The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-05-26
THE MAN THAT SHOT
COL. LANE Of
THE 18TH.
Private Mcdonnell, of 24th
Michigan Brigade, at
Gettysburg.
THEY MET YESTERDAY
Col W.. H. S. Burgwyn Brought Them To-
eether Here a Hundred Feet Apart When
Shot Was Fired, Lane in Front
With Flag.

With Flag.
There was a unique reunion OF the blue
and the gray in the Marlborough House
yesterday.
Col John r. Lane, of the famous goth
North Carolina regiment, met lor the
first time the man who shot him almost
fatally on the field of Gettysburg, IN thaI
fierce first days fight.
Col. w. Fl. S. Burgwyn brought about
the meeting. and how he, came to know
that Mr.. Charles II. Mcconnell, CT chicago,
was the man that shot Colonel Lane Is
another story, and will be told IN tins &C
count.
Last night a News and Observer re
porter called on the three old warriors al
the hotel. There was the still powerful
frame, massive head and still dark beard
OF the famous colonel Of the worst cut to
pieces regiment in the history OF warfare.
There was the polished, gallant Colonel
Burgwyn, and there was a striklnsly
handsome man of splendid physique, with
gray hair, moustache and imperial, and
the rudy glow of perfect health. To HIM
the reporter was introduced as Mr.. Nc
Connell, of Chicago, the man who rad
shot Colonel Lane. With Mr.. Mcconnell
was his charming wife, a handsome lady
Of elegant presence and perfect manner.
Mr.. Mcconnell is president OF the Iron
Brigade Veterans Association of the Army
of the Potomac. He served as a private
IN the oath Michigan Regiment of IL
fantry at the battle of Gettysburg, and
he came here from Chicago to make the
personal acquaintance Of Col. John T..
Lane. of Pettigrew's brigade. The story
IS one OF exceptional interest, and this IS
the way it is, after a careful comparing
of notes between the three veterans:
At the close of the first days fighting
at Gettysburg, Private Mcconnell and
seven comrades left out Of his company OF
fifty-four men We're the last of the Union
line. to stand in front Of the 26th North
Carolina regiment as it was forcing its
way up the hill through McPherson's
wood, with Colonel Lane at its head,
colors in hand, he being the fourteenth
man to be shot down that day. Private
McConnell's First Lieutenant commanding
the company, called his attention to the
commanding figure of Colonel Lane with
his long black beard and magnificent
physique. To quote Mr.. MCCONNELL:
Charley, can't you bring Town thai
Rebel color-bearer?"
7 said: John, that's the man that I'm
laying for. I'm loading my last cartridge,
and I'm going to bring him down if i
know how to shoot l finished loading,
steadied my piece against a small tree,
perhaps six inches in diameter, encouraged
by my lieutenant, who said: 'That's
right, take sure aim l blazed away
and the color-bearer fell, apparently des-
perately wounded. He had just turnec
around to encourage his regiment to close
upon the c%olors, ard the ball hit him in
the back OF the neck. We were not q
hundred feet apart when l fred"
The bullet passed through Colone
Lanes neck into the mouth. crushing jaw
and teeth. He fell helpless to the ground
supposed to be mortally wounded. His
men kept on, and Mr.. Mcconnell, witt
his comrades, silently fell back through
the town to the heights beyond.
Before the shot was fired. the 24tt
Michigan had been ordered to retire OF
account of being cut of ammunition; but
Mr.. Mcconnell and his comrades had no
heard the order. The fact that the regi
ment had retreated, and that Mcconnell
fired the only shot from the regimenta
line at that moment, seems to render i
beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wa.
the soldier who inflicted the desperat
wound on Colonel Lane.
Mr.. Mcconnell, before arriving in Ra
leigh, was somewhat s~ceptical as to hr
being the man who fired the almost fata
shot. but he leaves here as fully satisfied
of the fact as are Colonel Lane and Col
onel Burgwyn. Colonel Lane himself ha
no doubt whatever about it.
Now as to how the meeting wa.
brought about: In an address which MI
Mcconnell delivered in Chicago on thu
battle of Gettysburg and the part take
by his regiment in that battle, he hat
occasion to investigate the losses of IT,,
troops opposing the Iron Brigade, an,
more particularly the losses sustained b.
the 26th North Carolina, which fought il
the immediate front of the oath Michigan
He had established the fact that MS req
ment had. sustained the greatest loss o
any command on the Union side, amount
ing to 398 out of 496, or over so per cent
In search of accurate statistics of the los
on the Confederate side, he wrote to Col
w. H. S. Burgwyn, of Weldon, who's
brother, Col. Harry K. Burgwyn, wa
mel of the 26th North Carolina a
Gettysburg, and was killed leading hi
regiment, colors in hand. to be succeede,
by Lieutenant Colonel Lane.
This opened up quite a correspondence
between Mr.. Mcconnell and Colonel Bur
gwyn, and at the annual en~campment o
the veterans Of the Army of the Potoma
at fredericksburg IN 1899, Colonel Bun
gWyn, at the invitation of Mr.. Mcconnell
was present, and a full discussion of tn
incidents connected with the battle O
Gettysburg was gone into, and the abav
facts were established to the entire salts
faction of Colonel Burgwyn. and in orde
to have the matter settled to the ~satisfat
ton Of all parties, Mr.. Mcconnell en-
Colonel Lane expressed the desire tina
they should have a personal meeting, a
which all the details could be discusse,
on both sides.
After waiting for years for this oppor