NORTH CAROLINA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
25
Lieutenant William Ewen Shipp.
William Ewen Shipp was born at Asheville, N. C.,
August 23, 1S61. His father, Judge William M.
Shipp, was one of the state's most eminent jurists.
His mother was Catherine Cameron, so through his
veins flowed the blood of the Camerons, patriots
and long-ago martyrs. His childhood and boy¬
hood were passed at Lincolnton and Charlotte.*
By a brilliant examination he won the appointment
to West Point over forty competitors, and entered
the Academy in 1879. He graduated in 18831
eleventh in a class of fifty-two.
He was assigned to the 10th Cavalry at his own
request, and joined his command on the frontier,
where he saw hard service in the Indian campaigns.
He was commended for his gallantry in the famous
* Mrs. Kate Buxton McKee at whose father's house Lieutenant
Shipp was born, says of him in a private letter: “ lie ili'l not come to
Asheville again until he was fourteen, « lieu he walked from char¬
lotte with a party of boys to Black Mountain From there he came to
us footsore and weary; but so delighted with the beautiful scenery
through which he had passed! He was very fond of my singing to him,
and in his last letter to me. in April,
18И7.
be alluded to sevoral songs
1 used to sing to him. He was never anything but a gentle, loving
and affectionate boy."
Crawford expedition. He was one of three officers
who accompanied Captain Crawford in his expedi¬
tion against the bloodthirsty Geronimo. Our troops
were fired on by Mexicans, who claimed they mis¬
took them for Indians. Captain Crawford was mor¬
tally wounded and several soldiers were killed.
Lieutenant Shipp carried Captain Crawford's dead
body before him on his horse for fifty miles, thus
saving it from mutilation at the hands of the
Indians.
He was promoted First Lieutenant, 10th
Cavalry, in 18S9. January 17, 1S94, he was
married to Miss Margaret Busbee, of Raleigh.
When the war broke out Lieutenant Shipp
was offered two details that would have kept
him away from Cuba, but he begged off one
and declined the other.
He was made Brigade-Quartermaster on
Genera! Young's staff, and his comrades tell
how tireless were his efforts to get the men
supplies. He volunteered for active duty,
and met his death on San Juan Hill, in the
bloodiest charge of the war.
In Gen. Leonard Wood's words: “ Lieuten¬
ant Shipp was on my staff the morning of
July island was killed while making a charge
with his troop. I had sent him to deliver an
order to a regiment of the brigade, order¬
ing jt to advance; on his return, it seems,
he passed his own regiment, the toth, which
is also a regiment of my brigade, just as it
was starting forward to the charge. He
joined his troop, and was leading it when
killed. His death was a great shock to all
his friends, of whom I have been one for
many years. His conduct during the entire
action was distinguished by the greatest gal¬
lantry and absolute disregard of danger.”
Colonel Roosevelt wrote: “It was Shipp
who brought me word to advance with my regi¬
ment. I did not see him again. He had been riding
to and fro’with absolute coolness and fearlessness,,
paying no more heed to the bullets than if they
were hailstones, though men were dropping oit
every hand.”
The dearest friend of Lieutenant Shipp’s life, his
classmate, room-mate and chum in the West Point
days, Lieut. William H. Smith, 10th Cavalry, was
killed in the same hour on San Juan, at the head
of his troop. Their love was as great as that of
the most devoted brothers, and they were called
“ the Damon and Pythias of the Army.”
