| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| May 27, 1861 |
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| Collision of Railroad cars |
| Men Killed and Wounded. The
train of cars which left the {Virginia} Central
Depot on Saturday evening with troops, met with a serious accident, by
which several soldiers of the South Carolina Regiment (Col. Kershaw's)
were killed and many wounded. Information received from Orange C. H.,
from Conductor Taylor, states that three trains, loaded with troops,
were standing on the track, waiting for the Mail train to arrive from
the main Junction. While thus waiting, the expected train approached
at such great speed that the engineer could not stop in time —
having lost the whistle and being without means of signalizing his
approach — the train ran into the forward troop train, damaging both
engines, breaking several cars, killing three of the South Carolina
volunteers and dangerously injuring several others. |
| It is rumored that the
soldiers were very much exasperated against the engineer and conductor
of the Mail train, and threatened to shoot them. The unfortunate
affair is due to carelessness somewhere. The instructions of
Superintendent Dodamead to the conductors and others along the whole
route, if strictly followed by them, would render impossible any such
deplorable occurrence as the above. |
| A dispatch received yesterday
from Gordonsville says that several of those injured by the collision
yesterday, are reported as since dead, and adds: "The Richmond
train, with troops, seems to have been in fault in leaving the station
before the Manassas train arrived. The names of the Virginians killed
are Gentry and McMullen, of Greene county. One of the Carolinians has
had his legs amputated below the knee." |
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