The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20

WnIu y v LnOuRn 10 huNunC0 N III OuN
wall upon the flank Of the battery, thus avoid
i bo i po,n nsSj VIII While s %y . SyS Yf sor ssi9 u tSs m hun.
S Ssnt aS SSasSn' shot Sot0n orss sfi e through tRSs lS''t the
ranks OF the retresting, men in gray. ri!
f sS5s' and sT0i Tor % q iSo%sne th SRSn was ,'i . @ nisS
tial, equestrian statue carved out against the
and iEndistinSt mssses OF warning mon. IVA;
was the central fssare Of IL all. / lowered my
sssns'S sassr e sIO'' Did you isteS, hi$, : no
not It occurred to me. at the time, I have since
thought that ] must havo had n feeling that ~
would Would. DO inslorio S,,t to . snafT out rn;, that y; fam OF
and t con sSnSSsnt H FsG had % tpioa tO Sis o. OWN mi1 SaSd P and
other, to the embrasuro to try to bring down
tts hS man on the white HI ,l horse. 2, and OF course rs he he
leif Saag a1tIiior 70 SS Obliged Sbc v 20 confess ~ T.l IL thS
hehting that gun that he had no msrkSman
equal to the emergency. However, the Incl
time in r~opellinF the charge. lod by the
man on the white, horse, and in repairing
int tho d our sCTns SHT frSa t X ola & t cSHfed fas SGlHi nss.
Tho sergeant himself was terribly wounded a
few moments Sfterward and from rom that III time on
the run of the light. which was e course very
man on the white horse riding through the
storm Of bullets which greeted his advance.
s so c al was 81 over SIci snd our R. %Sa we're wi iSndt thss
T Tst,,. i b sS,s0' u All about sos saS r .SS. Of q, t tss
death %Sa o' When we vent ent outside of the wall. to
examine the battlefield we found the body Of an
Within %isSia; t SiaE1n fee th Of ' oa4 psrs SP { WITH Ms'S Eli issosaaSS
toward our wall, his sword firmly held IN q
death grip and pointing TOWARD tho gun which
men to silence. He had been shot from his sad
die. and after bis fall the horse, doubtless already
In thst act 10 was KILLED b a shell which passed
floor when ] finished the account Of those last
moments of the hero. I stopped, not because
picture. but because l saw that the pressure
Of emot!en upon Mr., Grady X, was sn.s, becoming m nngei Elm In
my hand. With q look into my face better mag
to every word. exclaimed;
my SSn i spihrse %I Sd s't oontin tts IN after SsstiS a pause.
served With Gordon, and was killed that morn.
tof EARN arm the se eirc sGDst S"s Of his iIat death but NO
one could tell me. He was Just the man. so bis
Kin Of say a id to %nd9 Sans IN Y0 tSe srisIs to of l Ssttie-
Such a deed at that time was but a passing
incident when the minds q all were
onterpriss. the loss of bosom friends, and
efforts shGla ITO to ' save as many az possible ds,, OF
t the distress T = Of pt The % S%aHadsd. 1 4 Soldier lie e lSns une
d~erstand that. After the battle Gordon's corps
was continually fighting until the end came at
Appomattox two weeks later. Many who got
out Of Fort Stedman safe and sound that morn
ing were killed in the trenches while attempting
that Il aG THnnin ne asht to- Aip S5 as toxe COURT fGnfs H or IN
My, father sometimes rode, a white horse. a ia
v1Srite which VII sI he meyer took In until after nth the
much ! learned from Gen. Gordon and other COM
panions in arms"
tails Of the situation. in order to impress Mr..
Grady, with the sublime courage displayed by
the rider sr Of the hs white ,td sa horse III He KIN knew from his his
tween Fort stedman and Fort Haskell, where
the gallant fellow rode to his death. was
well as from our rifles in front. That any num-
Der Of members Of that forlorn hope should have
leader. 5000 SO conspicuou nsIn mounted, Should idA have
survived would have been a miracle. Men who
saw him during his last moments said that his
horse could be seen plungtng wildly as though
smarting under battle shots, and the form OF
the leader was seen to twist and swerve as Il
himself erect in the saddle and pointed with his
sword toward the gun which had been the goal.
he pitched Sdd forw Tbsr to the the earth NJ hcs and ! The the str rus
at his back when he wont down; Mr.. Grady
followed mp my story VIII one OF his own; re
began with this very forlorn hope OF Gordon's
"When the remnants Of the Georgia battalion,
came back to the old State from Appomattox.
went to find my fathers veterans and get theil
account OF his death. for news OF his fate had al
ready reached us in our far.away home. But
could not find a single one of the men he had LED
into battle that day. Then. alone and friendless
Gordon. an entire stranger to ME. and together
we began a search all over the South for some o.
I Fort H RsR Mh0 f fns gone chase on Of fh the ssf Sattl to aion,
was a mystery to Gen. Gordon and all survivors
Of the day. But we have received no Response
up to this time. and can only believe that all thu
men are dead.
However, I found in Gordon the best FRIEND
a young man could have. He has been a father
TO the orphan Of one of his soldiers whom HI
loved and over whose fate he mourned. Gordon
gave me my start IL the world; and all thFengl
ernor he has been my friend and helper.
There was much cross-qusstIonlng by Mr.
Southerners under the flag Of truce which fol
lowed the battle that the dead hero was
And now that you have given me the story
Of the Georgia Major,s death" concluded Mi
Grady, ~ you can tell me OF his burial spot N!
It happened that | had been placed in, charg
Of tho detail to gather up the dead and clear on
Ing battle, and I knewa soldier living in New
York, the city where this interview took place
Confederate to their friends. I hunted him ~
and 1t transpired that he had carried the dea'
Major TO the flag Of truce. From him I learne'
and in the direction dfDS tic Of the Old church i%s1 ie eene ttay
winch WIZ " conspicuous IllTk on Inc lunuSCHD
within view Of our fort. WAS any name spoke
when yog banded tho body to the Georgia
Yes" was the prompt answer. and I n
membered II distinctly for years"
The veteran then ran over several names SINH
lar in sound TO the one borne by the youn
Georgian. He. came SO near to II that 1t did no
seem to me to he II leading question when l sale
Gould 1t have been Grady Z"
That's II. exactly said my man. "'Majo
Grady-and dead! his soldiers exclaimed a
soon as they saw us bring his limp form towar
the flag OF truce. They made a fuss over him.
Some further particulars ! learned and comm
nicated to Mr.. Grady to aid In the identi1catlo
OF the remains should there be any uncertaint
upon that point. He was killed by a bullt
through the right temple, and upon his breas
beneath tho coat was a simple device OF ste,
armor sometimes worn by mounted soldiers as
life preservcr. That armor bore
dents. showing that he had been a target fc
many clever m~arksmen,b but the fatal bullet ha
at last sped to nm unprotected spot.
And now all this furnishes an explanation Il
that otherwise ambiguous passage in Mr.. CIR
dy's famous New England banquet speech, III
sole reference to family or lineage In any OF hi
oral or written. productions. Speaking for III
young men OF the new South. the traditions the
revere and tho sentiments which inspire then
he said:
I'm my native town OF Athens is a monumer
that crowns tho central .bill-n plain whit