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100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
"The Roundheads" |
Learns Death Of Soldier Husband
A New Castle News Article from September 3, 1902
After 40 years of anxiety over the fate of her husband, Mrs. Elizabeth Morris, wife of Evan Morris, a member of Co. K of the famous Roundhead regiment, has just received authentic news of his death. He was killed August 29, 1862 at the second battle of Bull Run, but none of his comrades who saw him fall lived to tell his fate. He was reported killed, but the devoted wife hoped against hope for many years that he might have been captured and held prisoner and would eventually return home.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris lived in Croton at the outbreak of the Civil war. They came here some years before from New Jersey and the husband was a glassworker and was employed in the old Croton glass factory, which was dismantled several years ago. Some time after the close of the war Mrs. Morris returned to New Jersey with her three children and now resides at Trenton. For the past several weeks she has been visiting relatives and friends here, accompanied by her granddaughter, Miss Catherine H. Morris of Chester, Pa. They concluded their visit in this city Thursday morning and returned home.
Even after leaving New Castle in the early days Mrs. Morris hoped to learn something definite concerning her soldier husband and frequently wrote and made inquiries of various members of the regiment, who might be able to give her some information, which she was unable to obtain at the war department. All that was reported after the second battle of Bull Run, which was a disastrous defeat for the Union forces, was that her husband was among the missing.
It was while a guest at the home of John Vandegrift of Croton avenue, that Mrs. Morris finally received information of her husband's death, after two-score years of anxiety. Col. J. S. DuShane called to see the widow of his dead comrade in arms, and he was able to satisfy the longing of years to know absolutely concerning his death.
Col. DuShane knew that Evan Morris had been killed in what is known in history as the "railroad cut," where many a brave Union soldier was killed. On that terrible 19th day of August, 1862, Col. Leasure's brigade captured the "railroad cut" from the Confederates, but only held it half an hour, when the brigade was driven back, after suffering awful casualties. Co. K of the Roundheads went into the charge 37 strong, but only four of this number escaped death or wounds.
Evan Morris was one of those whose life was sacrificed at that time. After the battle, the dead of each army were buried by their comrades, under the protection of flags of truce. The Roundheads did not assist in this, but fresh troops, who had not undergone the hardship of the battle, were detailed for that last duty to their fallen comrades.
It was 20 years after the war closed before Col. DuShane received authentic information of the death of Mr. Morris, when he met a minister who had served with the 139th Pennsylvania regiment. That body was mustered into service in the summer of 1862, and the regiment's first duty was burying the Union dead on the field of Bull Run.
By chance the minister remembered finding the body of Mr. Morris and giving it a christian burial. The New Castle soldier wore an unusually long black beard, and this served to impress his face on the memory of the minister. There was another mark of positive identification. During the battle of James Island, South Carolina, June 16, 1862, Mr. Morris was slightly wounded. An eyebrow had been shot away by a bullet which inflicted no other injury.
The missing eyebrow and the handsome beard of the dead soldier attracted the attention of the minister, who was burying the men who fell in the second disaster of Bull Run, and a score of years later recalled it when talking with Col. DuShane of war-time incidents. The latter recognized Mr. Morris from the description and then knew absolutely that he was killed in the engagement, as all supposed.
Mrs. Morris felt relief when she heard positively that her husband had been spared the tortures of mortal wounds, or being starved to death in a southern prison, for she had long ago given up hope of ever seeing him again. However, she had tormented herself with thoughts of the possibility of his having been taken prisoner, and being forced to march weary miles toward Andersonville or some other equally revolting prison pen, there to die for want of the food and water the south refused its prisoners of war.
At other times visions of her husband lying mortally wounded for days where he fell, with none to sooth his sufferings, passed her mind and caused the jet black hair to turn gray before the natural time. All the evils which might fall to the lot of a soldier in active service were imagined by Mrs. Morris to have been suffered by her husband and she now feels more contented to know that his death was sudden and he was spared prolonged suffering.
Mrs. Morris told Col. DuShane that the relief of certainty was almost inexpressible. She had even feared that her husband's remains had not received, proper burial, but might have been allowed to lie on the field where he fell, until nature hid from view the distressing sight.
Company K of the Roundhead regiment left New Castle August 28th, 1862, for the front just 41 years ago. No railroad entered this city at that time, and the soldiers went by wagon to Enon, where they boarded a Ft. Wayne train for Pittsburg and were then hurried to the front. Evan Morris was made a corporal when the company was organized, and his record was a gallant one during the year he served before death overtook him.
Many other Union soldiers fell in the railroad cut, where he found death. Gen. Longstreet of the Confederate army, speaks of the charge of Col. Leasure's brigade there that day. The southern general says that was the only instance of a break during the battle in the lines of Stonewall Jackson and Longstreet speaks in the highest terms of the courage and gallantry of the Union brigade which effected the breach in the confederate lines, although they were forced to retire soon after securing a footing in the railroad cut. Many civil war veterans in this vicinity will remember the awful day, and the gallant charge of Col. Leasure's men.
Source: New Castle News
Thank you for the contribution ChevyAngel
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