The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919 Page: 62

The Southwestern Historical Quarterly

In our pursuit of the flying enemy, as I rushed by a stump of a
tree, ten feet high and two feet in diameter, looking at a Yankee
running in my front a little distance I became suddenly aware of
a bayonet near my body in the hands of a red faced Dutchman,
and I could not tell whether he made a thrust at me and missed me
or whether he intended to use it on me if I bothered him. I
turned upon him, fully intending to kill him, but when I leveled
my pistol at him, he dropped his bayonetted gun upon the ground
and with the greatest terror depicted in his face, said, "I sur-
render." In an instant I forgave him and let him live. I think
surrender was the only English word he could speak, neither could
lie understand a word I said. I said, "Take that gun up and break
it against the stump" and when I found he didn't know what to
do and stood trembling I pointed to the gun and made signs to
take hold of it and motions to strike. I got him to. understand
me, he broke the breech, off and I motioned him to our rear and he
went off at a lively gait.
I had a messmate by the name of Ed Kaylor, a good soldier,
never showing any fear about him. In this battle he came upon a
captain who had vainly tried to rally his men as they ran to the
rear. When he found he could not get them to stop and help him
he concluded he would sell out as best he could so he fired on
Kaylor as he rode towards him. They exchanged three shots each;
Kaylor slowly advancing upon him. When Kaylor closed in upon
him he threw up his hands and offered to surrender, but Kaylor,
in language not suitable for parlor topics of conversation said,
"Oh H-ll you are too late" and fired another shot, killing him
instantly. An eye-witness to this pistol duel said Kaylor had a
broad smile on his face during this gun play. When I heard of
the incident I said to Kaylor, "Ed, what did you see in that game
that caused you to smile so sweetly at that Yankee ?" He said lie
was not conscious of having smiled, but he surely did enjoy that
scrap immensely. Poor Kaylor afterwards was killed in East Ten-
nessee while serving under Longstreet, during the siege of Knox-
ville, as related by a Texan companion with him at the time, as
follows: Kaylor and a companion having lost their horses (in
battle or otherwise) were ordered to mount themselves again by
taking horses wherever they could find them back in the mountains,
for the most part of that section was disloyal to the Confederacy