The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-11
HORATIUS IS OUTDONE

Bristol (Tenn) Cor. Chattanooga Times. N MOVEMENT is being inaugurated W0 by members of the s. V. F'ulker-
 . son Camp of ex-Confederate Vet erans here to erect a monument to the neglected grave of Jim Keelin, perhaps the bravest and most daring soldier or the civil war, and who gained the title or Horatius by his dauntless defense Of the Southern railway bridge at Straw berry Plains, east Tennessee, against force of Federal soldiers who had been sent to destroy the bridge
 Keelin spent his last days in Bristol, and his body was buried here. His grave occupies a neglected spot, under weeds and vines, and within less than stones throw of the grave of Gen. Evan Shelby of Kings mountain fame.
 Mrs Hal F. Lewis of Bristol, mem Der of the Daughters of the Confederacy, and also of the Daughters of the Amer ican Revolution. has been designated as treasurer of the fund to be used for a monument to the memory of keelin, ana contributions will be welcomed from men throughout the country who feel an inter- est in perpetuating the deeds of men like Keelin.
 "The Campfres of the Confederacy," a book published in 1899, contains the toi- lowing story of Keelins daring and bray cry when he defended the strawberry Plains bridge, and the story is made doub- Iy interesting from the fact that it was written by one of Keelins comrades:
 James Keelin, gallant Confederate cavalryman, performed an act of hero1sm during the civil war of equally cool cour- age and under circumstances Of far greater personal danger than that for which Horatius Cocles has been celebrated in song and story for more than 2OOO years, for the soldiers of Lars Persena were not armed with modern guns, as were the assailants of this nineteenth cen- tury hero; neither was Keelin equipped with shield and coat of mall, as was the brave defender of the bridge across the Tiber.
 Keelin was a member of a battalion of Confederate cavalry known as Thomas Legion" which was afterward merged into a regiment commanded by Colonel Love The Legion was composed Of hardy mountaineers from western North Carolina and was attached to the brigade commanded by General 'Mudwall' Jack son (so called to distinguish him from the immortal "Stonewall," and possibly for some other reason.) kee1in was only an ordinary private soldier, without any ed- ucation, and his military training con- sisted chiefly in being firmly impressed with the fact that his first duty was to obey orders.
 In November, 1862, Keelin was detailed with some six or eight others of his com- mand to guard the bridge at Strawberry Plains This information was doubtless conveyed to the Union troops, for on the night of the Sth, at midnight, a party of Federal raiders, numbering 40 men, ap- peared near the bridge, with the evident intention of attacking and setting fire to the structure.
 At the approach of the Federals Keelin's companions in arms fled carrying their guns with them and leaving Keelin alone, with his gun and a big knife of the "Arkansas toothpiclS' variety, to defend the bridge as best he might.
 As hopeless as the task apepared, Kee- lin bravely determined to stand his post, despite the tremendous odds against him,