Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-08-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
HEROIC SEhF-SACRIFCE OF A CON
FEDERATE SOLDIER.

The bust of Sam Davis, the Con
federate hero who met his death n,
the scatfold at Paluski, Tenn. tt
save the life Of a comrade, is one NJ
the pest pieces Of sculpture in the
NASHVILLE Parthenon. 1t is the work
of George Julian Zolnay, is heroic
In size, noble i'm conception, and ab
solutely true to the original. Josbu,
Brown, now of New York city, who
belonged to the Second Kentucky
cavalry of the Confederate army
and was a fellow scout of Samue
Davis, tells the thrilling and awfu
story Of his fate in an article in tho
Confederate Veteran.
"Thcy never fail who die
III great cause; the block may Soak their
Their heads may soddcn in the sun: thci
BE strung to city gates or castle wallis
| but stlll their spirit walks abroad. Though
Elapse, ana others share as dark doom.
lhcy but augment the deep and sweeping
which oversprcads all others, and conducts
The world at last to freedom
Mr.. Browns contribution to the
| S'S''" 10 iOllOWS.
General Bragg had sent us, a few
men who knew the country, into
Middle Tennessee, to get all the in.
formation possible concerning the
| movements of the Federal army,
to find out if it was moving from
Nashville and Corinth to reinforce
Chattanooga. We were to report to
Colonel Shaw or Captain Coleman,
who commanded COleman's scouts.
We were go south to Decatur and
send our reports by q courier line To
Gen. Bragg at Missionary Ridge
When we received our orders we
were told that the duty was very
dangerous, and that they did not ex-
pect but few of us to return; that
we would probably be captured or
killed, and we were cautioned not to
show ourselves unnecessarily.
After we had been in Tennessee
about ten days we watched the Fed
eral Sixteenth Army Corps, com
manded by General Dodge, move up
from Corinth to Pulaski. agreed
that we would leave for the South
on Friday, the 10Th of November,
1868. a number had been captured
and several killed. We were to
start that night, each man for HIM
self; each of US had his own infor.
nation, but did not write it down
or make any memorandum of it, fol-
fear Of being captured. had
counted almost every regiment and
all the artillery in the Sixteenth
Corps, and found out they were
movidg on Chattanooga. Late in
the afternoon we started out and rar
into the Seventh Kansas Cavalry
known as the "Kansas Jayhawkers,' .
and when we were told that regiment
had captured us we thought oul
time had come. We were taken tC
Pulaski, about fifteen miles away
and put into Jail, where severa
other prisoners had been sent, ant
among whom was Sam Davis.
talked with him over our prospec
of imprisonment and escape, which
were very gloomy. Davis said they
had searched him that day, haC
found some papers upon him, anC
he had been taken to General Dodge.
headquarters. They also had founC
In his saddle seats maps and descrip
tions of the Notifications at Nash
vile and other points, and an exac
report of the Federal army IN Ten
nessee. They found in his boot
letter, with other papers, which wa
intended for General Bragg.
Davis was taken back to Dodge
headquarters, and this is what tool
place between them, which Genera
Dodge recently told me;
81 took him to my private office,
said General Dodge, "and told hin
it was a very serious charge brough
against him that he was q spy, ant
from what / found upon his person
he had accurate information i'm re
gard to my army, and l must know
where he obtained 1t. told him b.
was young man and did not seen
to realize the danger he was in. u,
to that time he said nothing, bu
then he replied in a most respectful
and dignified manner:
General Dodge, know the dan
ger of my situation, and / am will
ing to take the consequences
L asked him then to give the nam
OF the person from whom he got tn
information that knew it must b
some one near headquarters who ha,
given him the plans Of the Fedora
army.
He replied:
know that / will have to die
but L will not tell where / got tn
information, and there is no powe
on earth that can make me tell
You are doing your duty as a soldie
and 1 am doing mine. If I have {
die, l do so feeling that 1 am doin
my duty to God and my country
l pleaded with and urged hir
with all the power / possessed {
give me some chance to save his life
for discovered that he was a mos
admirable young fellow, with tn
highest character and strictest in
tegrity. He then said: 1T is useles
to talk to me. do not intend to d