The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-12
A WAR STORY
A Union Omcer Tells How q South
Carolinian Died Private Banister's
Lonely Grave on the Banks OF the
Cape Fear.

A Darlington correspondent writes
The Charleston News and Courier OF
February 18th. as follows:
Through the courtesy OF Mr.. Henry
Hennig, OF Darlington your correspond
ent is enabled TO give valuable Informal
ton regarding h hitherto unknown
death and burial Of a brave confeder-
ate soldier. The details maxi another
Of the pitifully sad incidents connected
with the sacrifice of brave men during
the iane war n perhaps 1t may not,
even after the lapse of SO many years,
be too late to carry long looked for
details to waiting and loving hearts.
Mr.. Henry Hennig. a native Of Aus
tria. but for quite a number of years
now a Dariingtonian, last November
revisited his Old home and birthplace.
On the steamer Mr.. Hinnig met one Of
ms countrymen. a Mr.. Theodore Gros-
helm, OF Vienna. During the compan-
ionship OF the voyage Mr.. Grosheim re-
lated the following interesting expert
ence TO Mr.. Hennig. giving him the pa
pers. with the request that they should
be published. and Mr.. Hennig has given
the facts n the papers to you CORE
spondent with hat intent. The story
concerns a soldier from Orangeburg
aud a lady from Charleston, whose
name will not be published in connec-
ton with the following facts:
In September of the year 1864 M.
Grosheim was a first lieutenant in the
federal army. commanding a detach-
ment of the Fifteenth corps, New York
engineers. stationed at Wilmington.
His work was very frequently inter-
ferred with by squads Of confederate
sktrmlshers. This necessitated much
accommodating and on one of these sud-
den marches Lieutenant Grosheim, with
a squad of about twenty men, saw at q
little distance the body of a c~onfeder-
ate soldier lying on the ground face
downward. Lieutenant GroSheim call
ed on the soldier to surrender and re-
celVed about as much surrender as he
would have secured had the brave
spirit still animated the lifeleSs body
1t was only a corpse. but the lieutenant
approached warily. He had seen much
damage inflicted by confederate soldiers
when he a~pprehended no danger. He
found the dead body of a lonely confed-
crate. with a grim looking hole just
above the heart made by a rifle bali.
The body had evidently been dead sew
eral days and this was September 14th,
1864. Lieutenant Groshelm says the
dead man vas about six feet tall, had
blue eyes. fair hair and everything
about the body clearly enoted the
gentleman.
Only a few papers were found on the
body and these were taken by Lieu
tenant Grosheim n carefully pre-
served. These papers rave been in his
possession ever since until they wer-
recently given to Mr.. Hennig, who has
placed them in the keeping of your cor
respondent.
There are only three of these papers,
and all are very much faded and worn.
Much Of the writing has faded out en-
tirely and the paper used shows that
this article was scarce. From the fadel
writing not much could be made in
telligible and most of this had to be
deciphered with the aid of a lens. One
of the papers Is a furlough, which
clearly establishes the identity of the
dead soldier.
This furlough was given to Private
c.. H. Banister. Of Orangeburg district.
aged 80 years. 5 feet, II inches high,
light hair, blue eyes and by profession
a DOCTOR" h last word is verv in
distinct and possibly may here be in
correct. The furlough further recites
that Private Banister was a member of
Captain A. J. Hydrick's company, D.
Second South Carolina cavalry. This
- OuS 10 " lSl odyS, udlSu AuSuSl
Is. 1864.
The other paper is even more ragged
and fragmentary than the first, and
indicates that Private Banister haI
most probably don for some one else
what Lieutenant Grosheim did for him.
The fragments of this paper, or papers,
contained some sort of certificate from,
the Masons and a lodge of Odd Fellows.
given by lodges in Lancaster, New
q ~ Irn --o1 - fhn nlI MI
lows. much worn and pasted together.
still holds intact. and wa affixed by
Lodge 35. Of Lancaster, New Hamp-
SHIRE" and was signed by D. A. Bowe.
j. w. Barney and another name that
could not be deciphered.
The last letter, more worm than either
of the others, yet more carefully pre-
served, is in a delicate, old-fashioned
c~hirography. This letter was written
from Charleston, and indicates def
nitely that the lonely grave on the
banks of the Cape Fear river holds the
form of one who would o have led
the writer to the altar had not a cruel
bullet ended a young life forever. The
initials Of the name signed to the letter
are Lou NJ. T." The entire name is
signed but only the initials will be
necessary should the one whom they
most concern be still separated from he1
LleuIeudHl ITOSnclH1. a rev Gays al
ter this incident. was relating it to
some friends in Wilmington n this
chance conversation revealed how Pri-
vate Banister met his death. A federal
officer who heard Lieutenant Grosheim's
story. said that he killed hat very
man." He said he. with twelve men,
encountered a squad of four confederate
skfrmishers. who fired upon him; then
three left one man remained. coolly
firing. in spite Of calls to surrend ar.
When he fell they left him. hoping that
he was not dead. and that his compan-
ions would return and get him.
Private Banister'S grave is ten miles
from Wilmington, or the Cape Fear
river. The exact spot can be located
bv Mr.. Theodore Grosheim, whose ad-
dress is so Schopenhaur street, Vienna.
Austria. The papers are now in pos
session Of your correspondent, who will
he glad to place them in the keeping
of those who have the right to these
pathetic reminders of the dead soldier.