The gold leaf., 1901-08-08
THE PORT REPUBLIC BRIDGE.

never knew tnat IL was Willis and mol
myself that capsd until some time
afterward. when l saw her.
THE PORT REPUBLIC BRIDGE.
The statement that Jackson actual.
ly passsd through the ranks OF the
enemy and might have been picked
up il they had known it, il unques-
tionably true, and led to severe criti-
cisms by General Tyler on General
Carroll. The patent error in this
statement is that Carroll's order was
to save the bridge at Port Republic,
when the fact is that Jackson wanted
ii saved, and II was Carroll's princi.
pal object to destroy it, to cut Jack
son of from attack upon Shields and
to leave him. as they supposed. At the
mercy of Fremont, which would have
been pretty hard on Fremont.
81 was not wounded on the occas-
ion when they speak Of me being left
in the house in the rear to be cared
for. 1t was q reference TO nv friend
Willis, who was cared for very delight
fully by a Southern girl in the house.
He explained the whole thing to me
when he returned the next day. bring
ing Union soldier as = prisoner be-
hind him. He had been killed before
| could tell him what Belle Boyd told
me.
''YOu may remember that some
time after the war 3 Washington
paper gave an amusing account OF an
interview between General Carroll
and myself in regard to this very bat
tie, and had q cartoon representing
Carroll and myself sitting with our
feet on the same table and each drink
ing \ glass of spirits. You may also
remember that in the campaign OF
1888 General Carroll came to my
meeting at Tacoma and came up on
the stand where l WAS before the
meeting; said he never attended Dem
ocratic meetings, but that he had
voted for General Hancock and would
vote for me, and he would never vote
for another Democrat as long as he
lived. He never did, because he died
a few months aftsrward.
TYLER AND CARROLL.
"You may remember also that the
contest as to whether Carroll did his
duty at Port Republic led to contro-
vers Y between General Tyler and my
self which never entirely subsided
during their mortal lives. Both were,
after the war, my personal friends
Carroll socially; Tyler did me kind
ness when in prison and sold me the
iron safe l now have in my Office.
ITO refresh my recollection l have
looked over my Book of notes on the
subject of Port Republic.
"Belle Boyd gave me after the war
some special facts connected with the
capture and release of Lieutenant
Willis for myself, which l do not care
to 20 into. Willis had no idea what
she had done.
lyon will find in every report OF
that Sunday mornings skirmish .
staff officer to General Jackson is re-
ported as captured, and / am the one
Invariably mentioned when the name
is given.
STONEwALL's PERIL.
IL have been thus prolix, for the
article you show 10 very amusing.
There is no doubt jackson passed
virtually the struggling advance OF
Federal cavalry, and SO close that they
could almost have caught him with
their hands and that l. just behind
him. on the gallop. saw easily the
faces of mon firing recklessly. It ID
also trne that when Jackson got over
the bridge he could not believe the
gun being placed at the East end OF
the bridge was an enemy's gun and
did not believe it until fired upon,
and then Poague virtually destroyed
it."