The McCooks and Capt. Gurley.
The correspondent of the Confederacy, "One of Morgan's Men," writes as follows:‘ A correspondent of a Northern paper, in speaking of Captain John A. Gurley, says:‘"It is some satisfaction to know that we have at last succeeded in capturing Captain John Gurley, the murderer of General McCook. He has been sent North to be tried, where it is hoped he will be hung without benefit of clergy."’ Captain Gurley is one of the bravest and most energetic officers in the Southern army. His killing Gen. McCook was perfectly honorable and strictly in accordance with the rules of war. It was simple the boldness of the deed which rendered his name so famous among all honorable men, and so hated by the Yankees. Gen. McCook had pressed a carriage and horses from a Southern rights gentleman of Huntsville, and it was the fact of his being in this carriage which enabled Captain Gurley to identify him. He was traveling with his entire brigade, and was surrounded by a body guard. Captain Gurley attacked the guard and drove them off, and demanded Gen. McCook to surrender, and, on his refusal to do so, he shot him. He was justified in doing so, and if we had a few more like Captain Gurley the country would be rid of many other Yankee scoundrels wearing the stars of a General. The object of this notice is to call the attention of our Government to his capture; for, unless the Yankees are notified that we will retaliate, we fear that Captain Gurley will never again return to his family and friends in the South.
’ We were informed by an officer who was confined in one of the prisons at Cincinnati, that while Morgan was in the neighborhood of that city, an old gentleman came in and inquired of General Morgan's officers "if there was such an officer in his command as Captain Gurley. " The officer addressed replied that there was not.--"Well," says the old man, "I can sleep, but I had determined, if Capt. Gurley was in your command, neither to eat nor sleep until I had revenged myself in his blood for the murder of my son. " The old gentleman remained a few moments longer, talking over his former deeds of valor and the good service he had done his country during the war, with his splendid repeating rifle, although the not required his presence in the field. When he rose to depart he remarked that he was sorry that Captain Gurley was not with Gen. Morgan, for he had resolved to wreak his vengeance on him, even if he had been a prisoner; but, as he was not with the command, he supposed he would have to kill somebody else of Morgan's command. When he had gone, Dr. Miller, Surgeon for Dick Morgan's regiment, asked the Yankee officer of the day who that, man was. The officer replied, in some astonishment at his ignorance, "Why, sir, that is the great Major Dan McCook, the father of the 'fighting McCooks;' I supposed everybody knew Major McCook"
"Then," says Dr. Miller, "if he goes following too close to Morgan he will get something he didn't want" A few days afterwards the Cincinnati papers were draped in black, and the first announcement that met the eye, "Melancholy Occurrence-- One of the most dreadful incidents connected with the unholy raid of the thieving Morgan is the death of Major Dan McCook. He was killed near Burlington Island by one of the horse thieves, who shamelessly robbed him after he had fallen mortally wounded." The paper then went on to give a history of his life, and mentioned the singular coincidence that he was the third of the family who had been killed during the war on the 21st of July. The youngest son, Daniel, was killed at the first battle of Manassas, on the 21st of July, 1861; the second son, Robert, on the 21st of July, 1862; and the old man, Daniel, on the 21st of July, 1863. Perhaps it was the approach of the 21st of September that made Aleek leave the battle field of Chickamauga in such hot haste.
From the bitterness of feeling expressed against Capt. Gurley at the North I fear that, unless our Government have their attention called to his case, he will be murdered in prison, and we earnestly hope that the Secretary of War will not fall to do what he can to prevent so foul an act of revenge for his heroic conduct.
