The Killing of Lieutenant Meigs, of General Sheridan's Staff-Proof that it was Done in Fair Combat.

The killing of Lieutenant Meigs, of General Sheridan's staff, and the harsh "retaliatory" measures adopted, excited a good deal of discussion at the time. We are enabled to give the following conclusive proofs that Lieutenant Meigs met the fate of legitimate war, and that General Sheridan's burning of private houses in "retaliation" was cruel, and utterly unjustifiable by any law of civilized warfare, though in perfect keeping with the character of the man who afterwards boasted that he had "made the Shenandoah Valley such a waste that even a crow flying over it would be obliged to carry his rations."

General Early, in his "Memoir of the Last Year of the War," makes this notice of the affair on facts well known to him:

"While Sheridan's forces were near Harrisonburg, and mine were watching them, three of our cavalry scouts, in their uniforms and with arms, got around his lines near a little town called Dayton, and encountered Lieutenant Meigs, a Federal engineer officer, with two soldiers. These parties came upon each other suddenly, and Lieutenant Meigs was ordered to surrender by one of our scouts, to which he replied by shooting and wounding the scout, who in his turn fired and killed the lieutenant. One of the men with Lieutenant Meigs was captured, and the other escaped. For this act Sheridan ordered the town of Dayton to be burned, but for some reason that order was countermanded, and another substituted for burning a large number of private houses in the neighborhood, which was executed, thus inflicting on noncombatants and women and children a most wanton and cruel punishment for a justifiable act of war."

The statement of General Early will be sufficient with all who know his careful accuracy in narrating facts.

But as settling the matter beyond dispute, we are enabled to give the following sworn affidavit of Mr. G. W. Martin, the scout who shot Lieutenant Meigs, together with the statement of Captain A. D. Payne of the testimony of the other two scouts who were with him:

AFFIDAVIT OF G. W. MARTIN.

"WARRENTON, October 6, 1865.

"On the 3d of October, 1864, I was scouting, in company with F. M. Campbell of the same company and regiment as myself (BlackHorse Troop, Fourth Virginia cavalry), and — Shaver, of the First

Virginia cavalry, inside the lines of the Federal army in the county of Rockingham, near the village of Dayton. It was near dark, the sun having about gone down, and the evening cloudy and rainy. We were wearing oil-cloths over our uniforms, so that it was difficult to ascertain to which army we belonged. We discovered riding in the same direction, but behind us, three soldiers, whom we supposed belonged to the Federal army. We were in such a position-so near the camp of the enemy-and they on the only road by which we could escape, and between us and our own troops, that it was a matter of necessity that we should either elude them by passing ourselves as Federal soldiers, or capture or kill them. Holding a hasty consultation with each other we determined to make the attempt to capture them. The three Federal soldiers were riding by file and we abreast. Riding slowly along until the foremost man came up by my side I immediately presented my pistol, which I had drawn under my oil-cloth; each of my companions did the same, dropping back to the side of the man they selected. I ordered my man to surrender; his response, which was an immediate one, was the discharge of his pistol, which he must have had drawn and under his overcoat cape, wounding me severely through the body. I fired almost simultaneously, killing my adversary dead. One of the other men surrendered without resistance, the other sprang from his horse and, under cover of the woods on the right of the road, escaped. I succeeded in avoiding capture with a great deal of difficulty, owing to my wounded condition and the proximity of the enemy.

We had ridden a mile or two before I ascertained whom it was I had shot; I was told by the prisoner whom we captured that it was Lieutenant Meigs, of General Sheridan's staff.

My wound was so severe that I could not be moved from the first place of safety taken for six weeks, and did not return to the service for three or four months-the course of the ball having been diverted by a bone, I was told by my surgeon, alone saved my life.

(Signed,)

G. W. MARTIN.

October 6th, 1865.

Personally appeared before me, a justice of the peace, for the county of Fauquier, and State of Virginia, G. W. Martin, whose name is signed above, and made oath that the above statement is true.

J. G. BECKHAM, J. P.

STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN PAYNE.

G. W. Martin was an enlisted man in my company during the whole period of the war. The high character he always bore, and for which my knowledge of him enables me to vouch, together with the corroborating account of the two men who were with him, and which I have heard from them, assures me of the truth of his statement.

A. D. PAYNE, Captain Company "H" (or Black-Horse Troop"), Fourth Virginia Cavalry, Wickham's Brigade, Fitz Lee's Division, A. N. V.

Colonel W. C. Wickham's Report of an Engagement near Aldie, 17th of June, 1863,

HEAD-QUARTERS FOURTH VA. CAVALRY,

Captain J. D. Ferguson, A. A. G. Lee's Brigade:

June 20th, 1863.

