The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-27

and efforts TO save as many as pos
sible OF those who had survived. and
to relieve the distress Of the wounded.
A soldier can understand that After
the battle Gordon's corps was con-
tinually fighting until the end came at
Appomattox two weeks later. Many
who got out or Fort Stedman safe and
sound that morning were killed in the
trenches while attempting to defend
Petersburg. or at Five Forks. or in that
running fight to AppomattOx court
house. Ny father sometimes rode a
white horse, a favorite which he never
took in until after the others had been
shot down under him. This much 1
learned from General Gordon and other
companions in arms"
1t was not necessary for me 10 go
into all the details of the situation in
order TO impress Mr.. Grady with the
sublime courage displayed by the rider
of the white horse. He knew from his
close study of the battle that the
ground between Fort Stedman and Fort
Haskell where the gallant fellow rode
TO his death. was swept by a fire its
whole length on the flank, as well as
from our rifles in front. That any
number of members OF that forlorn
hope should have lived would have
been marvellous; that its leader. so con-
spicuously mounted, should have sur
vived would have been a miracle. Men
who saw him during his last moments
said that his horse could be seen plung-
ing wildly as though smarting under
battle shots, and the form OF the leader
was seen to twist and swerve as though
struck by flying missiles. At last. as
he raised himself erect in the saddle
and pointed with his sword toward the
gun which had been the goal he
pitched forward to the earth and the
struggle was over There was scarcely
a dozen men at his back when he went
down. Mr.. Grady followed up my story
with one of his own, reviewing the
romance of his life. a romance which
began with this very foriorn hope of
GOrdon's. Said he: When the rem
nants of the Georgia battalions came
back to the old state from Appomattox.
l went to find my fathers veterans and
get their account of his death. for news
of his fate had already reached US in
our far away home. But l could not
find a single one of the men he had led
into battle that day. Then alone and
friendleSs, green country boy of 10
years, l went to General Gordon. an en-
tire stranger to me, and together we
began a search all over the south. for
some of these men who had gone on the
charge toward Fort Haskell. The phase
of the battle alone was a mystery TO
General Gordon and all survivors of the
day But we have received no response
IN to this time and can only believe
that all men are dead.
However, I found in Gordon the best
friend a young man could have. He has
been the father to the orphan of one of
his soldiers whom he loved and over
whose fate he mourned. Gordon gave
me nv start in the world, and all
his career as United States
senator and governor he has been my
friend, adviser and helper"
GRADY'S GRATITUDE.
There was much cross-questioning
by Mr. Grady. l told him that we had
learned from southerners under the
flag of truce which followed the battle
that the dead hero was a Georgian, and
that he held the rank of major
And now that you have given me
the story of the Georgia majors
DEATH" concluded Mr.. Grady. If you
can tell me of his burial spot my sad
search of these many years will be
ended"
1t happened that I had been placed
in charge of the detail TO gather uD
the dead and clear our lines for further
action after that exciting morning bat
tie. and | knew soldier living il New
York, the city where this interview took
place, who had helped to deliver the
bodies of the dead confederates TO their
friends. 1 hunted him UP and It trans
pired that he had carried the dead ma
jor to the flag of truce. From him !
learned that the men TO whom he de-
livered the body were seen to move
away into Lees lines and in the direc-
ton of the old church cemetery which
was a conspicuous mark on the land