El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-11

T.J.MACKEY, Late Captain @. s. A.

copyright. 1897 by the Author.l
Though never a war was fought with
more earnestness than our own late war
between the north and the south, never
a war was marked by more deeds of
noble kindness between men, officers
and privates of the contending sides.
Serving at the front during the entire
war as a captain of engineers in the
Confederate army, many such deeds
came under my own personal observa-
ton, while many more have been relat-
ed to me by credible eyewitnesses. Here
is one especially worthy of record:
The advance of the Confederate line
of battle commenced early on the MORN
ing of July 1, 1868. at Gettysburg. The
infantry division commanded by Major
General John B. Gordon of Georgia
was among the first to attack. Its OBJ
jective point was the left of the Second
corps of the Union army. The daring
commander of that corps occupied a
position SO far advanced beyond the
main line of the Federal army that
while it invited attack it placed him
beyond the reach of ready support when
the crisis of battle came to him in the
rush of charging lines more extended
than his own. The Confederate advance
was steady, and it was bravely met by
the Union troops, who for the first time
found themselves engaged i'll battle on
the soil of the north. which until then
had been virgin to the war. 1t was "a
far cry" from Richmond to Gettysburg,
yet Lee was in their front, and they
seemed resolved to welcome their south
ern visitors with bloody hands to hos
pitable graves" But the Federal TANKS
rested in air, and, being turned, the
line was badly broken. and, despite
bravely resolute defense against the
well ordered attack of the Confederate
veterans, was forced to fall back.
Gordon's division was in motion at a
double quick to seize and hold the van
tage ground in his front from which the
opposing line had retreated when he
saw directly in his path the apparently
dead body of Union officer. He
checked his horse, and then observed,
from the motion of the eyes and lips,
that IL officer was still living. He at
once dismounted, and seeing that the
head of his wounded foeman was lying
in a depression in the ground placed
nnder it a nearby knapsack. While rails
ing him at the shoulders for that pur-
pose he saw that the blood was trickling
from a bullet hole in the back, and
then knew that the officer had been shot
through the breast. He then gave him
a drink from a flask of brandy and
water, and, as the man revived, said,
while bending over him: II am very
sorry to see you in this condition. am
General Gordon. Please tell me who
you are. wish to aid you all I can"
The answer came in feeble tones:
"Thank you, general. I am Brigadier
General Barlow of New York. You can
do nothing more fer me. I am dying"
Then, after a pause, he said: Eyes,
you can. My wife is at the headquarters
of General Meade. If you survive the
battle, please let her know that 1 died
doing my duty"
General Gordon replied: "Your mes
sage. if live, shall surely be given to
your wife. Can do nothing more for
your"
After brief pause General Barlow
responded: MAY God bless you! Only
one thing more-feel in the breast
pocket of my coat-the left breast-and
take out packet of letters
AZ General Gordon unbuttoned the
blood soaked coat and took out the
packet the seemingly dying soldier said: