The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-08
GOVERNOR
VANCE
!. Story Of the Last Days Of the
Confederacy in North
Carolina.
HISTORICAL FACT VS.. FICTION
How Injustice Was Done This
I'll Gallant War Executive-Rc-
1lilliscences and Anecdotes.

milliscences and Anecdotes.
The story told by my friend Major A.
BE-! Stronach in his Interesting narrative
Of a boy Rear Guard In your issue of
the l7th Of the attempt on the part Of
certain patriotic C?) citizens to persuade
Govern Vance, our great war Governor,
TO be false to his oath of office, and
surrender to General Sherman this city
and State upon his entrance into the for
1ner on the morning of the 18th Of April,
1865. has a sequel! Perhaps L am one
OF the few now living who can furnish
the data from which the future biograph-
or Of that great man may correct his
tory.
The appointment by Governor Vance
OF commission to negotiate with Gen
cral Sherman terms for the surrender
OF this city, that would save 1t from the
fate Of Columbia. had preceded the eff
forts to force Governor Vance to remain
at his office In tho Capitol on that fatal
day and receive and surrender to Gem
Asst understand 1t, this commission, con-
# sistins of Governor William a. Graz
ham, Governor Swain and others, had not
as yet returned from their mission, as
4 / viii be able to show. ! was at the
time II member OF Lieutenant General
Made lampton's staff, who, with the
cavalry under his command was moving
on the Middle road toward the town Of
1li!lsboro, General Wheeler moving by
the Chapel Hill road with the cavalry Of
his command, OF course both protect
ing the rear Of General Joseph f. johns
stons army, then falling back before
Sherman. and having his magnificent
cavalry under General Fitzpatrick in adj
vance, -
Our force was engaged In constantly
skirmshng, as we fell back slowly be-
fore hun, and for the two days con-
sumed in this march from Raleigh to
fillsboro, we We're barely out of sight
of each other. ! had repeatedly warned
General Hampton of an old disused stage
road, which left the city at that time
by What is known now as st. Mary's
Street. and ran due north from the Hills
boro Street road. 1t Is now known as
the Upper Durham road" and comes
back into the Ilillsboro road again at u
point some fifteen miles from the city.
] say that ] had repeatedly warned GEN
+ $3.50 ~ '.'i'
road, fully ..expsctinE that Fitzpatrick
would have thanked us, though, strange
to say, he did not and seems TO have been
in ignorance of it. Not so. however, the
commissioners, Governors Graham and
Swaia! Returning from their mission to
She.inan, ana ilhdlng me army or Cen
eiai Johnston mad taileh back on Hills
Doro' lhes proceeoed ny inns ola stage
road, known, OF course. TO them, and did
Iuccessluly ilahk polh armies, ana nc
tuails caught up WIN us at the point
: "Here me roaas iorheu'
GENERAL HAMPTON.
Nro had stoned for the night al Straw
horns. nine miles from T1Illsboro This
gas a long. low farm house IN tho south
side Of the IJillsboro road tbo stables
harms and Jot being on The nort,, side Of
tho r,ad Here tha stnff borses Iynrn he-
inc fed and attendad n Tia officers of
Tho staff doing their own feadinr ana
s,1ch ruhhtne nc s,bc borsee rot AZ, sor.
want .Iamhert owens VINO had FOL
lowed Inc faithfullv throughout The war.
and was as rnol a Con edoratn so,dlnr
as we mad thongh ,hn bIon,ost nonrn
I ever saw Was o1goped ,vi,h ~, ,n,sns
whItf was mo roasnn Vas Ak. "a W.
ssttin,, on thn yeranda ne ,ha c,ro,,t,r,',
residence resting and talkinp n mo chtet
paislng nv eyes and lnn,,ine ~ No
road. / exclaimed.
Wonder comes the commissioners,
when General uamoton rose from bis
sent 70 walk out ia Tho front gate saw
inc siInr,,. rTntroduce n,epi xyor, an,
Win rim as they drove nm and did as he
mad requested me conversation that en-
si,ed Vas of an ordinary character II
was evident however. that Governor era