The Sunday Oregonian., May 21, 1911, SECTION SIX, Page 2, Image 70

THE SUNDAY OnEGOXIAN, PORTLAND. 3IAT 21", 1911.
Ifcrf 5cene5. f Famous Civil Warueneral6
No Chapter of the War More Thrilling, More Tragic, More Heroic,
Than That Which Tells How Union and Confederate Leaders
Met Death on the Field of Battle The Last Moments of Bee and
Lyon, the First Confederate and Union Generals to Be Killed; of
Albert Sidney Johnston, Felix K. Zollicof f er, John Sedgwick, J. E.
B. Stuart, Leonidas Polk, A. P. Hill, the Last General Killed in Bat
tle During the War, and Others. '
Photos Fully Covcjz-ED By CorYTS.iGKY "
3
j
J ) --i-" i v 1 1 'I
rcrr
r-
. I S I J I V
37
r e' f1 -"
Is' Hi r-"
3b ' h tjff
I - Ml
" f" i H
IViNTTR- QuHRTeRS-ff TyriCKL Cjop Or TrtETi&cyQr The. PsctojKC
A
v--
N'
O rhaptrr of wmr hoi rml-
rrntrnnlal began la April U more
thrlUluc. mon trade roor h-
rolo than that which tells how I'nlon
ad Co&fedvrml Udr met death on
the fled of battle. During the four
years of the war nearly 10.000 commie
stoned officers fell mortally wounded
while In command of their men; ana
ef officers above the rank of colonel
the slausbter began In the first rrea
battle of the war. and continued stead
tly anttl but a few days before peace
was declared at Appomattox.
The first annlTeraary observance of
the loss of a general comes to the
Couth on July II. when F.rla-adler-Oen-
eral Bernard Bee fell at the moment
when his troops were belno; rallied for
victory at Bull Bun. The flret Federal
officer of equal rank to suffer death
was Brtcsdter-Oeneral Nathaniel Lyon,
falUns mortally woundeel In the In
stant of triumph at the battle of Wll
on'e Creek, the semi-centennial of
whldt occurs on August 10 nest.
The lint Ocnrrml to Bo KIIW
General Bee was a veteran of the
v(Xieaa War. and bore several wounds
received while battinc aalnt the an
dent citadel of the Aitecs. He in
tered the service of the Confederacy
with the first call for troops and
tita military tralninc and experience
wroua-bt wonders with the raw rec rates
.t rm to his brtaade.
When the North and the South met
a taetr first s;reat battleground lien
ors! Bee was on the flrlna line Insplr
Ibk bis troops as the title swans; back
aad forth across the field, until finally
tne Confederate were resting; near the
Menry House. Here be etowd at bay
wl-.h his man. r'.Ulns: alen the Unas,
bis soldierly form clad In an old uni
fara of a captain ft the Infantry of
the Called litatea The battle seemed
lost ie the Confederacy. The Federals
were preasln closer and closer.
The old warrior rle to the con
naaaer ef the First Brigade of John
ston s army, lieaeral T. J. Ja. kson. who
Stood nearby lfcin: upon the shaken
remnants of Bee's and Bartons brl
tt! ea.
-OeaeraX" aalj Be. salutlns. "they
are beatinar ns back:"
'Sir. we will sive them the bayonet.
Jackson repiied.
OeAeral Bee dashed back to his
troops, raltylns them to await the order
to eaar(i asalaet he FeJeral lines. As
be turned to take a last look st the
aiicnment of the esaeultmc columns he
aw Jakon standing coolly la the
miust of the scenes of tnrmoiL About
his! were flylnsj bullets and shelu but
eacksoa stood steaUy. heedlese of the
hurricane of death.
Loer Be shouted, as he pointed
with his sword. "There Is Jackson
tandlaa- like a stone wall!"
The troops InstaatJy cauht the bat
tio cry aad. ehars;ln forward with Bee
at taetr bead, tne cry resounded
throach the ranks. -Stonswall! tone-
W Vh'o assault was ons of the most ter
rtn la the entire battle. The Unee la
blue were bein beaten slowly back.
-Xet as determine to die here aad we
wtU eondser.- Be cried. 'Bally be
hind the Vtrflnlana:- Just then the
eo.ere of U Fourth Alabama fell
from bis hand, bleed flowed from a
vooil and a warrtor who ave
Stonewall' Jackson his nans fail en
the baUJ.sdeid, ta da f esx hoar later I
I
.'it
V'' I' 'V ' ' r-,s3 FcrrootS rem Tkjzkspojztikg Troops Ojssr. StxejckS 3hj&
" ''' inn l;TlTss- h , ..ii 1 , r WVBU lAW&XTft 11 7 -I a w v '.r tlr'ar' . JaV.T A f V. . .
