The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-11-22
BATTLE OF GUNTOwN.
Some Disputed Points, and What the Official
Records Show.

Some Disputed Points. and What the Of1cial
Records Show.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In the Cincinnati Enquirer, of September 10,
appears an article taken from the Philadelphia
Times, and written by Captain John W. Morton,
formerly chief of artillery on General Forests
staff, in which he gives an account of the bat
tie of Guntown, or Brice's Cross Roads, from a
Confederate standpoint He starts out by say
ing that Forests whole available force en-
gagged numbered only 3215 men, and, while l
have no desire to dispute the Confederate cap
tain statement, yet it is SO at variance with
all other reports / have read of that affair, that
l would like to have the matter discussed in
THE TRIBUNE.
General Sturgis' command numbered at least
ten thousand men, and was composed of troops
from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota,
Missouri Tennessee, one regiment each from
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and one brigade
of cOlored troops. nearly all of whom had been
tried on other hotly-contested fields and had
not been found wanting If the Confederates
met and routed this force with less than one
third their number it would indicate that the
men of the Federal army were sadly deficient
IN courage, or else there was fearful blunder
by some one high up in command General
Sturgis in his report, says the army fought
nobly and only yielded TO superior numbers.
/ have always been led to believe that the
and to learn at this late day that there was
only $500 somewhat staggers me- General
Sturgis reported that he took twenty two
pieces of artillery into the fight Captain Nor
ton says they took twenty-one pieces and the
other one was hidden or buried in the swamps,
as none was taken out. / do not know how
many guns Sturgis had, but do know that the
Second brigade, cavalry division, composed of
the Third and Fourth Iowa and Tenth Missouri
cavalry, brought out their battery of two guns.
/ do not now remember whether the First bril-
gade, cavalry division (which my regiment
formed part, had their battery with them in
the fight or not. IL they did it was brought
out of the fight again, for we still had the same
guns when the brigade was broken up at the
close Of the war. Again, General Sturgis says:
" Our loss in killed was 223." Captain Morton
says they buried 400 at Bethany Church and
more than 200 AT Brice's house also, that they
buried our dead by the roadside and in the
woods for more than sixty miles from Brice's
house. Then, according to Morton, our loss
was near 700 IN killed. General Sturgis placed
his total loss at 2 lS6; Morton places il 1000.
In view Of these wide discrepancies would
like TO hear from those in possession of the
facts through The NATIONAL TRIBUNE, as it
would be interesting reading to many of its
western patrons, and as Captain Morton's arti-
Gle in the Enquirer has been read by the many
thousand readers of that journal, they should
have the evidence from the other side before
rendering verdict. If the 10000 or 1900
men Of Sturgis' command were defeated by
5000, 1t is time to know where the response
bility rests. Yours, in f., c. and L.,
J. A. YOUNG,
Co. G, 9TH Ind cav.
MIDDLETowS, IND.
WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW.
IF Captain Morton had used the same dill
gence II obtaining information from Union
that he did from Confederate reports he would
have discovered that there was not a moment
from the commencement Of the engagement at
Brice's CROSSROADS to its close in which For
rest troops actually engaged did not outnum-
Der the Union troops on the ground. In For
rests official report he estimates the force un-
der his command engaged" at $780, by Con-
federate reckoning; this means only enlisted
men in ranks, armed and equipped. General
] STlersons cavalry division, including ALL num-
bered 1883 With this force he held Forrest at
| bay unt1i the arrival Of portion of McMillan's
infantry on the field when having exhausted
his ammunition, he with withdrew his cavalry
and formed in the rear. The colored brigade
was acting rs wagon guard, and Of the 1874
officers and men ia Wilkins and Hoge's brigades
when the expedition left La Fayette, 500 had
1 been sent back sick and otherwise disabled :;
OF the 3,i74 fully one half, and perhaps more
4 Tell by the wagslde In the rapid march to the
/ field. Those who arrived were so exhausted as
/ 10 be IN no condition to fight the enemy in a
! position Of their own choosing
! vigorous charge broke McMillan's line
and being vigorously followed up, the rout
/ became general.
We compile from the official reports Of the
( brigade commanders the following statement
showing the effective strength and the casual
/ ties in the engagement:
Colonel w. IL Mcmillan, commanding in
fantry division
First brigade - Colonel Alex. wilkins
4 Seventy second Ohio, Ninety-ffth Ohio, One
I Hundred and Fourteenth Illinois. Ninety
/ third Indiana, Ninth Minnesota, and company
L, First Illinoi. light artillery; section sixth,
Indiana battery. Total effective strength
1000 killed, 40; wounded, l55; missing, s36;
! total, l,o3I.
! Second brigade-Colonel George B. Hoge.-
! Eighty-hrst Illinois, Ninety-first Illinois, One
Hundred and Eighth Illinois, One Hundred
and Thirteenth Illinois, One Hundred and
Twentieth Illinois, and company B. Second
Illinois light artillery Total effective strength,
| l.674i killed, 80; wounded, 100; missing, 600 !;
total, 743
Third brigade-Colonel Edward Benton
/ Fifty fifth u. S. colored infantry, Fifty-ninth
| U. 5. colored infantry, and battery T, Second
q. S. colored artillery. Total effective strength,
loo; killed, ITO; wounded, 1874; missing,
les; total, 4I2.
General Grierson's cavalry division
First brigade-Colonel George Z. Waring.-
Fourth Missouri cavalry, Seventh Indiana
cavalry, Second New Jersey cavalry. and
Nineteenth Pennsylvania. Total effective
strength, l,450; killed, %; wounded, 81 miss
ing 1884, total, 207.
Second brigade-Colonel E. F. Winslow-
Third Iowa cavalry, Fourth Iowa cavalry,
Tenth Missouri cavalry, Seventh Illinois cav
airy, and two six-pound guns attached to
/ Tenth Missouri. Total effective strength.
Lass; killed, II; wounded, 81; missing, 81 /;
total, I2T.
Grand total: Effective strength, 1918; killed.
223i wounded SOB; missing, 1893; total,
2,525l
What AstoRished An Indiana Comrade.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
On reading your issue of the 9Th inst. I was
/ not little astonishcd at one communication