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[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

Statement of Thos. J. Hayer
On the 8th inst, I was on the steamboat wharf at Rockets, & saw Thos. M. Chester, late army correspondent for the Philadelphia press, came off the steamer, where he had been to leave his dispatches for the north, assaulted by one of the provost guards. He called to a Lieut of the 20th N.Y.V, who was there on duty, for protection, but the Lieut told the guard to strike Chester with the butt of his musket. During the difficulty, a 2nd Lieut of the same regiment came up, to whom Chester stated the origin of the affair, the truth of which was denied by the citizen, when Chester reaffirmed the correctness of his statement, Whereupon the 2nd Lieut, assuming a threatening attitude said Chester must not contradict a white man in his presence. 

During the whole affair, Chester offered

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-24 12:11:46