West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1898-05-26
SOME INTERVENING HISTORY.
RrEpsv1I.E. w. VA. Nav 70. q

REEDsvu.LE, w. VA. May 20, '0s.
EDITOR ARGUS:
noticed in the columns OF your pa
per last week. an article relating To
the killing of Col. Washington. OF the
Con onfederate army, in which Gen. Fitz-
hugh Lee was concerned Now, SO far
as the locality and the circumstances
are concerned. some one is in error as
the killing OF Col Washington did not
occur on Cheat Mountain nor on Cheat
River. Neither was he bush-w hacbe
viii give YOU the facts, as | got them,
from Archie Kittlo. of Randolph
county, soon after the close of the war
In 1891 Gen. Mcclellan, with "a small
force, occupied what was known as
Camp Elkwater, above Huttonsville on
Elk River. in Randolph county, and
Gen. II. h Lee, with small force Of
Confederates, were canped on Elk.
water, above, AT the time of the kill
ing OF Col. Washington there were.
il remember correctly from Kittle's
statement, two or three Indiana Reg
iments in Gen. McClellau's command
fred by one of the pickets of the cath
Indiana that killed Col. Washington.
Kttle lived just inside OF our lines at
the time and the picket post from
where the shot was fred was very
close his house and at the time Col
Washington WAS killed, he was on
Gen. Lees staff, and from the evidence
gathered at tho time. il was supposed
he rode down the river with three or
four mounted orderlies 10 reoonnoiter
and get any information he could rel
ative To GenL McClellan's command.
and no doubt was nearer TO the picket
line than he was aware Of, as Kittle
pointed out the spot where he was
killed and also where the picket was
stationed. Col Washington was sit
ting on his horse by the. roadside and
under a large oak tree, which was
near to a worm fence, in turn of the
road and from his position was ia
plain view Of the picket. But it was
thought that the Col. nor any of his
men had observed the picket until the
shot was fred.
/ stayed over night with Kittle and
had quite long talk with him. lie
was blacksmith by trade, and at the
time Col. Washington was killed, was
working for the quartermaster Of the
gath Indiana, but afterwards went
South, for reasons he explained To us,
but which has nothing TO do with this
statement. Now, II there was another
officer with Col. Washington at the
time he was killed, it was not known
by our men. Neither had no rode out
that day for fun, but was on very im.
portant business-business important
TO GenL Lee and tho Confederate
cause, and IL is not reasona Dle To sup
pose that one of Gen1. Lees Aides.
would be within close gun-shot Of a
Federal picket post, with a field glass,
looking into the Federal camp for fun.
The fellow who made the statement
did not know much bout war Neither
did he know much ABOUT bush-whack-
ing, as there was no COnfederates
bu h-whaclSed I'm the upper end Of
Randolph county, " was the other
fellows who got Lush.w hacked when
they got outside Of the lines.
IThe above articls is from the pen Of
Thomas j, Watson, one-armed
veteran OF the great 70 ebcllion, who saw
lots OF hard service in she Union Army
and is well posted on tbe war and
knows what he is talking about. Mr.
Watson further says that Col. Wash
iugton was buried by the Federal
soldiers near where he fell and that
several years after tho war, when the
Government was hunting up the burial
place OF dead soldiers aud transferring
thom TO National Cemeteries. the
remains Of Col. Washington we're taken
up aud removed 90 the National Gene.
terry at Grafton aud reinterred Ga tho
part there specially sot apart for the
Confederate dead ~ Enron Aneus