The National tribune., 1883-10-25

THE POSITION OF THE 18TH PENNSYLVANIA.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
find in your issue of September the 9th a
letter from Gilbert Eaton, sergeant of company
*, Seventh Connecticut volunteers, In regard
to the assault on Fort Wagner. must correct
some mistakes In his letter. was there my
self and / know something about it. He speaks
OF the long roll being sounded; | beg leave to
say there was no long roll sounded that morning.
Ii would not be nilitary-like for the attacking
party TO beat the long roll. If there was any
sounded, il must have been on the rebel side.
Comrade Eaton claims that the Seventy sixth
regiment Pennsylvania volunteers was their
support on the morning Of the 11th Of July,
1853. They were not The Seventy-sixth
regiment Pennsylvania volunteers was the
storming party, and the Ninth Maine regiment
was our support. / know that the Seventh
Connecticut volunteers was in the charge, but
] could not say whether they were ON our
right or on our left When the rebels opened
fire on US there was no troops in front of us.
Early in the night-on or about 10 o'clock
the Seventy-sixth regiment was moved closer
to the fort than we were lying in the afternoon
of the 10th Of July. There we halted and laid
on our arms till about 3 o'clock In the morning
Of the 1Ith of July. Then we were called to
arms, but il was not with the drum, as Com
rade Eaton says We were called quietly and
till we came very near the fort. Then we re-
ceived a salute from few rebs who were just
outside the fort, and then the secret was out,
and the command was given TO forward,
double-quick." So we had just started when
the fort opened on US, and it was a regular
sheet of flame, but ON We went till our line
melted away. / was file-closer and did not
see man trying TO go 10 the rear before was
wounded, and ! was within thirty yards of the
Il I
] don't know how Conrade Eaton could have
seen and heard so much, for it was very dark
that morning, though the rebs made it very
light around the fort. They Lit up with pow
der. AS regards hearing, it was impossible to
hear anything at the fort or near it while the
firing was going on. I know could not hear
anything where was till the firing stopped.
Sergeant Eaton speaks of the Seventy
being IN the rear, like lost sheep. think the
Seventh Connecticut lost their shepherd also.
There were not many Of the Seventy sixth left
TO 20 back, for two-thirds of the Seventy-sixth
were left dead and wounded around the fort
After daylight, when General Strong called for
the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania volunteers he
knew he had q regiment that he could depend
upon If the Seventh Connecticut had kept
the gunners from working their guns, there
would not have been SO many Of the Seventy.
sixth killed and wounded.
Comrade Eaton claims that they kept the
rebs from working their guns l don't know
where that was. j think they worked all theil
guns from the time they opened on us till il
was all over. / thought the whole rebel army
as well as all the guns that was in the Confed
eracy were there.
would like to hear from some member Of
the Seventy sixth regiment Pennsylvania vol
unteers. Z. W. MORGAN,
Sergt, Co. T, 10th Pa. Vols