Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-26
At FISHERS BLOODY GATE"
Ex.FEDERAL AND EX-CoNFED.
ERATE CLASP HANDS.
Incident Interests President Roose-
welt When One Of the Principals !.
Called at White House.

President Roosevelt was several days
ago brought face to face with an illus
trat.on of the era of good fellowship that
exists between the Union veteran soldiers
who fought under Grant and Sherman
and the former fighting men in gray who
followed the fortunes of Lee and Stone-
wall Jackson. In the line of visitors at
the White House recently was sturdy,
sun-browned veteran of the southland
Rev. J. A. Smith of Wilmington, N. c.,
who served in the civil war as a member
Of the LIST North Carolina Confederate
Heavy Artillery. He was accompanied
by Rev. Will c. McMichael of the Peo-
PIES Mission of this city. and called to
ray his respects to the chief magistrate
CT the nation.
In his hand Rev. Mr.. Smith carried
photograph. and after being presented TO
the President he said:
col Roosevelt. / have here picture
that illustrates something nice that hap
pened under your administration"
He then handed the photograph to the
them Mr.. Smith-clasping hands in the
bonds of friendship. Mr.. Smith ex-
planned that the second man in the pho
tograph was Corp. Benjamin F. Seeley
the 111th New York Volunteer Infantry.
and whose regiment forced a passage
through one of the gates of Fort Fisher.
n. C.. at the time of its capture. the
through which the New York regiment
entered the fort was Christened Fishers
Bloody Gate Mr. Smith was taken
prisoner of war by Corp. Seeley. The
mics. now the warmest Of friends. clasp
ing hands on the site of Fishers Bloody
Gate, January Is. 1907. just forty-twc
years after the capture.
Former Foes Recenciled.
The North Carolina minister addressing
the President said in his opinion one
of the greatest accomplishments under
the Roosevelt administration had been
the complete reconciliation of the soldiers
of the north and the south-"a reunited
country with the olive branch of peace
waving over the land of the free and the
home of the brave" as he expressed it
as one of the big results of the war with
Spain.
President Roosevelt was presented with
the photograph at his own request, and
said he would treasure 1t as remem-
brance of the era of complete reconcilia-
ton between the sections
Rev Mr.. Smith stated that he was sta
toned at the 'bloody gate when the final
charge of the Union troops was made.
Corp. Seeley was one of the first men
in blue to enter, and he and Smith at
once engaged in a terrific hand-to-hand
combat AS the Union soldiers surged
forward the North Carolinian surren-
dered to the gallant seeley under peculiar
circumstances. which are described in a
paper written for The Star by wearer
of the gray who was present.
The paper is as follows:
During the great civil war Rev. j. A.
Smith was a Confederate soldier and q
member Of Company D. LIST North Caro-
lima Heavy Artillery. He is at present
vice president of the Fort Fisher Surviv-
ors' Association. composed of the Blue
and the Gray. The other vice president
William S. Lamb of Norfolk, Va, is
president of this strong and influential
association.
Rev. J. A. Smith was in all of the
fighting down at Fort Fisher. In the
great battle January Is, 1865, he was at
Fort Fishers bloody gate when several
desperate assaults were made upon it.
Suffered Severe Loss.
During this terrible fighting his COM
pany lost S. per cent of its members In
killed and wounded, Mr.. Smith being
among the wounded. He had two first
cousins instantly killed by his side when
the last charge was made upon the gate
by the 117th New York and the Confed-
crates were forced to surrender. Mr..
Smith and several Of his comrades were
York under peculiar circumstances. A
member of Mr.. Smiths company shot into
the assaulting column after the rest of
the company had surrendered, and Mr..
Smith sprang forward and prevented a
non-commissioned officer from bayonet-
ing or shooting his comrade. After the
surrender of the gate this non-commis-
stoned officer treated Mr.. Smith and his
comrades more like real friends than foes.
For the past forty-two years Mr..
Smith has often thought about and re-
ferred to the gallant man who captured
him and wondered who ne was and if he
was alive. At the grand reunion of the
Blue and Gray on the old battlefield about
Fort Fisher. January Is, 1907. Mr.. Smith
met the very man who captured him at
Fishers bloody gate. The man was Corp.
Benjamin Seeley Of Clinton, N Y. He
was q member Of Company c, 117th New
York, and 1t is pleasure for Mr.. Smith
to tell people north and south that no
Drawer or grander man ever drew the
sword than is B. r. Seeley of New York.
AT the reunion of the Blue and Gray
they became fast friends and went to
the exact spot on the old battlefield
where they had this personal encounter,
and In the presence of hundreds they. in
behalf Of the Blue and the Gray. clasped
the hands Of eternal friendship and un-
dying brotherly love- They had their
picture taken with clasped hands. and
this picture is In the hands of the Presi-
dent and represents the fact that the olive
branch OF peace waves over the land of
the free and the home of the brave.
Mr.. Goodwin of North Carolina has in.
troduced a: bill for the government to pur-
chase the old battle-ground of Fort Fisher
and there establish a national park to
perpetuate the valor of the brave men
who fell on both sides in that terrible
battle 1t is surely the duty Of this great
government to establish a park there"
TRANSFERS OF POLICE.