Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 9, Number 2, May 1999 Page: 93
[57] p. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Reminiscences of the Old Brigade
and that he would send him down under a flag
of truce, but we began our retreat immediate-
ly ...
[Remarks by W. L. Davidson]
1 gladly give the account of three privates,
not from any fear of the threat, for no three
men in that brigade all put together could hit as
hard as Slater, but because they belonged one
to the 4th, one to the 5th, and one to the 7th
regiments, and were on different parts of the
field, and saw, one or the other, nearly every-
thing that occurred. I have no recollection of
having said anything of the sort about Jim
Carson though I do not deny having said it, for
that was about my opinion of him. Jim was the
most modest and the best looking man in the
brigade, except myself, though some of the
other boys occasionally disputed this, and some
again, went so far as to say that he was better
looking than I. We would like to hear from
three privates on the retreat through the moun-
tains.
[Letter of Bethel Coopwood,
February 15, 1888]
[omitted]
[Letter of J. H. Richardson, February 3, 1888]
... The main cause of this communication
is to tell you of the death of a brave and gallant
man; I saw him die, was in ten feet of him, was
looking at him when the minnie ball cut his hat
band. He fell from his horse in a few feet of
me; he never spoke. It was on our extreme right
at Glorietta, where we run into an ambuscade;
that man was Maj. Shropshire. He saw the
"Yanks," in 30 feet of us, straightened himself
up in his saddle, raised his hand, I am satisfied
to order us to charge, but he never spoke the
words, by the time his hand was even with hishead the fatal bullet went crashing through his
skull. Our men, what few were not killed, re-
treated. Captain Crosson and myself had our
pistols out and begged the men (he commanded
them) not to run or retreat. Finally we rallied
some, about 50 yards from where the ambush
was, and we shielded ourselves behind trees,
rocks, and etc. ...
[Remarks by W. L. Davidson]
The odject of my old comrade in this letter
is to do justice to the brave and gallant Shrop-
shire, in which I heartily applaud him.
I was not near Shropshire when he fell; did
not see him. But as there is a difference of as to
how he fell, all agreeing, however, that he fell
with his face to the foe bravely performing his
duty, I think it but right to give the statement of
James W. Carson and Hamp Townsend, of Co.
A, of the 5th, (his old company) who was with
him when he fell:
"We were with the Major when he was shot,
the enemy was posted behind a bluff, the very
air seemed thick with bullets, the Major got
down off of his horse, slipped his arm through
the reins, told us to come on and drive them
out. And he hallooed to the boys of the 7th to
come on. We all started on, but when Shrop-
shire was killed all fell back. We (Carson,
Townsend and Slack) went forward obliquely
to the left, got into a gully, shielded ourselves
in that, and continued to fire upon the enemy,
but in a few moments the firing ceased and the
enemy were in full retreat. Maj. Shropshire was
walking when he was shot, but had been riding
a few moments before."
About the only variance in these statements
is as to whether he was on his horse or on the
ground when he was shot.
But these statements show how terribly the
command was mixed up in in getting through
that pass, for here we find the 4th, 5th and 7th
all mixed together. Maj. Shropshire, of the 5th,93
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Nesbitt Memorial Library. Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 9, Number 2, May 1999, periodical, May 1999; Columbus, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151406/m1/45/?q=nesbitt%20memorial%20library%20journal: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.