Three King Brothers in the Civil War

After Many Years Pine Grove Citizen Hears from Long Lost Brother

     Romantic and interesting stories spring up in the most unexpected places. Rice King, a former resident of Meigs county, now a resident of Bidwell, Gallia County, has found a long lost brother, whom he has not seen or heard from for 57 years. There were three of the brothers in the war of the Rebellion, viz: Joseph King, of Dodge City, Kansas, served in the 13th U.S. Infantry; Rice King was a member of Company H 13th W.Va. Volunteer Infantry and Will King served in a Confederate battery.      At the battle of Winchester, Rice and Will came face to face in the opposing conflict. At about the instant of their meeting, Will was shot in the neck and wounded. At the first meeting of these brothers after the war Will turned his back on Rice and would not speak to him, contending that Rice had shot him in the battle of Winchester. The other brother Joseph, who has not been seen for 57 years, was long since supposed to be dead.
     After the war Rice drifted to Meigs county and later married a daughter of the late Lewis Nease, of Bowman’s Run, by whom he had two children. After her death he married a lady at Pine Grove, Gallia county. They came back to Meigs county and made their home for awhile near Cross Mill, on Bowman’s Run and then returned to Gallia.
     Recently the brother in Kansas concluded that he would try printer’s ink to try to find Rice. He advertised in several papers among others the Cincinnati Post. B.B. Mallory, the Racine blacksmith, saw the advertisement and answered it giving the Kansas man the address of Rice. The first letter came from the west under date May 5th. Rice answered it and then came another under date of May 11. Tribune Telegraph

Gallipolis Bulletin
June 11, 1909
Transcribed by Henny Evans