Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-09-29
Confederate Veterans in consrsss.

/ Fifty years after the hrst guns OF the
Civil war sounded the veteran men,
bership of the congress of the United
States shows a pre- Donderance from
the Copfedera e armies If the bat
tie roll Of the house and serate were
called today it would show more Con-
federate veterans in each branch of
congress than there are members from
the armies Of the blue
There are veterans of many battles
and survivors of many trying Sit
uations. In the senate there are six
OF these Confederate warriors. Three of
them, Senator Bacon of Georgia and
Senators Johnston and Bankhead of
A Iabama, were captains in the south
ern ranks. The others, Senators Martin
of Virginia, Thornton Of Louisiana and
rilIman of South Carolina, fought
either as privates in the regular army
or as mem bers of cadet corps that were
enrolled for active service.
Il In the house of representatives there
are eight Confederates, including Brig
adler General George W. Gordon, of
Tennessee, Major Charles M. Stedman
ofNorth Carolina and Captains John
Lamb of Virginia and William Rich
ardson of Alabama. The other Confed'
crates include Representatives Talbot,
of Maryland, Rucker of Colorado, Fay
lor Of Alabama and Estopinal of Lou
isiana.
Representative Richardson WAS Jess
than twenty years old when he was
made a captain in the wenty-sixth
Alabama regiment. He had enlisted
with Company e from the town of
Athens, Ala, with eighty-seven other
young men and boys. The company
went through the fierce campaigns in
which the Twenty sixth Alabama en-.
gagged, and young Richardson was
finally badly wounded at Shiloh and
was captured by the federal troops.
He was sent north to an Indiana
prison. Here his wound healed, and af-
ter a time he escaped and made his
way south to Nashville. The city was
at that time in the control of the Fed
eral forces, and Richardson found him.
self in the hands OF southern friends,
but unable to work his way out
the Union lines to his south
ern regiment.
Friends finally told him they had
found man who was going out
through the Union outposts and who
knew all the winding paths by which
such feat could be accomplished.
Richardson was put in his care, and
the two were captured.
To Richardson horror the Union
pickets found upon his companion evil
dence that he was sn important spy in
the Confederate service.
The two men were brought before a
court martial hastily convened IN the
Union army. This was about July 10,
1852. The charges were made against
them, the court martial passed upon
their cases, and both were condemned
to be hanged.
The sentence of death by hanging
was passed cn the congressman July
Il. That night u provost marsha! came
to the jail where the two men weie
confined and informed them of the
sentence. They were to be hanged at
sunrise the next day. The opportuni-
ty was given to take the oath of allie
glance, but he refused to do this. A
minister who had known him in Ath-
ems happened to be in Murfreesboro,
and after his efforts to secure the Con.
federate captains release had failed he
came to the cell on the night sentence
was given and spent part of the night
with the two men.
In the meantime the Confederate
spy had managed to slip word through
to the south of The plight himself and
the innocent prisoner of war 1t was
forlorn hope, but it was the means by
which help came to the two men just
oefore daylight on the day of their pro-
posed execution.
81 was lying asleep in the CELL"
lays Representative Richardson,
"When | was awakened by, my COM
panion's tugging at my arm.
Forrest coming! We are savedr t5{f G
"At first | was too daZed to realize
more than that there was a sound like
an approaching storm. We jumped up
on box so that we couldisee, Ithroug b
the little grated window, and in a few
seconds the noise resolved, into dis
timer hnof hpafS A fnu ~, in u4ae, mora