Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1916-09-29
BODY OF COL.
TRIMBLE MOVED
Remains of Confederate Officer,
Almost Forgotten, Now Rest
Beside Comrade in the New
Cemetery.

| oh saturday, the 10th inst, tha
friends of Colonel Edwin Trmble ex-
humed his remains and bore them to
tho Maple Shade cemetery of our
town, which is beautiful and COM
paratVoly new one. His remains were
re.imterred close to those of Colonel
William Brown, who was also disin-
tcrrcd and re-buricd there several
years ago. While there was no mark
whatever placed on the grave of COL
oncl Trimble, who was buried in the
graveyard Of his ancestors. about,
Tour miles west of town, yet his faith
lui companions and kinsmcn hnd care
luIiy kept the identity of the spot.
when his reamins were exhumcd,
IL was found that the collin had been
entirely absorbed and was gono, but
.ne skeleton was i'll n remarkable
STATE oI preservation. The clay and
gravel had settled down on il. Tho
skull was in tact. Tho bullet hole
through II was plain on both sides
hat is, where it had entered and hnd
come out. a number of people re-
membcr-somc still living; other
rom tradition-the character of the
shot which caused his sudden death
Mt the battle of Saltville. Virginia.
All the bones of his arms and ali tho
bones of his legs were in perfect
state or preservation. The buttons
or his uniform were nlso perfectly
preserved, MS were other metallic in
signin. So, there is not the slight
est doubt but what his skeleton re-
mains were in II condition To be pcr-
rcctly identified.
The battle of Saltvillc, in which
Colonel Trimble was killed, was prob
nbly one of the most rcmnrknbla
Fought in the wnr between the states:
the .snlt works being II place OF ne
ccsslty TO the confcdcrnics ns we'll
as one OF peculiar strategic forma-
ton for protection. From the official
report OF General Burbridgc, he had
about 1900 men on tho raid of the
snli works. The confederate defense
h'd not more than 5000 mon, com
posed or various marshnllcd forces
from virginia and Kentucky, belong
,nr TO Isolated commands. In this
battle were number of reserves on
the confederate side. composcd of old
men over i5 years of npc nnd vo,,n~
men between 16 and l8. In Dibrcll's
brigade of reserves WIS n battalion
commanded bv Col. Robert Smith. Of
TnZcwcll, which battalion. together
with lhe 10Th Kentucky regiment, un-
DER Cot. Trimblc, was in the cxpos-
cd dcfens" ut Buffalo Ford of the Uol-
slon river at the mouth of Cedar
Brnnch and on the south side of the
ilolston. Trimble's regiment and thesc
reserves bore the brunt of the bnt-
l,c. The historical statement in made
,nnt IN This battlc the Federal loss in
kliled and wounded was about 35O
ana the number of prisoners captured
~ vnrlously estimated Mt from 900
10 l29O; and remarkable as IL may be
thought, the reported confederate loss
was eight killed and 81 wounded:
among those kcillcd being Col Edwin
Colonel Trimblc was native of
eastern Fcntucliy. where his ances-
tors went from Tn2ewell county.
Speaking of the preservation Of tho
remains OF this gallant soldier. IL
seems uncnnny that they shoull have
been 40 ncrfcct after n lapse of more
thnn half n century. Some one re-
marked Mt his cxhuming. that the
strhnge and perfect preservation of
ms bones demonstrated the stuff of
whlch this brave man was made. II
may be true that the frame of n he
ro snch MS Edwin Trimble, is made of
'"' "Sa.iiicu 10 TcSlSC decay.
We'll, while the remains of this
gallant and chivalrous man were ol-
most forgotten for more than n gen.
Grafton, they nrc now placed where
thcy will be remembered for many
days to come. I hive Thought il
pathetic that he could not rest in the
mountains of Kentucky, where he was
born and from which he came to give
up his youthful life in the heroic
struggle, between sections of the Same
blood, who are now friends.
| wish to sny that Mr.. John w. st.
GiaIr is due the credit of keeping for
Identification the grave of this gal
lant soldier and for the removal of
nus remains to the public cemetery.
Mr.. st. Clair belongs to that class
OF young men in the south to whom
me fame and prestige of the Confed-
crate soldier NAV forever hereafter
be entrusted
"A suitable monument will be erect
ed over Colonel Trimble's new grave
SAMUEL CECIL GRAHAM.