: '' a . iri. r u ow e ,r- vru.
e:
115) - .. ": X-'T . .v. a. r
BBSaeajsMawaaananvasssaeasasanm
; ..'.V":T 'V' .
.''v'sej-'
- ai a jrt ana. a-a , . ...... sj ML' -
AatjrV , .
a !Z - , - -v"
as the cheers of the triumphant South
ern troops were rtnelne across the
hills.
It was 10 daysTater. As the Drat rays
of light appeared over the hills Gen
eral Nathaniel Lyon rose from his bed
a rubber blanket stretched upon the
around between two rows of corn In a
Held near Wilson's Creek In Missouri.
Before dawn the troops were In mo
tion, and soon after, the deep tone of
artillery, punctuated by the sharper
cracks of musketry, waa thundering
throu-h the ravines. The feneral. al
ways at ths front, and now and then
leading the desperate charters of his
warriors, was rlJIn scalnst 21.000 foe
men. As the sun mounted htither and
Its rays poured down upon the tolllne;
antsiconlsts. the Federals were slowiy
firm way before the stronger forre.
Uk a whirlwind. General Lyon
dashed to ths front of the First Mis
souri Infantry, leadlns; a counter chares
calnat the Confederates. Suddenly,
his horse sank beneath him. but the
veneral. bleedinir from a wound in the
lee. extricate himself from his dytns;
sted and plunxed Into the thick of the
Bent, wavlna; his sword over his head.
For a moment he staggered; then.
drawics; his hand across his face, he
wiped the blood from a bullet wound
that tore hie scalp. Mounting another
he placed himself at the head
of two companies of the First Iowa
Regiment. In a desperate attempt to
stay ths tide of gray threatening to
tnaulf him and his men.
"Charger he shouted. The Iowana
plunged toward the Confederate line,
with blood-stained Lyon at their head,
waving his hat aad shooting above the
uproar to his men to follow him. His
figure was the very incarnation of wmr
his face was drawn and pale with the
loss ef blood from the wounds received
In previous charges. Suddenly a clump
of trees aad undergrowth la their front
seemed to burst Into earn. As the
smoke lifted. General Lyon 4. imbed.
slowly down from his saddle. Blood
coat. Scarcely had his feet touched the
ground when he wavered and fell Into
the arms of his orderly. The pallor of
death waa spreading over his face.
"Lehmann. I am killed." he gasped
and waa dead.
Death of Albert Sidney Johnston.
The first week In April. 18J. found
Major General Albert Sidney Johnston
at Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee
Iilver ready for the greatest battle In
the Wert- With the dawn of Sunday.
the sixth, came the flrst whine 01 tne
mini balls and soon after the deeper
tones of the artillery. Before many
minutes hsd passed ths battle of Shlloh
waa In full swing.
Before the battle Johnston had called
his subordinate officers about him and
given them their last Instructions. The
sky waa clear and the men breathed
In the refreshing air of early Spring.
As the sun broke suddenly above the
horison a murmur passed through the
Confederate ranks: "The sun of Aus
terllts:" Th commander was Inspired
beyond his usual self-control.
"Tonight w will water our horses
In the Tennessee River." he called to
his staff officers as they galloped away
to their various positions. To Colonel
Marmaduks he remarked: "My son. we
must this day conquer or perish." And
to Oeneral HIndrnan he called: Tou
have earned your spurs aa a major
general. Let this day's work win them."
X few houre later and the crisis of
the day's battle had come. Ths Fed
erals were doggedly resisting every
charge. Johnaton. mounted on his
thoroughbred bay charger. "Fire-eater."
rode along his lines. He was bare
headed, his sword was In Its scabbard
and la hi hand h held a tin cup. a
memento of the surprise of Praams'
camp early in the morning. The lines
In gray were at brill with the magnet
ism of their commander's presence at
the front.
"Men! he shouted, and his voice was
clear. Impelling, resonant, "they are
stubborn: we must use the bayonet
was streaming over to left aid of bis I tUowlr. be rode alone ths Use- until fc
reached the center; then turning, ex
claimed. I will lead you!"
A piercing yell broke from the ranks
aa the line moved forward. A fearful
volley poured Into the advancing war
riors, but on they pssaed. The foe fled,
the position was gained.
Ths soldiers paused their ranks
ragged and depleted for breath and to
count the cost of their victory. Their
eyes fell upon their commander. There
he sat. his clothing riddled by bullets,
his horse struck In four places. Even
the sole of Johnston's boot had been
cut by the shot; but so calm and stolid
was he that it was not even suspected
that he had received any wound.
