Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/351

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

The Last Confederate. Hi*,,,,! Shed. 343

States. In the course of time Julia became engaged to a young Virginian, Mr. Christian, of Richmond, and a few months later was married to him. Shortly after this marriage Mr. and Mrs. Christian removed to California, whither Mrs. Jackson accompanied them. They returned, a short time later, to Charlotte, N. C., where they took a house and lived together. Now, however, the widow's next trial was imminent. Mrs. Christian was attacked by a prostrating fever, and succumbed, after bearing her illness with great fortitude. She died in her twenty-seventh year.

Mrs. Jackson for a time was stunned and inconsolable. Eventually she occupied herself by writing a biography of her husband. When the book was finished she came to New York, and having secured a publisher without difficulty, gave the tragic and tender history of her hero's life to the world.

Then, for the first time, the writer saw her, and was much im- pressed by her cheerful and simple personality. The most impres- sive thing about her was her spirit of resignation and contentment in fact, I left her with the feeling expressed at the outset of this sketch that the most difficult of all tasks is to depict a lady, but so gently exercised that one does not confess it !

[From the Richmond (Va.) Times, March 5, 1893 ]

THE LAST BLOOD SHED. Three Virginians Who Battled Against a Whole Army.

Buried Where They Fell Dead A Mad Scheme to Wreak Vengeance They Sold Their Lives Dearly.

In a swampy country graveyard, five miles from Floyd Courthouse, Va., are buried William Bordunix, John McMasters, and Owen Lewis, on the spot where Union bullets laid them low. Their graves have sunk, and are almost concealed by rank calimos weeds. Cut on the face of one of the headstones, which have almost fallen over the neg- lected graves, is the following simple inscription : " William Bordu- nix, born January 16, 1840; died May 24, 1865." The two others have similar inscriptions.