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le writes from St. Joseph, La.:
In reading the list of Confederate officers who were nfined under fire of the Federal guns at Charleston, m reminded of a very interesting incident that ocred there. Mr. J. Charles Carson, of the Jeff Davis Legion of Cavalry, was captured at Trevilian Stain June, 1864, and sent to Johnson's Island. He d Capt. J. M. Hobson, of North Carolina, were of he six hundred sent to Charleston under fire of the Confederate guns. These two gentlemen became bunk mates, occupying the same quarters. Mr. Carson recognized among the officers of Gen. Gilmore's staff a young lieutenant whom he had known before the ar in social circles in New York. He wrote to this young officer reminding him of their former acquaintance, requesting an interview with a view to softening the asperities of the situation; but the young officer replied that he could not, according to military etiquette, have social intercourse with a prisoner ef war; but in lieu thereof he sent Mr. Carson a box of good things for a Christmas dinner, among which was a large ham. Mr. Carson and Capt. Hobson were delighted to get it, and in casting about as to how they would have the am cooked, they decided to get one of the negro soldier guards to cook it, as negroes were good cooks by nature. So they called upon the negro guard, gave him the ham to be cooked and returned that evening, promising to pay him for his trouble. In seasonable time the negro brought to them a large dish covered with a newspaper, stating that this was the ham. The dish was set down before them on the ground, and upon lifting the paper they discovered that the entire body of the ham had been cut out, leaving only the skin and bone.
Mr. Carson was so indignant at the robbery perpetrated upon him that he cursed the negro thief, abusing him roundly. The negro was armed, and was about to attack Mr. Carson, cursing him in turn, when Capt. obson leaped upon the negro, bore him down, and caught him by the throat, and, being a very powerful man and a perfect athlete, he was choking the negro to death in his fury. Just then the sergeant of the guard, a powerful negro, came up, and was about to tun his bayonet through Hobson, when the Captain told him that if he touched him he would break the eck of the man he had down. The negro thief by this ime recognized the superiority of his Anglo-Saxon anfagonist, and cried out to the sergeant, "You let us lone—dis white man and me understands each other," ind expressed such good nature that Hobson let him ip and peace was made, but they had no ham for dinner hat day.
This Capt. Hobson is the father of the gallant Lieut. ichmond P. Hobson, who distinguished himself so aenificently at Santiago during the Spanish-Amerin war. Mr. Carson lives at Natchez, Miss., and 2 hearing of the gallant feat of Lieut. Hobson, ome friends of this incident during our great war, ich Capt. Hobson, of North Carolina, was assoed, and wondered if Lieut. Hobson could be his son. apers located the father of Lieut. Hobson at ville, Ala., and Mr. Carson wrote him, asking s possible that his bunk mate under the Confedins at Charleston and the hero of the fight with
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the negro guard could be the father of Lieut. Hobson. Captain (now Judge) Hobson, wrote him that he was, and spoke very feelingly on the adventures they had endured together.
H. E. Jackson, of Company C., Cobb's Cavalry Legion, has written an interesting letter of the famous Hunterstown fight, which occurred July 2, 1863. The letter was addressed to "the three front men in the Sixth Michigan Cavalry." The following extracts are given:
I was in the front and came near being killed. Gen. P. M. B. Young came flying down the pike, hat in hand, with your men in close pursuit, firing at him constantly. He ordered a charge, and the two lines rushed at each other and had a hand to hand conflict. You three front men made at Col. Deloney and myself, and soon the left and rear man of these three struck my colonel over the right eye near the temple, and he fell paralyzed on his horse's neck. Seeing this, the middle man gave him a thrust and would have killed him, but I knocked his saber up. Meanwhile the third man was fighting me. After my colonel was helpless I had to combat all three of you, and narrowly escaped death. Pretty soon your men whirled and retreated, and for several paces the blue and the gray were mixed up, knocking, cutting, and shooting each other. Finally we ran into your dismounted men, who were on both sides of the road, and into a large barn on the left. Every door and window was a blaze of fire, and every man who was with me fell.... I looked back, and saw that my nearest men were fifteen or twenty steps back, and were making to the rear. I did likewise, and we went into a piece of woods, where we received a heavy shelling from your battery. f When your men first whirled and retreated, I ran with my horse's head even with the hip of the horse of one of the three (now rear) men, nearly halfway back to your dismounted men. I could have killed him, but as I sprang forward to thrust my saber into his back my conscience said, "No," so I passed him and others for the boys behind to attend to. We rode up to Hunterstown next morning and found our men lying here and there at the above-mentioned barn. My brother-in-law had been killed and his pockets had been turned inside out. His watch, knife, spurs, and all he had were gone. His hat lay by his side with two holes in it, made by the ball which had passed through his head. Two or three of us were detailed to bury these men, and we placed them in a corner of a field near where they fell, under a big cherry tree.
Capt. J. W. Williams, of Greensboro, Ala., recently took steps to recover his sword, which he surrendered during the sixties to an officer in the Fifth Pennsylvania Reserves, at South Mountain. Seeing his newspaper notice in regard to the incident, the surviving members of the Fifth Reserves have taken measures to assist Capt. Williams in its restoration.
Capt. Thomas G. Carter, of Deadwood, S. D., would like to correspond with some member of the Pointe Coupee (La.) Artillery who was with his command at Nashville December 15, 16, 1864.