The Federals continued a desultory
fire, and a mlnle ball struck General
Johnston In the foot, severing an ar
tery; but he concealed the fact nntll
one of his aides, noticing the" rapidly
paling face of his superior. Inquired
anxiously: "General, are you wounded"
"Tea, and I fear, seriously." Those
were his last words.
"Fir eater" was led behind a knoll
in the vicinity of the "Hornet's Nest,"
one of the bloodiest spots of Shlloh.
HI rider was lifted tenderly from the
charger, which was bleeding profusely
from its gaping wounds, and laid upon
th grass. His head fell listlessly to
the ground. Stooping over the dying;
warrior, his brother-in-law called his
name. Johnston smiled sadly In reply.
A little later the Confederacy had lost
one of It moat gallant defenders.
lias General Died to Save Others,
Of the generals on each side who fell
at Antietam. the bloodiest battleground
of the war, one. Major-Qenerel Joseph
K. Mansfield, literally sacrificed himself
in an attempt to shield others.
The battle was at it height. General
Mansfield stood upon a hlU which was
wept by th Confederate fire. As he
looked down upon his men, to his con
sternation they appeared to be filing
at Union troops. His vole was power
less to make itself beard above the din
and roar of battle, so he urged his
horse down the hillside, and racing
along Ue line of the Tenth Maine Regl- ,
ment, ordered the men to cease firing.
But when he reached Company C, its
captain pointed out the gray-clad fig
ures it the foe who were approaching
from the front, and aiming their mus
kets directly at the regiment.
"Tea, yes! you are riicht!" exclaimed
the general. As he spoke the enemy's
fire hurtled about him. Driving his spurs
deep Into the sides of his horse, the
general attempted to leap a fence in the
rear, but the animal, grievously wound
ed, failed in the attempt. A gust of
wind blew open the general's coat, and
to the consternation of his troops, blood
was seen flowing from a wound in his
side. He was first placed upon crossed
muskets, then wrapped in a blanket and
carried from the field to an ambulance
in the rear, where he breathed hlslast.
Killed While Saluting Old Enemy.
Equally dramatic was the death of
Brigadier-General Fellr K. Zolllcoffer,
who before the outbreak of war waa in
editorial charge of -the Nashville Ban
ner, and later a memoer 01
from Tennessee. Casting his fortune
with his commonwealth, be drilled his
troops until they became a model for
the Confederate army.
In January. 1862. General Zolllcoffer
was stationed at Mill Springs on the
Cumberland River, in Kentucky, await
ing the, advance of the Federal troops
under General George H. Thomas, later
to be known as the "rock of Chickamau
ga." The two forces clashed near the
Springs, on the 19th. In the Union
ranks was a Colonel Fry, in command of
the Fourth Kentucky. He and Zolll
coffer had met before the war In many
legal batUes of wit and learning, but
now they were opposed, with armies at
their command.
As the fighting columns drew near
each other, with General Zolllcoffer in
the lead of his brigade, a courier dashed
through Colonel Fry's camp spreading
the news of the approach. Immediately
Fry ordered his men to advance, and
they took up a position parallel with a
deep ravine that ran through the cen
ter of an open field. The Confederates
quickly grasped the opportunity before
them and rushed forward through the
defile, while Fry stood upon a fence,
from which he could see the move, and
defied them to come out into th open
to fight.
A lull In the battle occurred. The
two forces were dose together. The
cold Winter winds wer sweeping over
th hills, causing th warriors to shiver
In their poor clothes. The sky was
dark and lowering. General Zolllcoffer
rode from his lines close to the Federal
troops to observe the best pls:e for at
tack. As he broke from cover in plain
view, and close to his old legal rival.
Colonel Fry. the two officers raised their
hands in salute.
Suddenly a shot rang out, the ballet
sped into the silent Federal lines th
Informal truce was broken. The next
moment a terrific volley burst from the
lines In blue. General zouiooner stag
shot in the breast and two musket shots
in his body.
