Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-10-12
An Echo From the War.

All E(iiO T7IOil lAAC w dl-
H. NJ. Turner, of ShepherdStown, Uni
ted States immigrant Inspector at Var
mouth, Nova Scotia, recently met at
Digby, N. S., d man from Massachusetts,
by the name of ]. c. Metcalf, and when
in conversation with MIR. Turner ascer-
tanned that he was from ShepherdstoWn,
the stranger said that he had very vivid
recoIlections of this place. He then told
Mr.. Turner that he was during the war
sergeant in Company E, Second Mas
sachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He was
in the battle OF Antietam and other fights
in this section, and remembered the 10
cality very well. He was in the company
that made a midnight raid from Maryland
over to ShepherdStown and killed Cap
tain Redmond Burke, scout in the Con-
federate army. After giving MIR. Turner
the details of this episode, he promised
to send him the record OF the occurrence
as kept in the archives of his regiment.
He later did so, and this is the story,
written by the chaplain of the regiment
and now part OF the history Of the or
ganization:
"The guerilla, Burke, had committed a
few murders just to keep his hand in.
His last exploit was TO have some women,
purporting to be refugees, come TO the
rivers bank and entice over citizen,
apparently 10 bring them across. The
citizen went over and Captain Burke
killed him. On a night in November,
Captain Cogswell, then commanding the
Second Regiment, crossed cautiously with
sixty men and by circuitous march en-
tered ShepherdStown just after midnight.
The houses where Burke was accustomed
to visit were found by the help OF guide,
and were surrounded. In one OF Them
were Burke and five OF his gang. The
villain was dressed and armed, and the
horses stood saddled, for a plundering
expedition. AS the men were preparing
TO enter, an inmate Sprang from a door
and attempted TO escape. Captain Cogs-
we'll twice ordered him to stop, and then
told a couple men TO fire. A ball entered
the rebels heart. II proved to be Burke.
The other five were captured and horses,
arms and important papers brought away.
The next day Captain CogSwell went
over again with the same men and some
cavalry, occupied the town, arrested some
traitors they were after, paroled officers
and men in hospital, captured some arms,
and came back leiSurely."
This is evidently fair sample OF the
bitter, prejudiced way in which the North
ern soldiers regarded the people OF the
South. Captain Burke, who is described
as guerilla, =" who murdered his fellow
men "iust to keep his hand in," was
bold and courageous scout in the Conted-
crate service, who was hated by the
Union men because he was so useful to
his own side by reason Of his knowledge
of the movements OF the enemy. The
"murder'' of citizen referred TO was
probably the unfortunate and regrettaole
killing of Edward Entler, the ferryman at
Shepherdstown. Ii is SANDER to say
that any OF the women OF our community
were used to entice him TO his death. 1t
is denied that Captain Burke had hand
in this tragedy, but every crime and mis-.
demeanor that occurred during those
troublouS times was charged up to the
Southern people by the preiudiced North
.erners. The murder" of poor Entler
was not much worse than the deed OF
that brave band of sixty men who so
Cautiously" entered Shepherdstown
"iust after midnight" and shot Captain
Burke through the heart as he fled from
his refuge. The war was dreadful thing
and much was done that ought not to
have been done, on both sides. It's a
pity that the bitterness and rancor Ct in
dividuals should be perpetuated by such
records as that OF the Second Massachu-