The Portland daily press., 1897-09-15
MAJOR BURRAGE'S SWORD
He Receivers it Thirty.Three Years
After Its Loss.
1T WAS TAKEN BY A NORTH CARO-
LIMA LIEUTENANT,

And Was Found in a Masonic Lodge in the
State of MISUNDERSTANDING Story of
the Capture and the Quest.
Major Burrage received by express yes
terday the sword which was captured
with him at Petersburg, Va, November
!, 1854. The circumstances of the cap
ture were as follows. On that day Major
Burrage had charge of the picket line of
the first brigade, second division, Ninth
Army Corps, on the left of our line at
Petersburg. and in receiving his instruc-
tions from Gen. Curtin in the morning,
he was directed not to allow the men TO.
exchange papers, but If an opportunity
offeredto DO SO himself and to bring the pas
pers to the general. I'm visiting the picket
line with the division officer of the day,
Major Burrage found Confederate (offi-
Ger, as he sup posed from his dress), on a
road in front Of our lines, in thick
woods. waiting to exchange. He walked
down the road to meet him, and found
that he had three Richmond papers, while
he had only one Washington paper. The
Confederate offered to give him his three
papers If Major Burrage would give him
his Washington paper, and in addition
would bring ont another paper in the af
ternoon. This Major Burrage agreed to
do, and as he turned to go back to his
line, he asked the Confederate who he
was. He replied: II am the Major of
the Second Mississippi" Major Burrage
took the Richmond papers to Gen. Curtin,
and in the afternoon, on revisiting his
line, he brought W 18th him the added
paper as he had agreed to do in the morn
ing.
On reaching the place on the line where
the exchange In the morning had oc-
CURED, Major Burrage found that the
Confederate officer had not returned He
accordingly waited awhile for him, but
as he did not come he finally thought
that in the fulflment of his agreement
he would call out some one from the OPP
posite line and send the paper over. He
accordingly walked down the wood road
holding the paper in his hand, and when
he came in sight of the Confederate pick
cts, he halted and waved the paper. He
was now about so or rs yards from the
Confederate line and not in sight of his
own line on account of q bend in the
road. The Confederates rose in their pits
and an officer called out, "Come in or
we II fire.
Major Burrage supposed that he would
only need to state the facts as they were
to secure his return to his own line, but
the officer whom he met refused to allow
him to return, and demanded his sword.
In the belief that on reaching an officer
of higher rank he would be released, Ma
jor Burrage took the name of the officer
who received his sword in order that he
might secure the same on his return. He
was then sent to Col. Cowan, who at that
time was in command of Lanes brigade
Col. Cowan said that the officer on the
line ought not to have made the capture,
but that Major Burrage had seen so much
of his line that he was unwilling to send
him back, and that he would probably
be kept until any information he had
secured would not be of any use.
By Col. Cowan he was sent to Gen. Heth,
command of the Confederate forces at
Petersburg. Gen. Hill said that ifaMajor
Burrage's story was true he would return
him to his own lines in few days.
Meanwhile he gave him his parole, and
he was assigned quarters with DR.. Ham
ilton of Gen. HIPS staff. Major Burrage
was at Gen. Hills headquarters three
days, and was greatly enjoying his stay
there when he was sent to the Libby as
a prisoner of war. Not knowing on what
ground he was held as prisoner, he
wrote out statement of the case and
sent it to Gen. Lee. The latter sent 1t to
Gen. A. P.Hill and asked for statement
in about two weeks. Gen. Hill said that
the statement made by Major Burrage
was the same he made when he was
brought to his headquarters; but on in
vestigating the case he found that the
Major of the Second Mississippi, with
whom Major Burrage claimed to have ex-
changed papers that morning, had been
absent, wounded0for months. Further
more, he said, Gent ,eHeth is of the opin-I
ion that Major sBurrage was out under
the guise of exchanging papers, looking
over the ground preparatory to an attack
on our line in retaliation for the capture
of the Second Corps night or two before
by Malone. Gen. Lee returned to MAJOR
Burrage his statement with the endorse
ment that from these facts as set forth by
Gen. Hill, he failed to see why he should
not be regarded as prisoner of war
fairly captured.
On the Union side meanwhile, the
pickets were on the watch for an opportu-
nifty to retaliate. and when about three
weeks later rebel officer was seen to ap-
proach our lines near where Major Bur-
rage was captured, Capt. H.. 0. Dudley
of the 18th New Hampshire Volunteers,
went out to meet him, and drawing his
revolver ordered him into our lines The
| prisoner was no other than Roger A.
PRYOR q former CONGRESSMAN and Rrip