Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-04-29
The First Man Killed in the War.

Several statements have been made
as to who was the first victim of our
late internecine war, and it is general
ly supposed that it was Colonel Els
worth, of the Chicago Zouaves, who
was shot by Jackson, at Alexandria,
Va. Such is not the fact. The first
man killed in the strife by soldiers,
and it is believed the very first one
killed by any direct result Of 1t, was
Baily Brown, of Grafton, Taylor coun-
ty, in the present State of West Vir-
GINA, then part of the Old Dominion.
II any other section of country before
the date there given, it Is due to the
truth of history, as it Will hereafter be
written, that it should be made pub
lie but the writer is confident there
is none other.
Early IN May, 1851, Ueorge \. or
terfeld, a gentleman Of Jefferson coun-
ty, Va, who had received a military
education and seen service in the Mex
lean war, was appointed a colonel 10y
Gov. Letcher and his council, and
sart into Northwestern Virginia TO or
ganize the various companies there
being raised under the call for State
troops. \ company from Marion
county, under the command of Will
lam P. Thompson, which afterward be-
came Company A, Of the Thirty-drst
Virginia Regiment, and one under the
command of John \. Robinson, that
became Company \, Of the Twenty
fifth Virginia Regiment, and one m-
der T. W. Hausbrough, that was after
ward disbanded, rendezyoused at Fet-
terman. mile and a-half below Graf
ton, on the Goth Of May, 1861. On
the 22nd they were joined by the
Harrison Guards, Of Clarksburg, un-
der the command of w. p. Cooper,
which became Company c, OF the Thir-
ty-frst Virginia Regiment. The whole
force was marched that evening up to
Grafton and back to Fetterman. In
the meantime, Union company
had been formed at Grafton. That
night it marched down to the edge Of
Fetterman, halted, and sent Baily
Brown and Daniel Wilson forward to
reconnoitre They went down the
railroad till they came to Daniel W.
S. Knight and George Glenn, Of Cap
tain Robinson's company, who were
stationed near the run at the eastern
end Of the tow. Knight commanded
them to halt Instead of doing so
they continued to advance, when
Knight repeated his command once or
twice; but Brown continued on till he
got close to Knight ami then fired
upon him with a revolver, shooting
him through the ear. knight, who
was armed with an oid-iashloned
smooth-bored musket loaded with
sluss, returned the shot and one Of the
slugs struck Brown in the breast, pass
ing through bis heart killing him al
most instantly. His body was taken
to the Town Hall, which was occupied
as quarters by the Harrison Guards,
and properly cared for. When this
firing took place Wilson ran back and
Glenn fired upon him, striking the
heel Of his boot. This was on the
night Of the 22nd Of May, 1861, about
8 o'clock.
Mr.. Brown was a native Of lnde-
pendence, Preston county, W Va
and was raised on a farm near there.
He was thirty-fye or forty years old
when killed. knight is native Of
Stafford county, Va, and is carpen-
ter by trade, is still living on farm
there, and is about ffty-eight years Of
age. Wilson subsequently, became a
captain in Colonel Lathem's regiment
in the Federal army.-Mgj. W p
Copper IN PLiladelphja Times.