The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-12-20
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
To the Editor NArIoxA1 TR1BuNE:

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
i have for some time been a reader of your
valued and valuable sheet, and every issue
seems 10 more fully convince me that il IS the /
paper par excellence for the soldier. Every
portion of it Is of interest. but If any part can
be considered mere interesting than any other 4
ii is the page on which the veterans shoulder
the crutch and show how fields were won, so !
TO speak,-the page headed Fighting Them
Over and il seems almost 8 duty for each old /
vet to rise and explain. Many, very many. OF
the more interesting parts Of the history OF our
late war laid up in the memories of the /
boys in the ranks, and this page Of THE gRIB-
VNE pefuscd rs IL is weekly by SO many of the !
boys IS ii seems to me, the proper place for them
to appear. one thing we should, however bear
in mind-that we cannot be positively certain
OF anything we did not personally see; not al
WAYS, even, what we did. Even what We SAY, or
thought We saw, may not have been seen IN
exactly the same light by a comTade by our
very side ia the same rank. Thisis demonstrat-
ed in the recent discussion as TO whether the
spikes or spears were really nsed 10 protect our
works st Knoxville IL was asserted by.several
comrades that they were SO used, for they were
there and saw them, and as confidently
maintained by Others that they were not so
nsed fer they Were there and could not have
failed to see them if they had been so used.
The matter is finally settled by the statement
Of the officer under whose orders they were
placed IN position. So / say. we ought not to
be too certain, even Of what we think we saw
or did n0e see. 1t may have appeared differ
emily to Others who were also there, and who
would consider their chances for observation
as good as oars. So Of the part taken by regi-
ments- brigades, or divisions. We may speak
WITH some degree Of confidence Of what our
own regiment. brigade. or division did. and
even then * may not be as seen or IS renieIn-
bered by some other conlTade Of the same com
lmanG much less may we speak positively OF
the part played by other regiments, hr5raaeS, or
divisions. The opportunities for seeing what
was going on outside OtoGr immediate vicinity
IN an action was very limited, especially for the
private soldier, and i mast be confessed that It
was rarely place conducive 10 cool, thought
ful observation. YET il is well for esch to give
what be believes and understands to be the
fact and for others 10 correct any misapprehen-
sion or nissfaiement. In this way we arrive
at a fail understanding, and view each action, as
il were, from rs many different staHdp9ints
Believing il, then, a duty we owe 70 each other
TO contribute our quota 70 this page, ! come 10
represent . command which has 50 1ar. think,
been without a representative. ] am only sorry
that il haa not previously occurred TO the
mind OF one more able to speak for II as il de-
serves. Il was IN the latter part Of February,
1852. al the little town Of Commerce, no. that
q little army rendezyoused under the con-
after, IN taking command Of another army as
il was remarked by his enegniesl, placed his
headquarters where his headquarters should
have been. il the saddle-John Pope.
ORGANIZING THE BRIGADE.
1t was here that the brigade was formed with
whom the fortunes OF the writer were casa
brigade which. under many names and in DIFF
3erent divisions and army corps saw much
service throughout nearly all the Southwest;
H.
hard duty and possibly as mach hard fighting
as any brigade in the service, and I think
may safely say was always on hand and rslia-
bile. III was composed Of fear regiments. raised
IN ilsesummer and fall of 1851, and each had
already seen considerable service in the way Of
marching and skirmishing through Middle and
Western Missouri The regiments were the
9Th Wisconsin the regiment which carried the
eagle Old Abe }, the IIrh Missouri, the 9TH
Minnesota and the 9Th Illinois
From the time Of their organization as
brigade til they were mustered out Of service
In the winter OF 1866 they were never separa-
ted and there was 3 bond OF sympathy-an
esprit da c9Fps, SO 10 speak-about the Old Eagle
Brigade, which was not, ! venture to say. sur
passed ia the whole army. do not propose 10
write history O. the brigade: that task must
fall q q mere talented pea than mine. But II
that history shaii ever be written guarantee
II beforehand 20 be second toaone IN interest AS
believe the brigade TO have been second 10
none IN service / DO not propose To write is
history. but to give occasional incidents hoping
by 30 doing 70 draw out from some Of It's mem
hers who Weld pen as well as IN olden tine
they handled a musket, other incidents OF
which q collection may in time give the basis
OF history. The march from Commerce
through the swa1aps and bayous, midst the
rain and mud to New Madrid; the night
maTrh Of nHr brigade through the woods to
surprise Point Pleasant; the biTouac without
fires; the lying down OF tie wet, soaden ground
10 wake HnGer a cover Of SHOW, the advance On
the town and the racket with the rebel gun
boats; the rile-pts ID the leTee, with tie
daily shelling from the g0nb0ats- the long
days OF watching the shells from our feet as
they burst high in air across the point az
Island No. -: the soy we felt al sight Of the
GaF0ndelet shat bright Sunday morning aud
the WAY Tire J8iinnies were lifted out Of their
battery Oh he ether side BIZ her heavy shells
are drtaiy impressed 0n my memory and a.
write ! CA almost see tic sand FIXING and
hear the Whish q the shells as the last gray
coat dissppaTs ia the brush
Little di6 We think that clorioas Sunday
morning a. no watched the Smelling Of the bar
terry which bad been at such PAINS to wake Us
mp in the mornings thaf q feg hundred miles
away, up re Tennessee River. battle WAS
raging such ~ has rarely been fought: that
our boys VI re being borne backward witif an
snapassble r5rer ia their rear and with every
prospect Of terrible disaster prospect that
was Only prevented frem becoming sad real
Sly by clear grit ana bulldog lighting Il was
the morning Of Shiloh, and a loreli.r was
never seen. al least SO j seemed 10 the writer
than that Sunday morning. Then came the call
for ASS Dbly--iall in" and we were OF FOR
New Madrid, 70 cross the river IN pursuit of the
graybacigs who had been suddenly impressed
with the ldea that Island No 10 was q good
place 10 get away from, and Dixie a charming
place to travel to. We arrived IN New Mad
rid just IN time 10 see the rebel floating bat
terry the Erampus9 come round the bend on
her way to FAC sunny Soufh. bat it was thought
best 70 detsin her, and boat put out and took
her ia.
AWAY D0wS ~ DIXIE.
From New Madrid POpes army went 10 re-
enforce Grant II Pittsburg Landing. aud formed
the left IN Hailecks mastery advance " or
dOrinth, and after the evacuation and pursuit.
70 Bonneville were distributed IN the small
towns 70 the south and east Of Corinth Here
II lost It's commander and was reorganized into
the Army Of the Tennessee. During the sum.
mer our brigade was detached and sent by
itself 70 Inscumbda, Ala, where We Jar
as q sort Of outpost Tor several weeks. low
well remember that big spring at the foot o.
the hill; The splendid swimming place at The
river where we passed 50 much OF the time;
the paw-paws that grew on the island and
how close the JohnDies came 10 gobbling Us III
when we went after them; the dewbeTTies tiiaf