The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-06-03
A ROMANTIC SCENE.
IN :tsl-n;o u; the Battle OF GS:s.ys-
3arg IS Recalled.

Z romantic scene was witnessed al
Raleigh. \. {. recently when Col.
,lohn Il. Lane was introduced u Mr.
Charles H. Mcconnell. of C!licagu aud
Col. Lane graSped the hand "i ine
man who Sh"I him down upon the
field Of Gettysburg forty years ago and
almost killed him. Col. W. ii. :.
Rurgwrn. OF Weldon. arranged this
meeting between tlcm. Mr.. Neon
ueli served in the Twenty-tourth
Michigan regiment Of the Iron BrI-
gaGe OF the Potomac. His company
was almost anhilated 1T Gettysburg
anu he has been much intercste': ln
that great battle. y few years ago
he wrote TO Co.. 4. Nj. Walden. ol
Wilmington, to secure some inlofna-
ton and his letter was referred 70
Col. ". II. 5. Burgwyr. OF Weldon.
This led To correspondence between
Gel. Burgwyn and Nr. Mcconnell.
Later they met in Richmond, Va,
when Mr.. Mcconnell remarked that
he fired the last shot from his COM
panv and brought down the color
brarer OF tie Twenty-sixth North
Carolina regiment. Then you are
the man who shot Col John Il. Lane,
declared Col. Burgwyn. Arrangements
were then made for the meeting
which took place here Friday, and Mr..
Mcconnell said: eS l have come all
the way from Chicago and brought my
wife for no other purpose than 70 grasp
the hand OF the gallant man | tried tc
kill and thought then that | succeed
ed" The heaviest losSe; recorded On
any modern battlefield weie in the
Twenty.sixth North Carolina regi-
ment, with loss Of 90 per cent, and
the Twcnty-fourth Michigan, with 81
per cent. loss. Col. Lane and Mr.. Nc
Connel are survivors OF these gallant
regiments.
In reply to reporters question
Mr.. Mcconnell gave this account OF
the shooting of Col. Lane: "Tht
battle was nearing It's close at Gett:s'
burg" he sud, ''and only eight men
of the fifty-fUurin our company in the
Twenty-fourth Michigan regiment
were left. Our ammunition was ex-
hausted, but ! had one cartridge left.
which was to be the last shct we fireo
at Gettysburg AS loaded my rifle
nv lieutenant commander SAID
| Charlie. see that splendid color
er. cannot you throw him Cver?:H anc
he pointed to the colonel not as far as
across this street from me. l have
my last cartridge and | am going tc
try l replied as resueG my rifle
against "a snail tree and took careful
aim at the man waving his colors and
shouting to his men. | fired, saw him
| fal! and then FASTENED to join my
comrades retreating through Gettys-
burg TO Cups Hill.
He is the man who shot me,
interpoSed Col. Lane, laying his hanc
atfectionately on Mr.. McConnell's
shoulder. 1t was just as the battle
end$d and | had turned to cheer on
my handful Of men and was waving
our culorS that the ball struck me-. "
Col. Lane raised his black locks and
showed the ugly scar on his neck
! lust below the base Of the brain. where
The well-nigh fatal ball passed. Col
Lane is the only surviving colonel o.
the illuStriouS T~enty-siXlh regiment
Col. Harry X. Burgwyu. brother Of
Col. W. II. s. Burgwyn. was Killed N
The same battle that cane 50 near
costing Col. Lane his life.
Col. w, II. 5. Burgwyn took Col
Lane and Mr.. Mcconnell on driyt
over the city. They went cut L
Cra ahtree, where the Twenty-SiXtf
North Carolina regiment was organ
lied. ard Cot. Lane saw his first ser,
vice as q private in Con pany f. Tie
camp was then under Col. Burgwyr
as commandant. They then went II
the cemetery to view the monument
to Col. Blrgwyn, visited the Soldiers
home and spent an hour with the olc
veterans, then to the State library tx
see the painting of the three colonels
of the Twenty-siNth N0rtn Caroline
regiment. Vance, Burgwyn and Lane
Col. W. II. S. BuIgwyn then gav;
them dinner party at the Marlboro
Col. Lane left for his home in Chat
ham. Mr.. and Mrs. Mcconnell 60 TX
Weldon to visit Col. and Mrs. Burg
wyn. Mr.. Mcconnell is president O.
the Veterans Association Of the 1ror
Brigade Of the Army of the Potomac
at Chicago and is highly successful
wholesale druggist. He is six feel
tall, well proportioned, with his hail
and mustache almost white, stand:
perfectly erect and appears as agile a:
a youth.