The National tribune., 1883-11-15
NApANocH, ULSTER Co, n. Y.
General Brady aud General Jones.


To the Editor NATIONAL. TRIBUNE:
see, in your issue of October 18th, Comrade
Tiilford Digger, of the One Hundred and Six
teenth Indiana. tells how General Sam Jones
gobbled up wagon train.
Comrade Dagger says he is willing to be
corrected. Now, [ was present on that oeca-
sion. aud ] think ] know more about that
affair than one who was not there
In the first place Longstreets whole army
was driving the Union forces back toward Knox
vile. At Bean Station and ali along the re-
treating line our forces were eontending for
every inch of ground. The One Hundred and
Seventeenth Indiana regiment was stationed
in Clinch Mountain Gap and on the top of the
mountain. Now, it is not likely that Long
street would send General Sam Jones across
Clinch Mountain with eorporaPs guard to
capture a wagon train in the face of two or
three regiments. If they knew the wagon
train was there, they must have known of the
presence Of the One Hundred and Sixteenth,
as well as the One Hundred and Seventeenth
regiment This attack was made very late IN
the evening. He says they were III support
ing distance, but they failed to support. lie
says they were aroused at midnight. / don't
know what disturbed them at that hour of
night, for everything was very quiet them
Colonel Brady did the most that could have
been done at that time. It soon grew so dark
that we could not see how to fire, except at the
blaze of each others guns, and in short time
firing ceased altogether. As we were on the
top of the mountain, we could see the armies ON
both sides of the mountain. Jones' brigade, or
division, built fires and that gave us the adyan-
tage of seeing their numbers and position, and
we knew if we did not get out of there that
night we would not have any show in the
morning. When everything became quiet,
Colonel Brady undertook to take his regiment
cut OF the perilous situation it was IN. The
Johnnies had no idea we could get out the way
we did. With orders that no command be given
except in low breath we climbed, crawled,
and Slid all night on the very top of the noun
tain, and at daylight we went down ON the
east side Of the mountain, just IN front of the
enemy. Brady reported, think, to Colonel
Gilbert, commanding brigade OF division in
the Twenty third Army Corps, and we went in
the skirmish-line all day without a bite to eat.
That night our army fell back, but afterwards
were re-enforced, and drove the Johnnies back.
| Now, want TO say that / don't think Gen
| eral Brady was ever censured by anyone ex-
| cept the boys of the One Hundred and Six
teenth, who smelled the bacon and crackers as
thas train passed along. People may think
| they are privileged to talk about General
! Brady now, or intimate that he was not brave
| but cooler and drawer man than he never
drew sword. The One Hundred and Six
! teenth regiment could not help being good
one, because it was commanded by that gloriou:
| old warrior Kise. Kise was my colonel wher
We were in the glorious old Tenth.
JAMES II. HARRIS,
WORTHWHILE, IND. Co. A, 117th Ind
[The Confederate cavalry was commanded
| by General WA. E. Jones, not Sam Jones, wht
! was at that time IN command of The depart
ment Of Western Yirginia.-ED1