Howard County, MD in the Civil War

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Back to 18th Veteran Reserve Corps

Primary Sources for the 18th Veteran Reserve Corps

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Evening Star, August 22, 1864

LOCAL NEWS.

Terrible Lynching Affair on the Baltimore Road.

SOLDIERS ON A TRAIN ABUSE THE VETERAN RESERVE GUARD ON THE ROAD, AND ARE FIRED UPON BY THE LATTER—ONE MAN WOUNDED AND ANOTHER KILLED!!—THE SOLDIERS DISMOUNT FROM THE TRAIN, AND BAYONET SERGEANT PORTER, THE NAN WHO FIRED UPON THE TRAIN!

This morning, a train left the depot in this city with about 600 soldiers, of different regiments, on their way to join Sheridan's command at Harper's Ferry. While at Beltsville, where a detachment of the Veteran Reserve Corps is duty, the train switched off, and the soldiers on it amused themselves by throwing apples at the Veteran Reserve guard, and calling them epithets indicating them as being “home guards,” afraid to fight, &c. This irritated the guard, and a sergeant in charge, whose name we understand to be Porter, picked up a musket and fired upon the train, wounding one soldier slightly and killing Joseph Laughlin, company E, 11th Vermont. (Another informant, who was also on the train, says the soldier's name who was killed was John McLoflin, and that he belonged to the 18th Vermont.) As soon as the act of shooting was perpetrated the soldiers got off the train and beat

Sergt. Porter in a terrible manner; at the same time ascertaining that the man killed had not thrown any apples or used any epithets. Sergt. Porter, we understand, was subsequently taken to & tree near by, allowed three minutes to say his prayers, and then, bayonetted until life was extinct.

The guard of which Porter had charge were unable to render him any assistance, as the force was but small. The parties, too, who inflicted this summary punishment upon Porter were requested to take him to Baltimore and have him regularly tried; but this was refused, the soldiers preferring to take the law in their own hands.

Porter, it is said, belonged to Company D, 18th Veteran Reserve Corps. His time had almost expired, and he was to have been discharged to-day.

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