The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-03

on my accuserS. Inere ~ ~ S'iNA1
produced against me but camp yarns .ias
would not be admissible on the trlai OIL
a dog for killing a sheep. claim no
credit for not being cruel to prisoners
I would as soon claim credit for not
being a burglar. A Captain Hustled says
in an Interview that in the summer OIL
1864, at or near Bunker Hill, whleh -
on the pike leading from Martlnsours
to Winchester, ! captured and shot one
Private Stone of the 14th pennsylvania
cavalry. He was not a witness; nor
has ever seen anyone who was a VIII
ness to the deed. 1t is mere hearsay'
If It were necessary. l could easily prove
an alibi; for at that time l was nowhere
near there. Captain Hustled when ne
first heard the story believed 1t because
he wanted to believe IT, He has toio
1t so often that 1t is part OF his reh-
gious creed; and he repeats 1t now as
child does his nursery rhyme:
This is the maiden all forlorn,
That MIXED the COW with the erumpied
horn
As n lawyer, I am sure you would give
judgment against him on a demurrer TO
evidence. His statement is that some
union soldiers found a cap at woman
house in the neighborhood of Bunker Hill.
They asked the woman of the house, no
says where this cap came from. Al nrsI
she refused to tell, but when they scared
her into telling, she told them that the
union soldier who wore the cap was one
of the men captured by Mosby, and that
Mosby shot him." The inquiry Is natural
ly suggest ed, why l shot one and not all.
Now, Ii any woman ever said this, she
only spoke from rumor or from terror
to save her own life. There was not
woman within ten miles of the place who
knew me by sight The company in
which l was a private Joined Stuart
cavaly regiment at Bunker Hill in July,
1861 My home was a hundred miles
away. 1 had never been there before. In
few days we marched to join Beaure-
gard at Manassas. | have never been
there since. There were many northern
cavalry regiments that came to Virginia
early i'm the war that knew as much about
the country as l did. The fact of stones
cap being found in country where war
was raging is no presumption that the
killing was not legitimate act of war.
Private Stone came to the Shenandoah
valley to kill somebody; and got killed.
That is all there is to it. Captain Hustled
does not say from whom and where he
heard this report about Stone; nor does
he give the name of the woman. who
he says was frightened into telling the
is as much of a myth as the story. Nor
can | believe that any union soldiers
treated a defenseless woman as brutally
as Captain Hustled says they treated this
woman. If she had confessed under
threats that she killed Stone, the confess
sion would not be evidence against her.
If her own testimony under torture would
not be admissible against herself a for
tori, 1t would not be against me. The
world has not condemned "the starry
Calico for recantng his theory OF the
revolution of the earth TO save himself
from being roasted alive. One of those
letter writer's says; THE boys told us
Bill and four others started out to for
age near Bunker Hill. The other four
got away, but Bill was killed" He does
not say that he ever heard that Bill was
captured and then killed. Captain Hustled
seems to be the only one who ever heard
1t. Another says that an old negro man
told him that Mosby's men had killed
Stone. Well suppose they did; Stone was
trying to kill Mosby's men. Captain
Hustled says that the woman who is re-
ported to have invented this fable was
southern woman in sentiment. If any
such woman ever lived the inference from
her locality is just the reverse. Bunker
HI. is near the West Virginia line; the
union sentiment predominated there Cen
eral Hunter. who devastated the Shenan-
doah valley, was from the adjoining coun-
ty In the spring of 1868, at the request
oil Gen. II. f. Lee, authority was given to
raise a partisan corps. During that year
1t operated east of the Blue Ridge along
tn, line of the Potomac and in the rear of
Il union army. No raids were made into
the Shenandoah valley When Grant took
command in Virginia and, in May, 1864
crossed the Rapidan, our attacks were
directed against his line of communlca-
ton with Washington, until he swung
around Lees flank and moved south to
James river. In June, 1864. Early was
sem down the Shenandoah valley to make
a demonstration on Washington. Sheri-
dan was sent to meet him. Harper's Fer
ry was Sheridan's base of operations; his
line of supply was the pike leading from
that place to Winchester by Berryville.
That was his left flank. and his most
vulnerable point Daily raids were made
against it; as well against the forces
east of the Blue Ridge, that guarded the
defences of Washington. Early was hold
ing the country to the west around Bun
Ter Hill. That was Sheridan's right. BY
operating on Sheridans left, we had.a line
Of retreat open to the Shenandoah river.
To get to Bunker Hill, 1t would have been
necessary for us to pass about twelve
miles through Sheridans army Pond,
the editor of the Army and Navy Journal,
wrote a history of the campaigns in the
Shenandoah valley in 1864
Based on Study of Record.
1t is based on study of the records
He gives us credit for great activity In
obstructing movements and defeating
plans, but he has no word of criticism on
our military conduct. And now. about
the Pennsylvanans achievement in cap
turing my quartermaster. Major Glib
son was the commander of the expedition.
HIS report is in the War Records Series
l. Vol. 46. Part |, Reports, Page 463. 1t
seems that on the night of February is,
1865, Major Gibson, with a deserter as a
guide. crossed the Blue Ridge to make
raid on our territory. He captured my
ouartermaster and a few soldiers; also
some horses and mules He had 125 men
and three Officers of the Fourteenth
Pennsylvania cavalry Captain Martin
dale and Lieutenant Baker of the staff of
the cavalry corps, with six Jessie scouts,
went along. The Jessie scouts We're Or
ganized for special service. (See Sheri-
dams Memoirs. They dressed In Confed-
crate uniform. and were sent In advance
to deceive and act as decoys. Major Glib
sons total force was 1856 officers and men.
Early in the morning he started back
through Paris Gap to his camp. He ex-
rected to enjoy the honors OF triumph.
Major Dolly Richards, with thirty-eight
men of my command, went in pursuit of
-