed or so badly wounded that they were
untitled for battle"
Now, the bloody Tiger" Solomon (?( does
not say how the 397 were killed so / will ac-
count for three of them, as no doubt many
others went the same way On the Goth of
August, 1862, when Lees army were moving
up North, the Louisiana Tigers were camped
at Rappahannock Station. Solomon says
there were but Il Of them. Well. eight of
| them came to the village of Steyensburg. 10
miles from their camp, in the morning. They
wore the usual uniform of the Tigers, " viz,
| red shirt, gray Iouave pants, with canvas
| leggngs, and red Zouaye cap. They at
once proceeded to Ego through " the town. in
| Two Of them, Mr. Joe Richard and Mr.. Will
| liam Ross, were old men, and the others were
! Hardwick, sick Confederate soldier, and Joe
Roberts, a Confederate soldier on temporary
! furIough. The Tigers" were thirsty for
whisky, and after breaking into several
houses, and frightening the women and chill
dren, and helping themselves to whatever
they wanted they went to Mrs. Martha Hud-
| sons store where they ascertained that
whisky was kept They went in and helped
themselves to jug of whisky, drinking
all they wanted, and also took out several
hams. Mrs Hudson, seeing Joe Roberts
passing, called him to her aid, and lie came,
but when he tried 70 expostuate with the
Tigers they seized him and threw his
head back over the fence, and one of them
drew a long knife and was about to cut his
throat but Mrs. HUDSON and other women
got around them apd induced them TO desst
They then went into an open lot and RECALLED
themselves with TIE whisky until they
emptied the jug, and not caring further for
provisions, left the liams and proceeded mp
street 10 Mrs. Pattie Whales Mrs. Whale
kept small hotel ,,and they had learned that
she kept liquors; s9ewhen they reached there
they found the house clofed ~, windowshut-
tiers and all. Theyrkncckcd at the door and
who carried the barrels, of a shotgun, which
he had knocked from tfe stock, drew back,
and with terrible blow from the gun barrels,
smashed the wiHdow-shgtters, sash, glass and
all As he did so George Brown a young
fellow of Is, grandson of Mrs. Whale fired
two loads of bucl<shot into him from shot
gun, and the sick Confederate soldier fired
his pistol The Tiger" fell and his COM
panions picked him up and carried him across
the street to Mr.. William Ross. He cried
out to them TO lay him down and let him die;
hut they said no, they would carry him to the
house. and then fire the - town. You
may know the women and children were ex-
cited when they heard this !, but as the
Tiger" died almost as soon as they laid
him on bed his companions took blue
check Counterpart and wrapped him up in it,
and with fearful oaths and vows of vengeance
carried him out by an old ice-house in the lot,
and obtaining shovels, dug very shallow
trench and threw dirt over him. 1t was now
night, and word had been sent to the troops
ut Brandy in the morning by courier COM
ing up from Raccoon Ford of the doiDgs of
these men, so a cavalry squad arrived Just as
they got through with the burial, and took
them all to Major Wheat, at Rappahannock.
In the night an ambulance, with escort, came
Ross, Mrs. Whale and Mrs. Hudson, and
some others to Rappahannock Station, where
the circumstances of the killingwere inquired
into and the result was the other seven
'Tigers" were kept in the guardhouse and
the citizens brought back to Stevensburg.
George Brown and Iiardwick hid themselves
until Lees army passed on, fearing the VEN
geance of the Tigers So this accounts for
one Tiger" And then in the History of the
Seventeenth Virginia Regiment" published
by Kelly Pet & Co., of Baltimore, / find the
following on page As: 1--WE were relieved on
the 9th December, 1861, by the 9th S. c.,
and returned to camp near Centerville. On
our arrival we received information that two
of the Tiger Rifles of Wheat's Battalion,
were to be shot for attempting tie life of one
of their Lieutenants. The execution took
place not very far from our camp, and was
witnessed by some of our men,"
Now, there is three of the "Tigersu ac-
counted for, and no doubt a large proportion
of the 397 went the same way, while many
Others deserted. Citizens of Stevensburg tell
of one Misunderstanding Tiger" who
passed through there, making towards the
setting sun, after Lees army had moved
Northward in the Gettysburg campaign. He
had his nose and one ear cut off, and was ter
ribly slashed in the face. He said that he
got his wounds irrsbattle, as the Tigers"
when they went into action, fired their rifles
and threw them aside. and drawing their
knives, rushed upon the Zoe and carved them
up. When he wasssssked how he got carved
up so he said that the Yankees had brought
on brigade Of savage Indians with scalping
knives to put against the "T1gers, and old
Pope trotted them outsat the Second Bull
Run; but it was no Use. the paint, feathers,
and dead Indians were strung along the road
from the China Hpuseato Centerville. His
audience, of course, tknew that lie was lying,
and that he got DECORATED up in some drunken
fight, as they only,e4pressed their apprecia-
ton of his merits byseold cornbread and but
termilk. He left, and don't think he was
one OF the three letta iappahannock.
Now, Louisiana had some splendid soldiers
in the Confederate army; and all the Louisi-
ana troops were called Tigers" by both
Confederate and Federal troops, and there
fore, when the Louisiana Tigers are men
toned in accounts of battle it does not mean
Wheats insignificant battalion but the
Louisiana regiments presently. L. DOYLE,
Stevensburg, Va.
"Don't Tobacco-Spit or Smoke Your Life
Away"