Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/243

 .1 II,,,;;,,' nt' // \\'.,r.

also to be more in accordant - with military rule, and which course r (u-ttyslnirij. in which battle Color Sergeant Larkin was shot through the body as he was crossing the stone wall with them, was permanently adopted, and our loved colors not again carried into action.

I am, dear madam, very respectfully and truly yours,

EDWARD MCCRADY.

[From the Richmond. Va., Times, March 14, 1897.]

A HORROR OF THE WAR.

HOW GENERAL CUSTER HUNG SOME OF MOSBY'S HEN.

Their Comrades wished to Raise a Monument to the Memory of An- derson, Love, Carter, Jones, Overby and Rhodes.

When Mosby's men met here at the last Confederate Reunion, and feasted and talked of the thrilling events of their lives on the frontier, they did not fail to recall the names of those who had fallen in the fight, but especially the six soldiers, who, after being taken prisoners, had been made the victims of the implacable ferocity of General George A. Custer, of Sheridan's cavalry. A committee was appointed to raise funds for the erection of a monument to these sol- diers, and their appeal is published below.

The story of this tragedy is thus told in the Warrenton True Index, by an eye-witness:

After the defeat of General Early at the battle of Opequon, on September 19, 1864, his command fell back up the Valley. The brigade of cavalry, under General Wickham, occupied a strong po- sition at Milford. twelve miles south of Front Royal, and Custer made repeated efforts to force him from the position, without effect. About this time it was reported to Captain Chapman, of Mosby's command, that a large wagon train was en route from Milford to Winchester, under the escort of a small body of men. He imme- diately made disposition for its capture at Front Royal. For this purpose he divided his men into parties. One party was to attack the train at the point where a cross road from Chester's Gap inter-