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Dr. W. W. Parker, a man noted for his wide charities, scholarly attainments, and brilliant record as a Confederate soldier, died at his home in Richmond, Va., August 4. Of his life and military achievements the Richmond Times states:
In the passing of Dr. Parker Richmond loses one of its grandest citizens. He was a physician of far more than local reputation, a Christian gentleman, and a philanthropist.
He did more charity work than any score of persons in the city. His life and his talents were given without money and without price to the poor people. He always had many patients to look after, yet he found time to superintend the work of many charitable organizations and to attend his church services.
He was a public-spirited man. No one took a livelier interest in movements looking to the upbuilding of the city.
Dr. Parker was born May 5, 1824. He was a native of Caroline County and was a son of the late Col. Stafford H. Parker, who held an office at the capitol for some years prior to the war. He came ofa proud and distinguished lineage and had the best training this country afforded for a medical education, Then his father sent him to Paris, where he had practical experience in a hospital under the most noted French physicians and surgeons.
Dr. Parker had a brilliant war record. Parker's battery made itself famous. He entered the service in the infantry and served in the Peninsula campaign. Returning to the city, he met with Mr. J. Thompson Brown, who was just back from the fights in West Virginia. They and some of their friends decided to organize a new company. At first the plans were to form an infantry company, but later it was determined to organize a battery. Dr. Parker secured four guns. He was made captain and Mr. Brown first lieutenant. After horses had been secured the question of drivers came up. J. C. Parkinson went to Charles City and neighboring counties and got such men as were needed. He became second lieutenant, and served with great honor and distinction.
This battery was regarded as the finest in the service. It went through many battles, dealing death and destruction to the enemy. He could have become a general, but he declined promotion, saying it was the height of ambition to command the Parker Battery.
The battery was with Jackson during a part of his Valley campaign. It did excellent work at Sharpsburg, at Fredericksburg, and in the Wilderness battles. Capt. Parker developed a remarkable genius for war. He was quick to plan and rapid to execute his plans. He was allowed to have his way in most things. During a battle he would often discover a weak point in the lines and send to the general commanding for infantry to assist his battery in gaining
a point of vantage, and his requests were granted without question.
Many anecdotes are told of Dr. Parker's fighting qualities and of his love for his men. He was the commander, physician, and often spiritual adviser of his soldiers. When in camp he spent Sunday in his tent at worship. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, in a speech here a few years ago, said that Parker's Battery, which was in his battalion, had made hi ma general. Shortly" before the war ended Dr. Parker was made major, and Lieut. Brown was promoted to a captaincy. '
When hostilities ceased Dr. Parker resumed the practice of his profession in Richmond. He was always a successful physician. He had an extensive practice, but much of it was charity work. Perhaps" half of his time was given to work of charity. The Male Orphan Asylum, of which he was President, was" the institution in which he was most interested. He was the founder of the Magdalen Home, and took an _ active part in several other organizations. A portrait of Dr. Parker was recently presented to the Lee Camp, United Confederate Veterans.
S. D. Clack (Company D, Third Tenn.) Memphis, Tex., reports the death, on June 27, 1899, of William W. Orr, of Company H, Third Tennessee Be With his brothers he helped organize that regiment at Lynnville, Tenn., May 17, 1861, and was paroled ath Greensboro, N. C., April 26, 1865. Though twleal dangerously wounded—at Chickamauga and on the Dalton-Atlanta campaign—he returned to his regi-— ment promptly, and performed the full duty of a soldier until the stars and bars sank in radiant splendor — on the field of Bentonville. After the war he married Miss Emeline D. Cowden and removed to Texas, where ~ he amassed a handsome fortune and was highly esteemed for his sterling qualities.
J. W. Ramsey writes from Trenton, Tenn.: "Lieut. | Charles A. Elder, of Company F, Fourth Regiment, ~ Tennessee Infantry, died at Elderly, Tenn., September — 5, 1899, aged sixty-one years, and was buried in Oak-~ wood Cemetery, at Trenton, Tenn. The Elders are) among the oldest settlers of Gibson County, and no | one was more highly esteemed than Lieut. Charles A." Elder. He was the father of a large family of refined and cultured children, all of whom are married except © one daughter and one son."
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Miss Nita Menefee, of Washington, Va., died on December 16, 1898. She organized the Rappahannock | Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy, of which she was elected Secretary. She was an earnest worker in the organization, and was actively interested in memorial work, especially in the erection of a monument at Washington to honor the memory of the heroes of Rappahannock.
Comrade J. S. Kelly, Duck River, Tenn., reports the © death of Comrade John Jewell, which occurred Janu-~ ary 1, 1899. He was seventy-three years of age, and died suddenly at his farm near Duck River. He belonged to Company C, Ninth Tennessee Cavalry, Ashby's Brigade, and was one of the six men who fought sixteen armed Federal soldiers at Jackson, La., in 1863.
ADE JOE E. Jonrs.—Readers of the Veteran ny friends of the Confederate soldier element learn with regret that Capt. Joe E. Jones is dead. sad event occurred at the home of his nephew, W. Jones, at Estill Springs, June 26, 1899. The reille sounded for our dear old comrade, and in ath, as in life, he answered promptly.
Capt. Jones was born in Franklin County, Tenn., gust 15,1834. He enlisted at Austin, Tex., in Comny B, Fourth Texas, Hood's Regiment, in May, 1861, and served as a private through the entire cam-
aign until paroled April 9, 1865.
Some weeks before his death he was thrown from agon and seriously hurt, and had never fully recoved from it, though he attended the last regular meet-