When Grant took personal charge of
the Army of the Potomac, Major-Gen-eral
John Sedgwick was in command
of the Sixth Army Corps the same
Sedgwick who had saved the day for
the Union at Fair Oaks; who had been
twice wounded at Antietam; who had
carried Marys Heights at Chancellors
vllle; who had taken an important part
In the battle of Gettysburg after mak
ing a forced march of 35 miles in 2
hours. -
In the Wilderness, under Grant, he
bad again proved himself one of the
great corps commanders of the Army
of the Potomac and now, at 5 o'clock
in the afternoon of May 8. 1864. he and
his corps had arrived at Spottsylvania
Courthouse. For his bed that night
he lay upon the gTOund near General
Warren's headquarters, and slept until
daylight. The next morning he super
intended the building of rifle pits,
while seated upon a cracker box with
his chief-of-staff, Major-General Mc
Mahon. A jocular conversation passed
between the two Generals while they
looked over the field. But McMahon
soon became serious and pointing out
a particular Confederate battery, said:
"General, do you see "that section?
Well, you are not to go near that to
day." "McMahon, I would like to know who
commands this corps, you or IT" retort
ed Sedgwick, smiling.
"Seriously, General," replied Mc
Mahon, "I beg of you not to go to that
angle. Every officer who has sh'own
himself there has been hit, both yes
terday and today."
"Sedgwick looked at the spot, curi
ously. "Well," he said finally, "I don't
know that there is any reason for me
going there."
The two officers rose and passed to
the front to examine the work that the
troops had been engaged upon. Sud
denly a desultory fire began in the
Confederate ranks, and a shower of
bullets pattered among the Federals.
Many of the men dodged and were
laughingly reproved by Sedgwick.
Again the bullets fell about them,
again the soldier dodged, and Serg
wlck repeated his remarks; but the
bullets came closer to the General this
time. A soldier, who had been stand
ing before the commander, fell to the
ground to escape the fire. Sedgwick
pushed him with his foot, saying:
"Why. man. I am ashamed of yon
dodging that way. They couldn't hit
an elephant at this distance."
"General," " replied the man as he
rose. "I dodged a shell once and if I
hadn't. It would have taken my head
off." Sedgwick laughed and ordered
th soldier to his position in the line.
A third shrill whistle sounded in the
ears of McMahon, and be was about to
speak to Sedgwick when the" latter
turned toward him. To McMahon's
gered and fell back dead, wiy a pistol horror, he saw a stream of blood
spurting from the side of his chiefs
face, under the left eye. Before Mc
Mahon could support him, Sedgwick
fell to the ground, carrying McMahon
with him. A number of officers hurried
forward In response to McMahon's
shout, but they were helpless; the
sharpshooter's bullet had done its work
blood was spouting from Sedgwick's
wound as from a fountain. Tet a smile
rested upon the mortally wounded war
rior's face.
Sedgwick died soon after, and his
body was conveyed to General Meade's
headquarters and later to Cornwall
Hollow, in Connecticut.
The End of a Dashing Cavalier.
One of the deaths that caused wide
spread consternatlonMn the south al
most as much consternation as had the
death of "Stonewall" Jackson at Chan
cellorsvllle, a year earlier was that of
General J. E. B. Stuart. Said General
Sedgwick of him: "Stuart is the best
cavalryman ever foaled in North Amer
ica." This young, dashing, dare-devil cav
alier rode at the head of his troopers
dressed in a uniform brilliant with gold
trimmings and a felt hat looped up
with a golden star. From the crown
of the hat waved a great black plume,
the pride of Stuart's heart. He was
here today and there tomorrow, laugh
ing and fighting, dancing and singing.
On the march a banjo player accompa
nied his troopers, thrumming his in
strument while Stuart broke into gay
song.
In camp he was irrepressible and
seldom treated anyone, excepting Gen
eral Lee, with formality, even daring to
make merry with the austere and re
served "Stonewall" Jackson, who was
his close friend. In his tent rang the
banjo notes of "The Bugles Sang
Truce," "The Dew la On the Blossom"
and "My Wife in Castla Thunder," or
the troopers' song, "Jine the Cavalry,"
while Stuart sang with rollicking voice,
and when the song was ended leaped
from his chair and burst into Joud
laughter.
But on the firing line Stuart's only
thought was to outmaneuver or anni
hilate the foe. Thus he stood at Yel
low Tavern, Just on the threshold of
Richmond, on Wednesday, May 11, 1864,
breasting the waves of Federal troop
ers, under General Sheridan. The
fighting was fast and furious; it was
one of the most desperately contested
cavalry battles in the entire war.
The Confederate horse was holding
Its own. Close behind the dismounted
Southerners stood Stuart, his black
plume waving above his head. Sud
denly a portion of the Confederate line
seemed to waver; a few were seen to
leave th ranks. Stuart's voice thun
dered above the battle roar:
"Go back! go back! and do your duty,
as I have done mine, and our country
will be safe. Go back! go back! I had
rather die than be whipped!"
Scarcely had the words fallen from
Concluded on Pace 7-
4