New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-07
LEES LIFE SPARED BY 4 SCOUT.
A WISCONSIN SOLDIER WHOSE THOUGHT
OF HOME INSPIRED MERCY
From The Milwaukee Sentinel.

From The Milwaukee Sentinel -
General owed HSo many years of life to the enieney Of
Tbomas " Burton. well TODD farmer OF l.aCi at
b bsyynnn ng' Of the Var He expert W0Gds
and crack sh9t ana his ha exprence in Wood
craft and knowledge of the country adjacent 70 bm o
James River and around RichmonG IN ISs9 he re-.
FOR the duties OF scout. ana cary III IT, IL snrved
ived orders 10 report FOR special iuty ne seuEec
as scout unit! wounded AT ChanceIlols' ~ a.
tS& To- W Tss and engaged in fqrmng H
attended the G. A. r. EncamPmfn nes at escape from
da@th 70 the group Of veterans In me snoks ca
Yes" he said 4 could have ked LS1 s IN he
as boy would knock trapped woodGnurN III the
head But didn't II was early in me on WaImh
day that Lee took ,b Gca Gr at that time Of
;he Sblest leader OF the rebel forces might nave
had powerful effect on the dya c twenty T feet from
wScra I law concealed behind log. For I'VE mill
rife r GSyeTed ms gR hfh have shot him dead
a, TI roJ,d have escaped without trouble but
didn't L slno was that ET[dnd n ia shoo
"Did Lee ever know OF ms escape ISM nIrr ia az
man with the 9Th Wisconsin Artillery oause p'i''e'
1s After the wr9Ie 70 r him anSp5
ne bnt ~ naper velIored by age, the writing faded
and barely legible II bore the signature H. L.
Le "RIchm m% Va Feb lsssT " Burton Ra;
clne~Dear Sir: Your favor OF the 2oah nI'. ,.o a,
h ha1nr had on the day previous taken command
of the troops &C.. 5. A. about Kichinohd ana , ~
ceeded made a personal examination or the neId
7 do not doubt your statement, and while tsevera
words were here illegibe) God. thank you, C3rai-
ally , CO., p,,o.H NJ P,,r,on
hogan his story, "our troops took UP position on
both sides OF the Chicka hominy or ett reseans
into Chicka hominy Swamp. was attacheu "
r Into 81; Casey;s division of Keyess Corps as
zen. I'd had spent several days In working
tbTonrh the big Chickahomny swamp. one altrr-
tnlOus, w., vas Iune 2 or g. | Think was IN the
I,oon between our lines and the rebs; nttle
rock ran through the swamp ana into me CnacEsi
bomInv had sat down on log Dehlhd d su il
az some other small bush when heard sOine. niis
movjng through the bushes on me other sue vi
me stream. / dropped down behind the log anu
su,unr NV rife over, cooking IL: ana as dd so wv
,,an in gray rode into plain view. Az gahce
uneu, one TO be Lee and the other surmiseo-
norrectlv II appeared later-was General smith;
.foa, Iohnson had been wounded In the nght OF
So"er Pines and Smith had succeeded MN, anu
90 ve knew in turn. had succeeded smith Anu
bed the lives OF both OF them-one at least-'"
my hand. ,. ,o.ars rode our Of the bushes
,rd down TO the edge OF the brook ana iet theit
hnrses drink They were talking earnestly, anS
hoard Stuart's name mentioned They proDdpy
were discussing plans for the raid his cavalry
,nodo around us a few days later
Wei Lee and Smith sat on their horses aaa1
talked NV rifle covered spot on Lees gray coa t
directly over his heart. Then Thought "a gel
The two in line and kill them both Iwlc. ga
PRESSED the trigger kill Lee and once sta,eS 81
- mil 70 xiii both. Why didn't i? l thougnt y.
my wife and babes back in Ohio-and then OF Ice