The herald., 1897-10-10
LEES LIFE SPARED BY SCOUT
Wisconsin Soldier Whose Thought of
Home Inspired Mercv

Gen. Robert E. Lee. the Confederate
commander owed many years of life to
the leniency of Thomas w. Burton.
well-to-do farmer of Racine county.
Burton enlisted in an Ohio regiment at
the beginning of the war. He was an ex-
pert wodsman and a crack shot, and had
llved IN Virginia several years in the fif-
Ties. HIS experience in woodcraft and
khowledge OF the country adjacent to the
James River and around Richmond CON-
menoeo MIN for the duties of a scout
anu early IN 1867 he receivedo rders to re-
port for special duty He served as
scout until wounded at Chancellorsville
in May, 1868 He was discharged. and
few years later came to Wisconsin and
engaged in farming. He attended the
G. a. r. encampment at Buffalo and re-
| lated the story of Gen. Lees escape from
death to the group of veterans in the
smoking car.
Yes, said he, Il could have killed |
Lee as easily as boy would knock |
trapped woodchuck in the head. But I |
oloh l. 1t was early in the war-the day |
that Lee took command of the Confed- |
crate army OF Virginia-and the death at !
that time OF the ablest leader of the rebel |
FORCES might hav had a powerful effect |
on the fate of the Confederacy Lee sat
on morse not over twenty feet from
where lay concealed behind log. For
nVe minutes my rifle covered his heart
and my finger rested on the trigger.
might have shot him dead and eseaped
without trouble, but l didn't. Lee was a
great man. and l have been thankful al
ways that l did not shoot"
Did Lee ever know of his escape?"
asked the man with the Sixth Wisconsin
Artillery badge pinned on his lapel.
es' After the war l wrote to him
about it. He sent me this letter" and Mr.
Burton produced sheet of paper Yellow
"a by age the writing faded and barely
leglole. 1t bore the signature: .'R. E
Lee and was as follows:
"Richmord Va, Feb. 1. 1866,
L. w. Burton. Racine
Dear Sir: Your favor of Goth ultiro
al Eand. l think ! remember the Gay
70 Which you refer. l haC on the day
previous taken command of the troops
~. .. A. about Richmond and in com
panV with General G. w Smith. whom
succeeded, made a personal eXamina-
lioh OF the field. I do not doubt your
statement, ard While (several words [
mere lllegible) God, 1 thank you. Cor [
dially, IrE"
After the battle of Seven Pines" Mr. {
bur'on began his story, "our troops took
UP position on both sides of the Chicka-
homlhy, our left reaching into Chicka-
nolnlny swamp. l was attached to GEN.
eral 'Si' Casey's division of Keyes' corps
as scout and had spent several GAYS
IN worklrg through the big Chickahom
lriy swamp. One afternoon-it was June
or 8, think-I was in the swamp be-
tween our lines and the rebs A little
creek ran through the swamp ard into
the Chickahominy. I had sat down on
a log behind sumac or some other
small bush, when I heard something [
moving through the bushes on the other
SIDE OF the stream. 1 dropped down be-
hird the log and swung my rifle over,
cooking 1t, and as / did so two men In
gray rode into plain view At a glance
l knew one to be Lee, and the other l
surmised-correctly it appeared later
was General Smith. Joe johnson had
oeen wounded in the fight of Seven
Pir'es, and Smith had succeeded him.
and Lee, We knew, in turn, had succeed
ed Smith. And held the lives of both
OF them-ore, at least-irmy hand.
The Confederate leaders roo,e out of
the bushes and down to the edge of the
piook ana lei tHelr horses drink. They |
were talking earnestly, and I heard
Stuarts name mentioned. They prob
ably were discussing plans for the raid
his cavalry made around us few days
later. [
WELL Lee and Smith sat on their
horses ard talked My rifle sights GOV.
ereo spot on Lees gray coat directly
over mis- heart. Then I thought I'd get
the two in line and kill them both. Twice
l pressed the trigger to kill Lee, and
once started to pull to kill both Why
didn't l? l thought of my wife and
babes back in Oho-ard then of Lees
dear ones. Tears came into my eyes.
and when 1 got the mist out of them the
party was riding away. 1t would have
been murder, and, praise God, my hands
are clean. an."-Milwaukee Sentinel.