| Plain View, Louisa County, Virginia |
| October 8th 1863 |
| |
| Mr. Solomon Carpenter |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| Your letter of the 19 Sept. is received.
In answer to your inquiries as to the injuries your son Robert received
in the unfortunate running off of the cars which caused his death, I
will state that he, I suppose, was killed instantly. When I got to the
scene of the accident, the coach in which he was traveling was lying on
its side against a bank and he under it. |
| He could not be gotten out until the coach
was taken off of him which occupied two hours or more. There were
several severely injured. One man named Tatum from your State had his
leg mashed to pieces, which I amputated. Another had a leg broken which
I set. Others had severe wounds which I dressed. As soon as I could get
the car moved from off your son, I had him taken up and found the whole
of the top of his head mashed off and all of his brains out. One of his
arms and one of his legs were broken. He attempted, I learned from other
passengers, to jump off but unfortunately he fell and the coach caught
him under it. |
| If he had any clothes with hi more than he
had on they were carried on with the train to Gordonsville. All of the
baggage of the soldiers was in a baggage coach which did not run off. I
did not see or hear of any clothing which he had than that he had on. As
soon as I got to the road, I enquired if anyone was caught under the
fallen coach and was told there was one man. I went to the coach and
found your son was dead. The window of the coach fell just about his
waist. His jacket in his pantaloons was cut open and I suppose if he had
any money it was taken out. I enquired how the matter was and was told
that his Sergeant had taken his money. I enquired for the Sergeant but
could find none. I called the attention of some of the officers to this
circumstance. Diligent inquiry was made but the man who had done the
foul deed could not be found. My opinion is that some base villain
robbed him as soon as the accident occurred. The papers which I found on
him were in the side pocket of his jacket. They were taken out in the
presence of several officers and many soldiers & citizens. |
| Respectfully yours with much sympathy and respect, |
| B M. Buckner |
| {Robert Carpenter (1836-1863),
Co. E, Third North Carolina Infantry, died in a Virginia Central RR
accident on August 25, 1863)} |
| {Found at trishkaufmann.com in an
article by Trish Kaufmann in The American Stamp Collector & Dealer,
February, 2020} |
|