Shannon's Scouts — Kilpatrick.

Confederate Veteran
Volume14 , Number 11, Page 511-12
November 1906

By J. C. Witcher, Bells, Tex.

No other motive than a desire to have the truth made public prompts this article. From time to time I have noticed erroneous statements concerning the capture of General Kilpatrick's horses, one of which was the well known spotted horse. In the VETERAN of July is an article altogether misleading.

The facts are: General Wheeler personally, with Shannon's scouts, reconnoitered Kilpatrick's camp and located routes of approach and made other necessary discoveries leading to the attack the same night of the surprise. At this time, as on other occasions, General Wheeler was known by his scouts, at his request, as "Sergeant Johnson." The attack was thoroughly planned and carried out in detail except for a few minutes' unavoidable delay of part of the command in passing a marshy place. But for this, neither Kilpatrick nor his command had escaped. It was one of the several brilliant affairs which coupled Wheeler and Shannon in the historic days of the sixties, and I am unwilling that it be less than "honor to whom honor is due."

Some months ago I wrote my grand old commander, A. M. Shannon, of Galveston, Tex., concerning this and other matters, and I herewith give his reply:

I see so many accounts of things that transpired during the stormy days of 1861 to 1865 which are described so differently from the way I saw or remember them that sometimes I am forced to the conclusion that I must not have been there or else the other fellow was not, but to undertake a correction of such errors is a bigger task than I care to tackle. General Wheeler some years ago wrote me of errors in General Hampton's book that gave to others credit for what he was pleased to term acts of gallantry that belonged to myself and my noble, brave followers, but I have never had a desire to fly into print and get up controversies over matters that are so long past. I did my duty as I understood it from start to finish, and never, so far as I ever heard, was accused of standing back or shirking a duty, no matter how unpleasant or hazardous. I am almost blind (was for some months totally so), have undergone two operations, but can never hope for more sight than I now have, and will be thankful if I can retain what little I have until called hence. I am always glad to hear from you or any of the noble, brave men I had the honor to command.

And now as to who captured the spotted horse, who gave him to General Wheeler, and how long he kept him, I shall let General Wheeler speak over his own signature, and this ought to settle the matter. Here is General Wheeler's letter, which was written to Maj. J. B. Puryear:

It gave me great pleasure to hear from you. The 11th Texas was one of the grandest regiments of the Confederacy. I remember the morning of March 10, 1865, very well indeed. I had my command in four columns. I had spent the night in examining the enemy's bivouac, and just before day, at the head of the left hand column, I crossed the stream and charged in upon the sleeping enemy. The other three columns crossed the stream and charged into the enemy's bivouac probably two minutes later. The delay was caused by failure to receive the order in time. You recall how thoroughly we defeated the enemy. We captured some four hundred prisoners and all of the horses of Kilpatrick and his staff and many other horses. Shannon's scouts brought out Kilpatrick's spotted horse, and by vote of the organization made it a present to me, and I retained it until after the war. It always gives me pleasure to hear from my brave old comrades, and I thank you for your letter. Remember me to my old comrades.

As a last word, it will be seen from General Wheeler's letter above that he received the spotted horse as a gift from Shannon's scouts, and kept him till the war was over. Therefore he did not give a pair of pistols boot in trade for him, nor did he return him to Kilpatrick under flag of truce.