State

A Major General at 26 Probably no other officer in any American army had a more meteoric rise in rank than did Stephen Dodson Itamseur, who started as a second lieutenant and became a major general in four years. «»/ WILEY M. PICKENS Capt. 105th Engineers EARLY on ail autumn morning in October, 1804. there rode out from hi' headquarters, jauntily sitting upon his horse, a young con¬ federate soldier and upon his left breast just over bis heart was pinned a beautiful white rosebud. When asked by a member of his staff why the unusual decoration, he said. "In honor of my young daughter. Mary, who has just arrived at our home back in North Carolina." He was destined never to see the new daughter because ere the end of the day he lay mortally wounded upon the battlefield at Cedar Creek. Virginia, the youngest Major (ieneral in the Confederate Army. Buried at Lincolnton His name was Stephen Dodson Ramseur. His remains lie buried in the little Episcopal graveyard in Lincolnton and his picture hangs in the Hull of Fame in Raleigh. He rose from a second lieutenant in the United States Army to a Major General in the Confederate Army in four years. A succinct statement of this spectacular rise, accomplish¬ ing in four years that which usually takes a lifetime, is as fol¬ lows: commissioned a second lieuten¬ ant in the United States Army in I860; resigned and commissioned a Captain in the Confederate Army April Hi, 1861 : promoted to a Major, May Hi. isiil ; promoted to a Colonel, April 12, 1802; promoted to a Brigadier (.ieneral, November 1. 1802; and promoted to a Major General, dune 1, 1861. It took him his lifetime to reach the goal but he was but twenty-seven years old when it was all over. Horn near Lincolnton, May 31. 1837. be attended local schools and entered Davidson College when he was fifteen years old. Eighteen months later he received an ap¬ pointment to the Military Academy at West Point, where he was graduated in 1860. He was com¬ missioned in the artillery and served in the United States Army until the opening of the War Between the -States. Resigning his commission in the United State* Army he came to Raleigh, was commissioned a Captain and placed in command of the Ellis Battery, named in honor of John W. Ellis, then governor of North Carolina. 1 1 is battery fired the salute on the capitol square celebrating the separation of North Carolina from the Union. In Many Battles Ramsetir participated in the most important kittles of the war and, as his record shows, received rapid and deserved promotion. He fought with Jackson at Chancellorsville be¬ fore the death of that great leader. He was with Lee at Gettysburg and was first to enter the town. In many FURNITURE Sold Through Leading Dealers and Decorators of the other great battles of the war he played an important part. At Cedar Creek on October 11*. 1864. he fell mortally* wounded, was carried to a nearby house, and died the next day. He had l*een wounded l»efore anil had recovered but the wound this day was through the right lung and death followed short¬ ly. He received the wound between five and six o'clock in the afternoon. Word passed rapidly among his own and other friendly troops and on in to the enemy lines that (ieneral Ramseur had been struck down. Several of his comrades of West Point days came from the Union lines into the Confederate lines to see him. One. Col. Du l’ont, sat with him through his Iasi hours and they talked of home and the new baby. After he died lie was carried into the enemy lines and embalmed. His body was shipped home by- train ami reached Lincolnton on Sunday morning. November •'». where it lay in state in the Lincoln County- Courthouse. At 2:30 the next after¬ noon it was laid to rest far from the terrible roar of tile battlefield in the quiet little cemetery. Monument Erected in 1921 In 1821 a beautiful monument was erected to bis memory on tin- battlefield at Cedar Creek and the daughter in whose honor lie wore the rose on that fatal day in October. 1864, now an old lady, unveiled the monument. Col. Du Pont, now an old, old man, was there and he showed her where her father had •lied and where they bad talked in those last hours of the brilliant soldier. The daughter lies beside him now in the little graveyard. Mayk* in that land bovond the sunset they walk and talk together and dream of battles long ago.