The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-02-03
INTERESTING WAR STORY.
A Confederate Major Makes a DAN
serous Leap From a Burn
ind Ruildin6.

| pOr6y ears ago III JdCkSOn.
Being stationed here at the time,
| was very familiar with many Of
the incidents which occurred at
that time, and desire to state some
of these happenings and refresh
the memory of the author of this
article.
The author is correct in saying
that the Bowman house was not
burned by the Federals. The
Confederates were in possession of
the city. Governor Pettus and
the State officers were not here;
they had gone east. Gen. Joseph
E. Johnston and his staff were
here, and many Confederate SOL
diers. The night the Bowman
house was burned the writer, at
tracted by the alarm of fire, went
to it, and after all further help
was useless, everything that could
be saved carried out, went across
State street and took seat on
the old Mayes house steps. This
was formerly DIR. Slaughter's
house, and afterwards Angeles
residence, and where he died. 1t
was the only house on that side of
the street then, except DIR.
Knapp's residence, now Mr.. Mo-
sal's residence, in that square.
General Johnston's headquarters
were in the house, now the manse,
Opposite Mr.. MosaPs. He came
across the street and went to the
gallery where | was with some of
his staff, Brig. Gen. Ewell, Adit.-
Gem and Maj. Mosan, aid de
camp, to witness the fire. About
this time a man appeared at the
window, in the northwest corner
room, in the third story of the
house. l recognized him as Maj.
John M. Smylie, a citizen here
now, who was commandant of
the post here at the time. Some
of the 10Th Louisiana regiment
and some of Fenner's battery
were there, and steps were i'm
mediately set on foot to rescue
the man. No calling was done;
the major threw his clothes out of
the window and then the blanket.
Mr.. j. B. Cadwalader had seen
Maj. Smylie at the window, and
when he threw the blanket down,
called to some of the soldiers and
they stretched the blanket and
told him to jump, but they were
too far off for him to jump to it.
There was passage way along
the side of the house, which was
reached by a pair of stairs at the
south end, and the wall of the
embankment of the street was
the width of the passage about ten
feet distant from the house, and
the men with the blanket sta
toned that distance away. Mai.
ISmylie told them to come near the
house, which they did promptly,
and he got out of the window on
the gutter pipe, and dropped into
the blanket stretched by some
citizens and soldiers. Mr.. J. B.
Cadwalader, Jerry Garon, who
was killed there just after the war,
and some members of the 18th
| Louisiana regiment, our old
friend, Capt. W. Q. Lowd, being
among them, were the men who
held the blanket. He got his
clothes, but was barefooted and
bareheaded, and came over to
where l was, / gave him my hat,
land Mr.. Daniel M. Wilkinson,
father of Mrs. j. L. Power, gave
him a pair of shoes, and started
in with him to put on his clothes.
As he got on the gallery Gen.
Johnston recognized him, and
fshook hands with him, and said,
Major, you made good retreat
| with hot fire in the rear
| The staff officers had hearty
laugh at General Johnston's salu-
tation to the major.
This fire occurred on the night
of the 9th of June, 1868, about
1890 o'clock, and was purely acct
Idental, and did not begin in the
lattic. 1t rather came from the east
Iside, and was not burning as high
Iup as the third story when Mai.
ISmylie jumped, but reached there
a little later and the building was
Ientirely burned up. Buford's
Imen were quartered up on the va
cant lot, just below the old Fearn
lhouse, now Mrs. Anderson's S,
land is the ground now occupied
by the residences of Mr.. ID. b.
Mckee, Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. R.
i L. Saunders, and it was from this
Iplace they made the race to inter-
cept the Federals pressing the
eastern line of our intIenchments
lon the north side.
| Mr.. Withers was killed about
lopposite r. Il. Saunders present
residence. He was walking in
the street, leading his horse, when
1.-THE shell exploded over him and
the fragments killed both him
and the horse.
Fhe Home Guard was quite
la fine body of men, and Capt.
Joshua Green was rigid disciple
marian and expected every soldier
lin the command to do his duty
promptly and as il should bedone.
The guard house was in what
lis now Mr.. Phil Harris store.
mostly stragglers and arrested
Icitizens, ETC., were put in there,
land d detail of the Home Guard
Iattended to them. On one occas
1