Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-04
DUNCAN's DEFENCE.
His Explanation OF the Affair at bull
Run battlefield.

HIS Explanation OF the Affair at bull
Run Battlefield.
To the Editor Of the New York World
While in the hands Of the military au-
thorities ! did not deem IL proper or
military TO make any statement for the
press, but now that / have been de-
iiNered 20 the civil authorities. feel free
TO speak and deny the many false and
malicious statements made against my
name and character.
As To my connection with the desecra-
ton OF the grave of the Confederate
solder Duke" court-martial, COM
posed of a igadiergeneral, four colo
nels, four majors, and four other Off
GERS, has already adjudged. Two OF these
officers are ex-Confederate soldiers.
over sixty witnesses testified, and 800
pages of evidence were recorded. and
what was the decision? That 1 took no
part in these dissertations; that / was
guilty of neglect of duty only because
/ did not arrest privates who were
digging in the grave My part in
the deplorable affair, as testified to in
the court-martial by myself and borne
out by other evidence, was as follows
on the morning of August 9th, while
the Second Division was camped near
Bull Run, was out sketching as is my
custom when 1 have leisure. While
strolling about the battlefield I came
upon "a body Of men digging in n little
hole. about inches deep and 2 feet across.
i had aleady seen dozens OF men all
over the field searching :cg relics and
not few digging, so | thought nothing
of 1t. l stayed some 10 minutes. watch
ing the digging and talking to another
officer who was present. Then / learned
that gravestone was Whereabouts. and
found il lying out some fifteen feet from
whore the men were digging.
/ learned what was on IL. but rs l had
been informed that all the bodies OF SOL
diers Whereabouts had been removed to
Arlington and Manassas did not think
much OF the matter. However. l saw
hospital corps man there, and ordered
him back 10 camp Che was the only man
there over whom l supposed i had au-
thority). The other men there were not
under my commandment even Of my
regiment As l am a surgeon, 1 have no
command.
ORDERED THE MEN AWAY.
started to so away, but stopped to
think the matter over, and then came
back and told the men TO quit digging
and 20 away. They did so, scattering
i'm every direction. The excavation at
this time about 800 a. Nj was about one
and a half feet deep and two feet
across, and nothing whatever had been
removed. except dirt and small stones.
After ordering the men away lett the
spot at once, and have never seen 1t since.
That is the sum and substance Of my
guilt. And there is no evidence TO prove
that | was there again.
Now as to the dissertations. 1t was
shown on trial that some parties began
digging again, but were Immediately
stopped by a captain of the Third New
| York about 1890 A. NJ. At that time the
excavation had reached depth OF TWO
| feet, but nothing had been taken out eX-
cept dirt This captain stopped the dig
ging, had the hole refilled and the stone
replaced
The evidence further shows that re
turned to camp before IL A. NJ, and was
there the remainder of the day, that some
time in the afternoon, probably between :
and 3, other parties again opened the
grave and this time took out the skull
and one or two bones but that nothing
was taken away.
Another officer came up, replaced the
bones, refilled the grave, and placed a
guard over it. This ended the deplorable
affair.
have one thing more TO say. 1t has
been charged that l was the leader Of
this. and that / did It out OF feeling
toward the Confederate dead. l want
TO deny that accusation. l do not be-
lieve that il was made by ex-Confede-
rates, but by reporters who wish to in
gratiate themselves with the South. /
want to say that for the Confederate
soldiers. living or dead, ! have pro-
found respect. !, too, am soldier and
have read with admiration of the dash
ing troopers of J. +. B. Stuart, the foot
cavalry of Stonewall Jackson, and the
often hungry, ragged. dust-browned
men in gray that followed Robert II. Lee
10 a hundred fields, and finally, at APP
pomattox, gave up their flags, lowered,
but not dishonored. No man living
honors them more than l. The memory
OF their herosm is a heritage to all.
Neither do I think that the men who
actually took part in the sad affair did
il out of sectional feeling. / think rather
that it was the outcome of recklessness
i'm Young men, engendered by camp life
in a volunteer army, added TO foolish
desire for "relics."
am far from home and among
strangers. For the sake of my family
to whom this is torture, ask fair treat
ment until it has been proved that l have
done wrong LOUIS c. DUNCAN,
CAPTAIN and Assistant Surgeon, Twenty
second Kansas Infantry, United States
Volunteers.