The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-04-01
THE WARS SUREsT SHOT.
Lamar Fontaine's Career In the Confed.
crate Army.
From the NeU York Sun.

lOWluB Gue pedCt1u duo uOuoGOuou
a~vooation Of a planter and a man Of
letters in the secluded hamlet Of
Lyon, in Coahoma County, Miss, not
far from Memphis, lives Lamar Fon.
tame, who was perhaps the most san.
culinary single-handed fighter in the
civil war. He carries the scars Of
sixty-seven bullets, and killed SC
many men that he cannot make ever
an approximate estimate Of the num-
Der.
The Marquis of Lothian in his his
tory of the war Of secession, publish
ed several years ago, being conversant
with many incidents in the life Of
Fontaine, says in effect that none Of
the historical or traditional heroes Of
the chivalric middle ages, no soldier
the world has vel known, whose
deeds of valor have come down in
story, song or fable, can hold a place
alongside this man in the qualities Of
bravery, perseverance, or devotion to
duty, and the Marquis laments that
the Confederate States produced NO
poet or biographer capable of embalm-
ing the memory Of this nineteenth
century warrior.
Fontaine began military service as
chief Of scouts and courier for Gen.
Stonewall Jackson. He served in the
same capacity with Gems. Stuart and
Johnston, and for a short time with
Lee. He took part in twenty-seven
pitched battles and more than one
hundred skirmishes in which blood
was shed. Although he was only a
private in the ranks, he was once in
trusted with a carte blanche order on
the treasury of the Confederate States.
He was known as the best marksman
with rifle or revolver in either army.
He was wounded sixty-seven times,
and thirteen times his lungs were
grazed. Five times during the war he
was as dead.
Lamar Fontaine has in his veins the
best blood in the South. He is of the
same family as the late Justice Lamar
of the United States Supreme Court.
Fontaine came to Memphis this week
to attend a gathering of the local Con-
federate Veterans post, and to read a
paper commendatory Of the South
Battle Abbey project. he is under
the average in stature, wears a jaunty
costume, the most conspicuousfeatures
Of which are a broad-brimmed hat and
a short jacket.
"Have you any idea of the number
Of men you killed in the course Of your
war career?" he was asked.
II could make no estimate, but on
one occasion I shot sixty men in sixty
minutes, and the record was kept and
vouched for by Gen. R. E. Lee him
self. It occurred at Waterloo Bridge,
heal Warrenton Springs, on. the Rap
pahannock, in August, 1862. That
was about the first time I ever met
Gen. Lee, though I had often seen
him before and knew him by sight. I
was then acting a courier for Gen.
Jackson, who, it seems, had been
telling Gen. Lee about my skill with a
rifle. On this day [ carried dispatch
es to Gen. Lee from Gen. Jackson.
When I had performed my duty, Gen.
Lee expressed q desire to see if what
he had heard about my ability as a
marksman. I told him I would do my
best to demonstrate it. Over across
the valley was a ridge upon which was
stationed a Federal battery that was
pouring shot into the Confederates as
fast as the guns could be loaded aud dis
charged. Drawing forth and opening
his watch, Gen. Lee ordered me to
proceed. I began to shoot.
IT would say, Now I'll shoot No.
2 on gun No. L. and the man would
drop at the crack of my rife. Now,
No. l on gun No. d. and that mar
would drop. And so the work continued
AS fast as a man on the battery fell over
another would take his place. Final
ly Gen. Lee closed his watch. THAT
will do said he. Sixty men in sixty
minutes is your record
"On a later occasion Gen. Lee asked
me if my conscience did not trouble
me.
"What for?" said I.
because of the people you have
killed
"'General,' said L, does your CON
science trouble you when you kill a
rattlesnake?'
"'Why do you ask that ? he re-
piled.
Because I answered, when I
enlisted for the war I made up my
mind that it was myduty to kill every
Fci,ral soldier I could, and I kill
Federal soldiers from the same sense
of duty that you would kill a rattle
snake
Fontaine was asked how he acquir-
ed such fine skill in the use of fire.
arms.
"Among the Indians in Texas" he
replied. "When I was a small boy I
settled with my parents in that State.
Later I went to live among the COM
manches, and for thirteen years I new
er saw the face Of a white man."
The most remarkable feat accom-
plished by Fontaine from the point of
view of the historian was the carrying
of dispatches and caps into the city Of
Vicksburg, when that city was be-
seiged by the Federals. At that time
Memphis was in the hands of the enc
my, and Fontaine, acting as a spy,
and under disguise, had been in this
city for a month or So, picking up
what information he could for the
benefit of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
who had his headquarters at Jackson,
Miss. One day there came a sum
mons for him to report to Gen. John
ston at once. simultaneously the
Federals in this city got knowledge of
orders and Of his presence
here. The desire to capture such a
dangerous spy and redoubtable Con-
federate sharpshooter became so in
tense that a large reward was offered
for him, dead or alive, and troops
were sent to cover all the roads lead
ing southwark. He avoided them and
reported on time to his general at
Jackson for orders.
The orders were that he should carry
dispatches and forty thousand musket
caps through the Federal lines into
the city of Yickshurg. The difficulty