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In 1894, the New York Herald asked surviving generals, both Union and Confederate, what they considered personally to be their closest calls. Several of them responded with their own accounts of narrow escapes. Some of the generals were more forthcoming than others. And, all responses were printed in the newspaper’s May 13th issue.
General Stephen D. Lee recounted the stories of a number of “escapes,” from Yankee sharpshooters:
General Stephen D. Lee recounted the stories of a number of “escapes,” from Yankee sharpshooters:
“It is difficult for me to single out the closest situation in which I was found to death [sic] during the war. Of course in all battles, like any soldier, I ran great risks. I can recall, however, three occasions when an individual sharpshooter of the enemy took deliberate aim at me at not over two steps distance and missed me. One of these occasions was at the Battle of Champion Hills, or Baker’s Creek, near Vicksburg, where I had three horses shot under me in less thn twenty minutes, and riding under the crest of a hill, a Federal sharpshooter on the crest arose, took deliberate aim and shot at me.
“On another occasion in the disastrous rout of Hood’s army before Nashville when the lines gave way, I rode to the left to see the extent of the rout just on my flank, and rode up to within twenty steps of a Federal sharpshooter. He brought his gun down on me. I told him not to shoot, that I was General Lee, supposing him to be one of our own sharpshooters. He fired and missed me, and fired three more shots at me on horseback before i got out of range.
“On another occasion in Virginia, while in a cavalry charge, in command of the Fourth Virginia Cavalry, a Federal captain going through a gate shut it, and as I came against the gate on the opposite side, he faced about and presented his pistol within three feet of my breast, and the cap snapped. This was on the old battle field of Malvern Hill, after the battle in a cavalry charge. On another occasion during the assault made by General Grant on the trenches at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, with Colonel Wall, of Texas, and his adjutant, I was directing the Confederate troops in repulsing the assault. Colonel Wall’s adjutant was shot and killed.
“Two days afterward, during a cessation of hostilities for the burial of the Federal dead lying in front of the trenches, a captain in the Federal army came up to me and said, ‘Were you not one of the three men standing at that point during the assault two days ago?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He said: -- ‘I congratulate you on your narrow escape. Seeing that the three were officers, I caused my company of fifty men to take deliberate aim and fire a volley at the group, and was astonished when only one of the three fell.’
“I merely mention these several instances, though I might recall many others.”
“On another occasion in the disastrous rout of Hood’s army before Nashville when the lines gave way, I rode to the left to see the extent of the rout just on my flank, and rode up to within twenty steps of a Federal sharpshooter. He brought his gun down on me. I told him not to shoot, that I was General Lee, supposing him to be one of our own sharpshooters. He fired and missed me, and fired three more shots at me on horseback before i got out of range.
“On another occasion in Virginia, while in a cavalry charge, in command of the Fourth Virginia Cavalry, a Federal captain going through a gate shut it, and as I came against the gate on the opposite side, he faced about and presented his pistol within three feet of my breast, and the cap snapped. This was on the old battle field of Malvern Hill, after the battle in a cavalry charge. On another occasion during the assault made by General Grant on the trenches at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, with Colonel Wall, of Texas, and his adjutant, I was directing the Confederate troops in repulsing the assault. Colonel Wall’s adjutant was shot and killed.
“Two days afterward, during a cessation of hostilities for the burial of the Federal dead lying in front of the trenches, a captain in the Federal army came up to me and said, ‘Were you not one of the three men standing at that point during the assault two days ago?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He said: -- ‘I congratulate you on your narrow escape. Seeing that the three were officers, I caused my company of fifty men to take deliberate aim and fire a volley at the group, and was astonished when only one of the three fell.’
“I merely mention these several instances, though I might recall many others.”
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