“But if he had one distinguishing trait above the others, it was accuracy.
“Things must be correct, no matter what the tune or what the work. And this was true of what many would call little things. That he was a brave, heroic soldier goes without saying, what he did, and the testimony of comrades is all sufficient. In private life he was kind, considerate, gentle as a woman. His declining years he lived in a quiet, unobtrusive way, true to his friends, true to himself.
“And now he is under the willows sleeping the last long sleep of the valiant soldier. I reverently lay a flower upon his grave, and gladly pay this tribute to his memory.
“T. K. Gash.”
From a friend of many years:
“Having had an intimate association with Captain Peddicord for more than a quarter of a century, I feel I am in a position to offer the following tribute to his memory:
“The most striking characteristic that appealed to me was his kindly nature, his even temperament, his loyalty. I have never known a person who was such a model of patience; and having grown from a boy to manhood, almost, under his supervision, I am frank to say that his life was an inspiration to me, and from it I gathered much that will remain with me until time shall be no more.
“He was in truth a historian. I have sat for hours and listened to events that occurred within his knowledge, and wonderful had been his opportunities. He was a civil engineer, and assisted in the building of the Louisville and Nashville Bridge, the one that afterward as a Southern soldier he had helped destroy. And what a soldier he was! I said to him once, after listening to memories of the past, ‘Captain, did you ever kill a man in battle?’ His answer was, ‘Boy, I have shot at many a man’.
“What a master he was! He was the best horseman I ever saw; his control over an animal was remarkable; his voice seemed to do for him what hands often failed to do for others.
“I was with him much in his last days, when he calmly, patiently waited day after day to be called home. Gently, sweetly, his lamp went out.