I stand corrected re: my statement that there were three witnesses to Sam Ashe's firing the shot that killed Winthrop. After re-reading the information re: the death of Winthrop, I found that you are correct in stating that all three of these men claimed to have made the fatal shot...they weren't witnesses to Ashe's claim. I didn't mean to place any further "cloud" over the discussion.
No problem, it seems that mistakes have been made about the incident before. I have another source I will post as soon as I can locate and read it again.
I am checking some of my research books for more information on the Wythe Rifles of Hampton, Virginia. So far, nothing of relevance to my topic of the black sharpshooter. I did come across the Wyatt Volunteers of the 1st N.C., and their participation in the Battle of Big Bethel. I wonder if in the retelling of the killing of Maj. Theodore Winthrop, someone thought the name of the unit claiming to have killed the major was "Wythe" instead of "Wyatt?" Of course that doesn't explain the claim of the sharpshooter belonging to a Virginia Unit instead of a North Carolina unit. So the plot thickens.
I discovered the website where I read the original report re: a black sniper (with the Wythe Rifles of Hampton, Virginia), killing Maj. Theodore Winthrop. I posted my question re: the source of the report. However, according to the rules of that website, the blog master has to approve my post before it will be published. I'll let you know if I obtain any further information from that website.
So far, I have received no response to my query re: the source of the report on a black sniper...having fatally shot Maj. Theodore Winthrop during the Battle of Big Bethel. I should like to think that if the report is true the poster would want to share the source of this information. But that's just me. LOL. Perhaps you would have better "luck" with obtaining the source of the report by checking the website called "Sons of the South Black Confederates." Just a suggestion.
I have the "Sons of the South Black Confederates" in my "Favorites" list, and when I click on the site, it displays a page with "Sons of the South" at the top of the page. There is a date of February 8, 2009 under the title of the page, and then there is the title of a newspaper article listed, "Black Confederate soldiers overlooked during Black History Month." This article is credited with being from the "Knoxville News Sentinel" of February 27, 2005. The reference to the black sniper, of the Wythe Rifles, appears in the fourth paragraph of the news article.
I hope this information is of help, and I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused you. I'll also understand if you are too busy with your other projects to take much time to help me with my question re: the black sniper. But I want you to understand how much I appreciate your assistance, whether or not I can locate a definitive answer.
