, 1897-09-30
SHORT ONE WAR STORY.
Simeon Theus Did Not XIII the Yankee
Officer as Supposed.

i@i Wv mn At uCbLs sDtl6.
Fer more than 80 years Mr.. Since.
Tleus. of Savannah. has been telling
story Of how he came to kill the onl.
federal VINO fell in battle from a wount
inflicted by his hand. And after al
these years that same federal is coming
10 Savannah to be she guest of Mr.
Theus.
There Is a world OF interest in th,
s,Gry. which tells. Of Mr.. Tneus acciden
ally ascsrtain!Eg that his dead solder
Is a real live business man, fully abreas
Of the times. and doing a thriving b~si
ness in mis- city. They are now fast
friends, and he Yankee is under CRATE
sul obligations 10 the confederate fol
shooting him down on the field tina.
second day al Gettysburg. The reason
Of his qualification Is because the mex
days fighting was CT such a fierce anG
furious mature as to cause nearly all OF
lis command and every officer connect.
"a with the command to be swept away
% death by the battle.
1t was this way" said Mr.. Theus tc
a reporter OF the News. Il was with
ftarse virgins brigade, which was
IN. day under the command OF Col
Carswell. Of the 18Th Georgia. We were
making a desperate charge at Gettys-
burg. when for some reason the re,
mainder OF the division halted, bul
WrigAts brigade kept on abreast OF the
fury OF the battle storm, with Gen. Hunt
chief OF artillery Of the federal army, in
front OF us. Wright's brigade broke
through the lines, capturing all the ar,
illery in their immediate front, amone
he captured being BAKERY B. OF the Is,
Rhode Island Regiment OF Artillery
commanded by Lieut.. T. Fred Brown,
Al this time Wright's brigade was far
in advance OF the rest Of the division
away up the mountain side. an eighth
OF a mile ahead and alone.
Battery B had been given the com
mand 10 Timber to the rear but before
he order could be executed Wright's
brigade reached the four right guns o:
ne battery. The four LEFT guns were
rushed up the mountain side through a
gap in a stone wall. placed quickly in
battery and opened fire On our advanc,
.rg line. the officer in command at in,
~,ervals riding down in from; of the bat,
cry. apparently trying TO step the in
.ansry, who had been broken up in The
charge and who were streaming through
heir guns. Failing in this, he took up
his position on the left OF the guns and
continued the firing upon cur advancing
line. The storm OF the battle grew
thicker in. those parts, bat Wright's bri.
gade, realizing that they were alone and
therefore in desperate straits. pusle,.
Onward with determined onslaught. and
n a few moments the remaining guns
lad been captured.
Officer T. Fred Brown. mounted on a
large roan horse, full Of action, with a
pistol in his hand. was all the while
urging the fight On the federal's side.
and one Of our men said 20 me: Kill
hat man with your next shot | was
armed with an Enfield rife. so caliber.
| leveled down on the officer and shot
aim in the neck. He fell from his roam
horse, and | was assured Of having kill
ed him. Eevery since the war | have
been telling the story. and saying that
this man was the only Yankee | was
sure Of having killed during the war.
NO long ago | wrote to the Provi-
dence. r. l., Journal. asking Cor a lis:
Of The living officers Of this battery. de.
signing 10 establish the position Of cur
brigade exactly as held in that strug-
gle. | did not name the officer | had
Believed 10 have been killed by the ball
from my rife that day. This was not
in my mind at all. Blu such investiga.
ton led 10 the discovery that my man
was not killed at all. but that he is on
/ he contrary very mucn alive, an excel
lent gentleman. and a prosperous bust
ness in Cincinnati"
Col. T. Fred Brown. who was shot
down by Mr.. Theus that day on the bat
tle-field, in reply to the first letter Of
Mr.. Theus said, among other things,
without knowing he was writing 10 the
man who had shot him: Il had the
honor to be the lieutenant commanding
Browns Battery B. Is, Rhode Island
ARTILLERY. at the battle of Gettysburg.
Every incident OF the charge OF Gen,
Wright's brigade toward the close of the
afternoon Of the I'd OF July stands out
IN my memory as though it were yester-
day. That is. up I o the time / was left
for dead on the field. shot through the
neck and falling headlong from a large
buckskin horse and left lying insensi-
BILE. ! was trying 10 withdraw my bat
terry behind the stone wall and place il
in Line OF the troops there. My battery
had been left out in front OF the lines
all the afternoon. expecting to be called
upon to our left to help Gen. Sickles.
81 am pleased enough 10 hear from
one OF those gallant gentlemen in gray
whose line doomed up before me so grim.
ly in the fading daylight, marching or
remorselessly until oblivion came
Later. when Mr.. Theus made homes
con.ession to his correspondent that b.
Was the man who had shot him that da,
in battle, the veteran wrote as follows:
IAN the incidents you describe fit per
sectN. ! was mounted On a large. VIVA