Lieutenant Walsh

On April 13, 1865, a man known only as a Lieutenant Walsh, of the 11th Texas Cavalry, fired a potshot at the Yankee troops that had occupied Raleigh, NC. He then rode his horse down Morgan street. Unfortunately for Walsh, his mount slipped, and Walsh was captured. He was immediately sentenced to hang, his request for five minutes to write a letter to his wife denied.

He was an instant martyr for the cause, and a hero to the women of Raleigh, who laid flowers on his grave at Oakwood Cemetery for months. However, it was actually a good thing he missed; had he hit the Yankee General he was aiming for, it's likely that the city of Raleigh would have been burned in retaliation. Fortunately, Raleigh was spared.

For the past twenty years, on the anniversary of Lt. Walsh's death, someone has been decorating his grave with a black cape and flowers. No one knows who it is, though I doubt it would be difficult to find out. However, I think they would rather preserve the mystery - and I quite like it that way.