s in this
cold-blooded way murdered by this gang of bushwhackers. My other sons
had his body taken back to Murphy's Hill and buried. I never knew who
murdered him until the war was over."

[Illustration: The Murder of Steven Lyon 182]

"The old man again broke down and for a time was unable to proceed, but
at last said:

"You can see how the fates were against my family. When the news
was received at home my poor wife could not rally under these
successive blows, and she lay sick for months. I thought she would soon
follow the poor boys. When she did recover it was only partially. She
was never well afterwards.

"After the battle, Gen. Anderson thought he would look up his military
family, as his headquarters had been sent to the rear during the
conflict. Capt. Day and Capt. Jackson were near him all the time, and
were no better posted than the General as to where the headquarters
were. Finally they were found some three miles to the rear. The
orderlies, driver, cook, etc., were found established at the
headquarters; but old Ham, poor old man, was nowhere to be found. A
general search was at once instituted, and finally he jumped up like
a rabbit from some thick underbrush. When he came out he looked all
around, and at last realizing who the parties were that had discovered
him he threw up his hands and exclaimed:

"'Bress the good Laud, and you'uns are not all killed. Afo' de Laud I
never 'spected to see any you good people agin. And heah is Massa Gen'l
Tom, and Massa Jackson and Massa Capt. Day. Well! well! if dis isn't a
sprize to ole Ham.'

"The General said:

"'Ham, how did you get here? What made you run away? I thought you were
going to stay with us.'

"'Yes, sah, I thought so, too; but, sah, de shell, de guns and de bums
dey all come rite down over whar I was, and I not know how to fight. One
ob de mans git me a gun and fix it up, and I git behind a tree and poke
it out and pull de trigger, and bress de Laud it shoot de wrong way and
I fine myself knocked ober away off from de tree. Den I said dis is no
place for dis darkey, and I gits; dats what I does, and I corned along
pretty fas' and I got wid de wagons, and pretty soon de hossmen ob de
Sesh--I b'leves dey calls 'em cabalry--dey come on de run and burned up
de wagons and slashed 'bout and cussed about de Yanks and swared about
de niggers and skeered me out ob my breff. Den I gits in de woods and
creeps under de brush and dar I stay, and sho' you