Oral History

I’ve profiled about two hundred soldiers over the last six years, and the story of Frederick Waugh Smith, a Confederate staff officer and the son of Virginia governor William “Extra Billy” Smith, is the first time that part of an oral history will be included. The anecdote, told to me by descendant Bill Turner, relates an incident during the burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in July 1864. The story involves a woman, her house, and Smith’s efforts to help her. Bill told the story to me by telephone in two separate conversations, each slightly different. However, one element remained consistent: The exact words spoken by the woman to Smith. Bill put special emphasis when he spoke the word “exact,” which suggests to me that it meant a lot to Smith when he first heard them as he stood amidst the burning town on a summer day 142 years ago: “Sir, you are a true cavalier.”