Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-30
A GOOD STORY
Spoiled by Well Known Angus
ia Veteran.
The Facts About the Shooting Of
General Reynolds.
Capt. J. p. Carson Explains Why
sharpshooter Thorpe is Wrong.

u,
as it were. upon an interesting bit of
information, sidelight upon an his
torical incident, which the readers of
this paper may find as interesting as
it seemed to the writer. 1t was curing
q call upon Capt John P. Carson, who,
as all hereabout know, is as well eX-
perienced in railway mail matters as
he was in fighting some forty years
ago. 1t was at the superintendent of
mails office, where the genial captain
has presided for about ten years, and
he had just received letter from his
old friend and comrade, Hon. Thos.
S. Hopkins, now of Washington. In
this letter was clipping from the
Pittsburg Leader, giving an inter-
view with a North Carolinian, who
says he is the sharpshooter that killed
the gallant General Reynolds curing
the first days battle at Gettysburg. A
very entertaining story it proved, as the
reporter remarked, adding that he
thought the Journal readers would fike
it, especially If the captain would add
a word of his own for it is very we'll
known that Capt. Carson, was a fire
eating STRIPPING at that time, lieu
tenant and in command of the escort
of General Reynolds, this escort be-
ing detailed from the First Maine Cav
airy. A better man could not have
been detailed to this difficult task.
The captain demurred. 1t was an
old story, he said, and besides he didn't
care to get into any controversy. you
KNOW" he added, its too bad to spoil
a good story and thankless task to
attempt to correct history after it's
written. | remember at the time
visited Gettysburg a few years ago,
the guide pointed out the tree, which,
he said, Gen. Reynolds leaned against
after he was shot. He told mel he knew
it was the tree, and to prove it showed
where the relic hunters had cut away
the bark so that the tree had been
nearly killed asked him if he thought
a man shot clean through the head, as
was General Reynolds, would be likely
to get off his horse and lean against a
tree. The fact was, the general never
spoke and was dead by the time he
reached the ground. Notwithstanding
one of his aides. who was not near the
scene, gave the newspaper cores
pondents his version of the affair, in
Guiding what he said were the gen.
erals last words"
The situation was this: Reynolds
with part of his staff and his escort
were behind a little knoll watching the
onward movement of our line. When
the column came up over the knoll II
met a fierce volley from the enemy
and staggered under it. The general
then sent Wadsworth from his staff
to steady the column. This he did but
it wavered under the next volley and
Reynolds. who never hesitated to risk
his life at times almost recklessly, rode
forward onto the knoll to lend his
presence in steadyng the line. We
had just come up over the rise when
we met a volley, the general fell from
his horse, mine was shot from under
me, and | caught the generals horse
and rode over to General Doubleday
next in command, to report
81 could say the story about the gen.
eral being shot by a sharp-shooter is
incorrect. for the reason that the smoke
was so thick no sllarp-shooter could
see any great distance in that part of
the field. But Mr.. Thorpe, in giving
the details. disproves it completely. He
says he fired twice, deliberately, each
time awaiting instructions from the
Confederate officer. AS he could not
have seen General Reynolds when we
were behind the knoll and as the gem
eral was killed Immediately we had
ridden UP in range, it goes without the
saying that Thorpe's bullet could not
have done it under the circumstances.
Don't think l wish to imply that
Thorpe is not convinced he did it. A
man can be very easily deceived at such
a time. Probably he did shoot an
officer as he describes, but it certainly
was not General Reynolds.
| THAT mans death was great loss
to us. He was one of the bravest men
have known. AS have said he was
brave to the point of rashness. / useC
to think he needlessly exposed him
self. Perhaps that was because I was
nervous to ride along with him. But il
General Reynolds ever was nervous he
never showed it and following his gal
liant example was no easy matter.
remember one dark night when he tool
us to reconnoitre a position that hat
been held by the enemy to see whether
they had abandoned it. Most generals
would have detailed someone else t.
such an undertaking, in fact / thinl
Reynolds should have done so or an.
commanding officer for that matter