Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-01-29
i" KURNEL BUNKER. .
He Explains how 1t Happened That
His Regiment Was Not Included
in the Surrender Of
Lees Army

eyes, sub, my regiment was the last
command in Virginia to lay down It's
arms land of cose l am proud OF the
fact" said Colonel Bunker, as his feet
found a proper resting place on the
railing of the Veranda. L think L car
ried the matter through with dignity
and honah, and l have been told that
no one could have done better
"Yo see, suh," continued the Colonel
as he got out pencil and paper TO draw
a war map, I'VE had fallen back from
Petersburg to AppomattoX. 1t was
strategic move. At AppOmattox we
found. ourselves hemmed in, and Cen
eral Lee decided to surrender. That
was another strategic move. AS the
Kurnel commanding a regiment my
business was to fight instead of prac-
tice strategy, and when the news
reached me that our army was about
to surrender | rode up to my brigadier-
general and said:
"'Suh, | can die for our flag, but l
can never surrender
But how can 20 die II there's no
mo- fighting?' he asks.
There is to me mo- fighting, sub
heaps mo-. | shall withdraw my regi-
ment from the army and refuse to sur
render Not until the last man is dead
shall the invader get possession OF our
flag
He didn't answer that in words, sub,
but he held out his hand to me and
tears ran down his cheeks. l took his
demeanor as a sign that | was at lib
ertv to withdraw, and riding to the
head Of my regiment l drew my sword
and asked how many of these brave
men would follow me to the death.
Every man threw up his cap and cheer-
ed and | am not ashamed to admit,
suh that for a moment l was unman-
ned, Then put the regiment in mo-
tion. and as we were marching away a
maiah-general rode up to me and ask
ed where we were going.
"'To fight to the last, sub, and to
die. subj l replied.
He had no word of reply. lie SIM
ply turned his face away and Wept'
When we had proceeded ABOUT nVe
miles we took a strong position ana
waited for the enemy to appear. AS
7 nassed up and down the lines and
fonnd each war-worn veteran ready 10
shed his last drop of blood for the bull
let-scarred flag waving above him II
was the proudest hour of my life. we
had been waiting for day when L
received word from General Lee that
he had surrendered. He advised me to
do the same, but for the first and last
time l differed with the great leader
l returned word by the messenger that
we should hold out to the last. Next
day a federal general came in under a
flag of truce to say to me:
'Kurnel Bunker, yo are a brave
man, and this action Of yo'rs will go
down in history but it is useless for
yo' to hold out longer. Yo' have only
$40 men; we have yo' surrounded by
30,000'"
Il answered him in the same way
that we could die but could not sur
render. He was a brave man himself,
and he was full of admiration for our
pluck. He went away to report, and
a day later General Sheridan rode into
our battle lines. When he had intro
duced himself he said:
Kurnel Bunker, what's the use in
all this fussin' around? We have got
yo' surrounded by 10000 men, and it
won't take two minutes to wipe yo'
out"
General Sheridan, says I in reply,