[332] Smith, when he again came upon the troops at a halt in his immediate front, supposing them to be a part of General Deshler's command, he and Capt. Thomas H. King, a volunteer aide, rode forward to ascertain the cause of the delay. Coming up to the line, which proved to be the enemy, and asking who was in command of their troops, the Union soldiers recognized him as a Confederate officer and fired, killing him and Captain King. A. J. Vaughan, Jr., the senior colonel of the brigade, made a similar mistake and was likewise fired upon, but escaped unharmed, though Captain Donelson, acting assistant adjutant-general, who was riding by his side, was killed. By order of Colonel Vaughan, some files of the Twelfth Tennessee now opened fire and the enemy in the front surrendered. Gen. B. F. Cheatham, in his report of the operations of his division in this battle, says: βIt was in this night attack that Brig.--Gen. Preston Smith of Tennessee received his mortal wound, from which he died in 50 minutes. At the head of his noble brigade, of which he had been the commander as colonel and brigadier-general for two years and a half, he fell in the performance of what he himself, with his expiring breath, simply said was his duty. Active, energetic and brave, with a rare fitness to command, full of honorable ambition in perfect harmony with the most elevated patriotism, the whole country will mourn his fall and do honor to his memory.β General Bragg in his official report also says: βBrig.--Gens. B. H. Helm, Preston Smith and James Deshler died upon the field in the heroic discharge of duty. They were true patriots and gallant soldiers, worthy of the high reputation they enjoyed.β Tennessee has good reason to be proud of Preston Smith.
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[332] Smith, when he again came upon the troops at a halt in his immediate front, supposing them to be a part of General Deshler's command, he and Capt. Thomas H. King, a volunteer aide, rode forward to ascertain the cause of the delay. Coming up to the line, which proved to be the enemy, and asking who was in command of their troops, the Union soldiers recognized him as a Confederate officer and fired, killing him and Captain King. A. J. Vaughan, Jr., the senior colonel of the brigade, made a similar mistake and was likewise fired upon, but escaped unharmed, though Captain Donelson, acting assistant adjutant-general, who was riding by his side, was killed. By order of Colonel Vaughan, some files of the Twelfth Tennessee now opened fire and the enemy in the front surrendered. Gen. B. F. Cheatham, in his report of the operations of his division in this battle, says: βIt was in this night attack that Brig.--Gen. Preston Smith of Tennessee received his mortal wound, from which he died in 50 minutes. At the head of his noble brigade, of which he had been the commander as colonel and brigadier-general for two years and a half, he fell in the performance of what he himself, with his expiring breath, simply said was his duty. Active, energetic and brave, with a rare fitness to command, full of honorable ambition in perfect harmony with the most elevated patriotism, the whole country will mourn his fall and do honor to his memory.β General Bragg in his official report also says: βBrig.--Gens. B. H. Helm, Preston Smith and James Deshler died upon the field in the heroic discharge of duty. They were true patriots and gallant soldiers, worthy of the high reputation they enjoyed.β Tennessee has good reason to be proud of Preston Smith.
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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