Captain, I submit the following report of the part taken by the troops under my command in the engagement near Aldie on the 17th instant.

I was ordered to take my own regiment, the First and Fifth, and Breathed's battery through Middleburg to Aldie, and go into camp there, where I would find the rest of the brigade.

On reaching Dover Mills, I ordered Colonel Rosser to go on to Aldie and select a camp, and whilst the other regiments were watering, received a dispatch from him to the effect that a regiment of the enemy's cavalry was in his front, between him and Aldie, and that he was about to attack them. I at once placed the Fourth regiment in position to cover my left flank on the road from the Snickersville pike, and with the First regiment and two of Breathed's guns went forward to the support of Colonel Rosser, who, I found, had driven the enemy back, but been in turn compelled to give way a little, before a very large force.

A few well directed shot from Breathed's guns checked the advance of the enemy upon this road, but not in time to save the gallant sharpshooters of the Fifth, who had, unfortunately, been pushed rather too far forward on ground where it was impossible for cavalry to aid them.

The enemy, finding themselves foiled in their attempt on this line,

turned their attention to our left, where Colonel Munford, commanding the brigade, met them with the Second and Third regiments, reinforced by the Fourth, and later by the Fifth. For the rest of the evening I held my position with the First and Breathed's guns, driving back their skirmishers whenever they attempted to advance. Captain Litchfield's sharp-shooters were, as they always are, most efficient. Two much praise cannot be awarded to Captain Breathed and his brave men, who handled their guns with the utmost coolness, while their comrades were falling dead under the point-blank range of the enemy's carbines. This position I held until ordered to retire, bringing off all my killed and wounded.

For the part borne by my own regiment, under the command of Captain Newton, who always "acts well his part," I refer to his report. Suffice it to say, that its conduct gave me entire satisfaction. Its loss. was one killed, seven wounded, and nine missing.

Your obedient servant,

WM. C. WICKHAM,

Colonel Fourth Virginia Cavalry.

LIST OF CASUALTIES.

Casualties in the First Virginia cavalry:

Company F-Thomas Lemer, killed.

D-David A. Fields, wounded.
R. C. Williams, captured.

Company K-J. Rench, wounded in hand.

Lieutenant George Freamer, very slightly in thigh.

GEORGE FREAMER, Adjutant,
First Virginia Cavalry.

(Signed),

Casualties in Captain Breathed's Battery:

Killed-W. H. Greenwell, J. W. Parker.

Wounded-E. Russell, John Key-G. Terry, slightly.

(Signed),

JAMES BREATHED,

Captain 8. H. A.

General D, H. Maury's Report of the Exploits of the Torpedo-Boat St.

Patrick.

HEAD QUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE GULF,

MOBILE, ALA., February 3d, 1865.

General,-I have the honor to report that on the 24th ultimo, Commodore Farrand, C. S. navy, transferred to me the torpedo-boat "St. Patrick," built by a man named Halligan, under a contract with the government. Halligan having shown himself deficient in nerve or capacity to attack the enemy, I removed him from command of the St. Patrick and assigned to her Lieutenant Walker, C. S. navy, a young officer of great gallantry and merit, whom Commodore Farrand kindly placed at my disposal. Mr. Walker diligently applied himself to preparation for immediate action, and although Halligan had removed from the boat several essential parts of her machinery, he was enabled to recover them and get under way on the night of the 27th ultimo. At 1 o'clock, A. M., he struck the enemy's flag-ship Octarora, abaft the wheel-house. The torpedo missed fire. The greatest consternation and confusion were occasioned on the ship, so that the fire of artillery and musketry, which was directed against the St. Patrick, failed to strike her, and she returned with her crew to the protection of our batteries. Some portion of her machinery was damaged during the expedition, but Mr. Walker is confident that he will be ready to go out again by the next dark moon. I take pleasure in reporting to the war department the fine conduct of Lieutenant Walker, and in recommending him, through you, to the favorable notice of the navy department. I remain, very respectfully, General, Your obedient servant,

DABNEY H. Maury, Major General Commanding.

To General S. Cooper, A. I. G., Richmond, Va.

Battle of Hatcher's Run-Telegram from General Lee.

[Received at Richmond, Va., February 6th, 11 o'clock P. M., 1865, by telegraph from Head-quarters A. N. Va.]

To General S. Cooper, Adjutant- and Inspector-General:

The enemy moved in strong force yesterday to Hatcher's Run. Part of his infantry, with Gregg's cavalry, crossed and proceeded on the Vaughan road-the infantry to Cattail creek, the cavalry to Dinwiddie