The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-21
TWENTY SECOND
Dat TALON CASE
Command Was. Never Disbanded
by General Lee, as Has Been
Stated.
The STORY RUN TO GROUND
Old Soldier Would as Soon EN-
pect Napoleon to Dismiss
Old Guard.

Editor Times Dispatch:
Sir,--1 have read with much interest
III the Confederate Column, Captain JEFF
fress piece concerning the Twenty
second Virginia Battalion, and the repor
that it was the command referred Il
by President Roosevelt as having beer
dishonorably dismissed by order of Cen
eral Lee. s.
told that Napoleon discharged the Ole
Guard for cowardice as to have seen thai
the Twcnty-second Virginia Battalion
was alluded to in connection with any
thing dishonorable.
The Company f or G OF that battalion
was raised by j. I. Alexander. The
most of the men were from the lower end
of this (Mecltlcnburgl county. Alexander
in getting up the company, told the boys
that Governor l.etcher had promised him
II he could raise company that lie
would have ii put in fortihcations around
Richmond.
| joined the company few days be.
fore JEFF Davis was inagurated, the 22d
of February. 1862 We were stationed at
a place called Camp WiEder, west OF
Richmond, near Hollywood Cemetery.
we stayed there until the middle OF
March, and were then sent up to Quincy
Station, on the Richmond, fredericksburg
and Potomac. we were then ordered
back to Milford Station on the same
road. ana stayed there until the middle
of May, then fell back to Richmond, to
stop Mcclellan. suppose the Twenty
second Virginia Battalion was formed
while up there. 1t was commanded by
Colonel Tansell and ] think q man by
the name of TAYLOR was lieutenant-col-
oael ana very pious man he was. The
major was named Starkes. There was
d reorganization of the company while
UP there William G. Jackson was elect
ed captain.
Tie battalion first met the Yanks at
Mechanically. First Lieutenant Bob
jackson ana several others We're killed in
the first fight. The same company lost
one or two men at Frazier's Farm. They
met General Pope at Cedar Mountain.
After the company left Richmond l was
down with typhoid fever.
The Twenty Virginia Battalion 5
position was on the extreme right of
Jackson's line at Fredericksburg the 18th
OF December, 1867
Pegram's Battery was planted the
night before about one hundred yards
to the right of the battalion, near Ham
ilton,s Crossing. 1t only lasted few
minutes the next day after the Yankees
lOe1ltu II lIplII liz s'ii I'i'Si hpii iNbhh'
where they frequently made charges on
Jackson's right.
| was there n few days after the fight,
and Captain Jackson. who commanded
this company told ME that the Twenty
second Virginia Battalion and the Forty
seventh Regiment charged about five
thousand Yankees, who had come UP
within forty or fifty yards Of where their
line was formed, and drove them back
across the railroad, the two regiments re-
naming in the cut, which was about six
feet below the surface oil tho ground
until dark.
At the fight at sharpsburg the twenty
SECOND Virginia Battalion, with some
others, held the Yanks at Harper's Ferry
while the fight was going on at Sharps-
burg until they surrendered.
The Twenty-second Virginia Battalion
was al the battle of the Wilderness, ant
had two or three men wounded. DC
not remember whether any We're killed o.
that company or not.
At Charlottesville, Lieutenant Tudo,
was killed. r. F. Rawlings and Dicl
Walker were wounded.
Al Gettysburg, Lieutenant Mcclure wa;
killed, as they We're in the first days
fight.
sight of them, as ] had TO so back t.
the army. but don't think there We're an.
better soldiers than followed Heth ant
A. =. Hill. There are II few of that com
pany living in this immediate neighbor
hood yet-W. o, Andrews, orderly ser
xeant; John Montgomery .aad Melville
Tanner.
Respectfully,
p. II. HUBBARD.
Forkville, Meckenhrg Co, VA, April
1907
When the report first went out tina
the Twenty-second WIS the command al
luded to by President Roosevelt when h
Cited General Lee as a distinguished pre-
oedent for his act in summarily dishand
ing company, old Confederates com
menced TO hunt up the records.
The following correspondence on TIL
uubject is integestng:
Norfolk, Va March Is, 1907.
Past Commander Thos. ID. Jetfress, Chas
City, Va:
Dear Sit,-I have received your lette
OF the 18th Of March. ! have had muc
correspondence in regard TO the disbande
e battalion to which President Roosevelt
referred in his recent report concernin
the dismissal OF some companies Of negr
troops serving In Texas. | have not tim
to go into all the details, but enclose
COPY Of letter from Chaplain j Wn
Jones 10 me and copy Of my reply,
give the gist OF the matter You wl
IN see that while there was some foundatiG
Tor the charge that a battalion OF trooI
was dsbanded because Of bad conduc
Ii was not in the manner or the form =
nresented by the President, He, howeve
Is not responsible for this. as he too
x \ &