Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1910-02-18
An Incident in the Career OF
Jack Sterry, The Most Dar-
ing Of Northern Spies.
BY q. =. WARD.

stood near the road.
Hood took the right hand road,
passed Thoroughfare Gap and
Joined forces With Jackson. The
ConfederateS, now reunited,
closed in on General Pope and
pressed him to the very walls Of
Washington. Such was the
brilliant close of that fierce
struggle, which combined every
attribute and resource Of defen-
sive and aggressive war-Second
Manassas.
If you want to read little un-
recorded history in one of the
most tragic and fascinating epi-
sodeS of war, send to Colonel John
CusSonS, Glen Allen, Va, for
his pamphlet to which l have
called attention, because there is
another and previous chapter in
the adventurous career of Jack
Sterry, of which Colonel CussonS
has never heard, and with which
| happen to be acquainted; and
unless Jack Sterry'S companion
still survives, | AMI the only liv-
ing witness to what occurred, eX-
cept what Senator Money remem-
bers, after my calling his atten-
tion to it.
A day or two before the first
battle of Manassas, and while
Johnson's army was hurrying
from the Valley Of the Shenan-
doah, through AShby'S Gap, to
unite with Beauregard, | was in
the l,ttle village OF StraSburg and
got dinner at the house of a
widow lady, a Mrs. Eberly. My
companions were II. d. (now
Senator) Money, James s. Sam
ders and Lieutenant Albert O..
Drake. was then six feet two
inches in height, and weighed
about 135 pounds. My beard had
just begun to grow, and | was
dressed in the rounda bout gray
suit of a private in infantry
Two years later was prisoner
in the City of New York.
After the battle of Gettysburg,
when General Lee was preparing
to retire, Major General Heath
sent me an order to remain there,
as surgeon-in-chief of the wound
ed of his division who were left
on the ground-over 600 in NUM-
Der. Each brigade in the division
had, of course, its own corps o.
medical officers, nurses and cooks
More than 5000 wounded Con
federates were left lying on the
ground besides a large numbel
more slightly wounded, who re
tired with the army. My assocl
ates and co-workers in Heath
division were DR.. Southall, o
Virginia, Or. Emory, of Ten
nessee, DR.. Green, of North Car
olina, and DR.. Parker. of Mis-
sissippi. We remained on tn
field three weeks, until all o
our wounded who had not die
were distributed to the differen
Federal hospitals, when our littl
party was sent to New York TO
two or three weeks, and after
wards confined for five months i
Fort McHenry, near Baltimore.
One day while in New York,
party of citizens called to take
look at us. Among them was
: very bitter south-hating abol
: ZIONIST who tried to provoke n
: into a discussion of the neg
i question. / requested him to e
: cuse me, reminding him that
: was a prisoner and that he and
Y could not settle that problei
l. Finally he became so offensi
d that | fired a few hot shots
= him. In the party was a ii
# looking officer, dressed in the II
Ie iform of Major in the Unit
d States army. | observed that
l. never spoke during our convers
# ton. The next day he call
10 alone and said to the officer
ID charge of us that he would ii
lie to speak to the 'saucy rebel
ID had heard talking the day befo
el He asked the officer to let h
lie have charge of me for that di
Id promising that he would be
n sponsible for my return. He
~ longed to the regular army
,e- was a full blooded Irishman.
ed was a splendid fellow and
t,o ceediuglv kind TO me; offered