The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-01-09

49, 1SIE~N~ @<s<'
Harrisburg where they were mus
tered into service.
Visitors to the state capitol at Han
| risburg. Pa, can see in the case
which hold the tattered ensigns Q
the keystone state regiments that o
the One Hundred Fiftieth Pennsyl
vania Rifles, a flag which has an in
teresting history. During the battl
of Gettysburg the ''Bucktails" wer
forced to abandon their position o.
| Seminary Ridge and fall back into tn
| town. During this retreat the wound
ed color-bearer became separated froI
his comrades and the flag fell into tn
hands of the Confederates. Later
was presented TO President Jefferso
Davis, and was found among his effect
when he was captured in 1865, and il
1869 1t was restored to the state o
Pennsylvania.
In the city Of .~exandria, Va, live
veteran of another famous Civil wa
rifle regiment. one which fought o.
the side of the Confederates. He i
Edgar Warfeld and how he achieves
the distinction of being the last SUI
vivor" of his regiment was told il
the following news story which az
peared in the Washington Post OF
September 10 of last year:
Jesse Murray, eighty-six years
old, the last but one of the Alex
andrians who marched away from
this city May "a, 1851, to join the
Confederate forces, died yester-
day in the Alexandria hospital.
He was stricken with paralysis
Thursday at his home at Mount
Vernon, where for many years he
had been a guard, but had been
retired several years ago on &C
count of the infirmities incident
to his advanced age.
Mr.. Murray was a member of
Company A of the Seventeenth
Virginia regiment of infantry, in
the Confederate forces, known as
the Alexandria Rifles. and fought
throughout the War Between the
States. He returned to Alexan-
dria at the conclusion Of the war
and became one Of the 229 men,
bers of R. E. Lee camp, Confed-
crate Veterans, Of whom there
are seven now surviving. At the
time Of his death he was lieu
tenant commander of the camp.
The sole survivor now of the coo
or 700 Alexandrians who fought
with the Confederate forces is
Edgar Warfeld, a member Of
Company II, Seventeenth vir-
ginia regiment, known as the Old
Dominion Rifles. Mr.. Warfield is
state commander of the Confed-
crate Veterans and adjutant Of
r. E. Lee camp. The seven sur
viving members of Lee camp are,
In addition to Mr.. Warfield, E. c.
Graham, commander; Gen. W. L.
Wilkerson of Washington, A. L.
McAlister Of Washington, James
II. Wiley of Fairfax Courthouse.
r. W. Lawson of Burkes Garden,
Va, and ]. S. B. Parker of Alex
andria.
Last year also saw the passing O
an even more famous last survivor
Of the Lost Cause" For when Mai
Charles NJ. Stedman died on Septem
Der %, 1880, the Congress of tn
United States lost its sole survive
of the Civil war serving our nationa
legislature. Up until recent year
there were a number of Civil war vet
Grams, both those who wore the Blu
and those who wore the Gray. in bot
houses Of congress. But the las
decade saw the number cut dow
steadily until 1925 when there wer
only three left. In that year Gen
Isaac Sherwood Of Ohio retired f
private life at the age Of ninety an,
his departure marked the passing o
the last Union veteran from tn
house Of representatives. In 1872
Senator Francis Warren of Wyomin,
died and the last Union veteran wa
gone from the senate. And last yea
the death Of Major Stedman of Nortl
Carolina removed not only the las
Confederate veteran but also the las
Civil war veteran on either side from
both houses.
Major Stedman was born Januar,
%, 1S41. in Pittsboro, n. c., and en-
tered the University of North Caro-
lima at the age of sixteen. He wa
graduated from the university in 1856
and received his diploma. but befor,
the commencement exercises could b,
held he had responded to a call TO
volunteers and enlisted as a privat,
in the Fayetteville Light Infantr,
company which was a part of tn,
First North Carolina Cor Bethel
regiment. Upon the disbanding O
this regiment he Joined a compan,
from Chatham county, rose to tn,
rank of lieutenant, then captain ant
finally major. He served in the arm,
OF Gen. Robert E. Lee throughout tn,
war and was present at the histori,
surrender at Appamattox. Maiol
Stedman was wounded three time,
during the war but survived hi,
wounds to become lawyer and to b,
elected from the Greensboro distric
OF North Carolina to the Sixty-seconf
congress 20 years ago.
"a bv " eafaru Neu~po r>o~ y-,t.-~