The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-14
OLDLETTER CLEARS
SOLDIERS RECORD.
WRITTEN IN 1884. JUST RECEIv'
ED. SHOWS Y. b. HARRIS
DIED ON BATTLEFIELD
AND WAS NOT A DE-
SETTER.

NORFOLK, VA, Feb. 14.--CominG
like a voice from the dead, she said,
and clearing the record OF young
Confederate soldier reported TO nave
deserted his regiment to nght LOT tne
Union army, MRS. Mildred Mitchei'
who Is now in charge OF the linen
room of the Protestant hospital here,
has received q letter from V. L. Har-
ris which was written on september
~. 1884, and few hours before ne
fell in battle. The letter was sent
to Mrs. Mitchell by MAJOR Seymour
IA. Wood, OF the First Vermont
cavalry, and was the first news OF
his fate that had come to her during
forty-six years.
While the letter vas taken from
the cartridge case OF young HafFls,
while he lay dead on the edge Oh
the woods near the Confederate works
at Fishers Hill, alter "a skirmish on
September az, 1854. it had been mis-
placed by Major Wood, and was not
again found by him until his return
from Colorado a short while ago
when he discovered 1t IN MS ratnei ;
family Bible. 1t was brown with
age and the writing was almost NE
glble but Mrs. Mitchell was able 10
decipher it end tears tilled her eyes
az she read II.
In his letter, which accompanied
that found in the cartridge box OF
the dead Confederate soldier, Major
Wood wrote that he was looking ror
a cartridge box after the battle OF
Fishers HiH and that when ne opeheH
the one found on the body OF Harris
he took out q razor and the leIter.
He stated that he intended sendins
the letter to her at the time, pnt
went to Colorado just after the war
and thought he had lost the letter
Upon his return to his nome IN YER
mont, he accidentally ran across
II in his fathers Bible and after
locating her mailed il Immediately.
Mrs. Mitchell said yesterday that
she and the friends and relatives or
the young man, who was native
of Henry county Va, had believed
that he had deserted the Confederate
army and had gone over to the
Yankees, because the colonel OF mis-
regiment had told them so while they
were passing through Lynchburg after
the surrender of General Lee. she
said she met Mr.. Harris in the yard
oil her home In Lyncheurg. when his
regiment stopped there to get water
and that they correspondent. Her
failure to receive a reply from her
last letter and the report that her
young friend had deserted the cause,
had led her to believe that he was
ashamed to write to them again and
to let them know of his whereabouts.
While a part OF the letter was of
personal nature and would not be
disclosed b yMrs. Mitchell, that relat-
ing to the war follows:
September %, 1854.
Dear Miss Millie-Yours of the 18th
just come to hand 1t afforded me
not little pleasure to hear from you
and my friends, rather, your aunt, !
was highly gratihed TO receive let
ter from you at the time I did. |
was under gloomy thoughts ! was
lying in the forts expecting the enemy
to attack us every minute. / Will tell
you of the great stampede that we
had near Winchester. being overpow-
cred by the enemy and bound to fall
back to this position. with tolerably
heavy loss There were several killed
and wounded i'll this regiment. Our
great General Rhodes was killed on
the field | was struck by three mimic
balls during the fight. but none
had any effect In sending me to the
rear. There Is heavy skirmishing in
front of us now. think the Yankees
will attack us to-day If they intend
to do so at this point
(signed) p. V. HARRIS.
Company A. AZ. or 18th Virginia In
fantry Terry's Brigade, Gordon
Division, breckenridge Corps.