The National tribune., 1883-09-13
CORRECTING CHRONOLOGY.
THE TWELFTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY NOT AT
RRITToNS LANE

In your chronology of the war you report |
the Twelfth Illinois cavalry as being present at |
the battle of Britton's Lane, Tennessee, Sep |
tember /, 1862. and as also engaged in skirmish
near Martinsburg, Virginia. on September g.
1862 Now, as one of the boys who participated
in the battle OF Britton's Lane Will say that
the Twelfth Illinois cavalry was not there, and
that our whole force consisted of the Twentieth
and Thirteth Illinois infantry, one-and pos
sibly two-companies of cavalry, and two pieces
OF artillery, commanded by Colonel Elias s. :.
Dennis, of the Thirtieth Illinois. The rebels |
were in large force-4,5 500, as given by one of
the rebel surgeons-and were commanded by
Gen. Armstrong and for two hours or more itwas
pretty warm work. The Johnnies were finally
driven from the field, and we remained masters
of the same. Our loss was some five killed and
sixty wounded and two hundred prisoners.
The latter were the sick of the command. The
rebs left two hundred dead on the field, and
their wounded numbered at least five hundre5
for, the next day we marched some miles "a
the line of their retreat, and every house on
the way was filed by their wounded. One ia
cident connected with this affair / will men,
ton. Sergeant VIM. 81. Sowell, of my compaI.
was taken prisoner, and, being brought befo
General Armstrong, was asked what force
opposed to him. The sergeant used liti
strategy and told him that it was an advan
guard of 10000 that was near by on the mar,l
for that place, (when in fact there were no
troops nearer than Jackson, twenty NILS
away, and a small force at Medon Station, soI
dozen miles away and the general concludf
that if such were the fighting qualities of II
advance-guard he did not care to meet t
main body, and so ordered retreat. Al |
retreat they did for over forty miles befo
stopping to rest, marching all that afterno Il
and all night. ALLISON w. CHENEY,
Late Lieut., Co. B, Both Ills. In,
SUTTON, N. III.
Thanks to Comrade Cheney for his corros-
ton. The two companies of cavalry referred
to were company Fl. Eleventh Illinois, (instea /
of Twelfth, and Captain Fosters independent
company of Ohio cavalry,-a topographic
error-ED.
RINGGoLD AND LEBT's LANYARD.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
1t is not in the spirit of criticism that I
again call your attention to an error in your
chronology of the war. Under date of September
IL, 1863, you put down an action by the 81
vance of the Twenty y-first Army Corps Army of
the Cumberland, at Riuggold, Ga. Now, / do
not see how any part of the Twenty-first Corps
could have had any action with the rebels n
that day 1t is true that Wilder's brigade Was
on that day in the advance of the Twenty-ffst
Corps, and it is also true that we did have an
action at Ringgold on that day, but it is equally
true that Wilders brigade belonged to the
Fourteenth Army Corps (See History of tFe
Seventy. second Indiana, page 154, for account
of that action. Under date of September l3,
1868, you give the skirmish at Leet's lanyard,
near Chickamauga, Ga, by Wilder's brigade of
mounted infantry. This took place on the 1 h
instead of the 18th, and for an account of that
skirmish | refer you to page 155, History OF
the Seventy second Indiana. B. f. MAGEE.
MoNTMoRENCY, IND.
[Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry, serv-
ing with the cavalry, and Minty's cavalry
brigade, moving in advance of the Twenty first
Army Corps and subject to the orders of Cen
eral Crittenden, commanding that corps, con-
stituted either of the brigades which had the
lead, the advance of the Twenty-first
orps."-ED.l
A PARTICIPANTS ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIR
AT CHATILLY.
To the Editor NATIONAL. TRIBUNE:
In looking over the Chronology of the War
in TRIBUNE of August 16, 1888, | see it stated
that the fight at Abbeville, Miss on August
% 1864 was fought by the Tenth Missouri,
Fourteenth Iowa, Fifth and Seventh Minnesota,
and Eighth Wisconsin volunteers which state
ment is Incorrect The truth is it was fought
by the Second brigade, First division, Sixteenth
Army Corps. The brigade was commanded by
Colonel L. F. Hubbard, colonel of the Fifth
Minnesota volunteer infantry land now Gov
ernor of Minnesota, and was composed of the
following regiments and battery: Eighth Wis
consn volunteer infantry, Eleventh Missouri
volunteer infantry, Forty seventh Illinois vol
unteer infantry, and Second Iowa battery.
The attack was made on Captain Diggs G..
Ross, of company B, Forty seventh Illinois vol
unteer infantry, who had been detailed to post
the pickets but had not got them all posted
when the attack was made. The attacking
party was Chalmers cavalry, who had been
foil oil ha from 0yfOrd Misc
We defeated them easily without losing man.
Such is the true history of the Abbevile affair,
| and, in behalf of the Second brigade, First
| division, Sixteenth Army Corps, that the honor
may be given to those who did the work. ask
you to correct your chronology in accordance
| with the above facts.
| In THE TRIBUNE of August 23d, G. W. Nc
| Kinsey, Ninth Indiana battery, says A. ].
| Smiths pacing horse was bright bay. He
| could not have belonged to the Sixteenth Corps,
! or he would have known that the horse In
+! question was brown. He was known all over
| the army as a. J. Smiths brown PAGER.
| was in Second brigade, First division, Six
| teenth Army Corps, under General A. j. Smith
| at the time he went with Banks up Red River
was in all the marches, skirmishes and battles
| OF that expedition from Simmsport to Pleasant
| Hill and back to the Atchafolaya, where we
were the last infantry to cross on the bridge oi
| steamboats,, and | agree with Comrade William
| G. Littlefeld as to how the Sixteenth Corps
came to be called guerrillas, and as to who
| saved Banks and the Thirteenth and Nine
| teenth Corps at Pleasant Hill, La. and kept
them from going to that rebel boarding house
in Tyler, Tex. WALTER SCOTT,
HENRY, ILL. Commander, Post 81
I'VE have on several occasions remarked that
| the chronology, as published in THE TRIBUNE
! is taken from two separate sources. That for
1861 and 1862 is as prepared in the Office OF the
| Adiutant-Genera and is absolutely correct, as
/ it is compiled from all official sources. That
| for 1868 and 1864 is from the Surgeon Generals
office, the only list now attainable, and is unre-
| liable. When the work of compiling the list is
completed in the Adjutant-GeneraPs office
which will not be for several years, we will
| give it to our readers. Meanwhile, we cordially
invite corrections from our readers, Comrade
Scott is probably correct in claiming the skir
| mish at Abbeylle for Hubbard's brigade, but
why does he omit the Ninth Minnesota from
the roster of that brigade ED.
ARTILLERY-NoT CAVALRY.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
/ notice a statement in your Chronology O
| the War, in your issue of July 49, that needs
some correction. You say that an action took
place on the oath of July, 1861, at Carrotor
| Landing, Carolina Bend, Miss, between the
Sixth Michigan cavalry on the steamer Glars
| Bell and the Johnnies. The engagement tooh
place at Ashton instead of Carrolton, and tht
Sixth Michigan heavy artillery instead of the
cavalry participated in it, as | well remember
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