The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-02-14
uth 2zth and ga town and al.h ,ri.sourl infsntry

nients went into camp late at least osIe mile from
the place, the night before the battle Of Pleasant
IziIl. Here Colonel Shaw's division cid the NEST
of the iigtinc Colonel Giibeft's hril.!c suffering
tlost severely. But the scale tgrHed in favor
through the courage OF General Mower, VINO led
one of his own brigasde5 III q gallant charge. The
day was certainly ours had cur commander
If there had been good management. our army
could have reached Shreveport without any dili-
Guilty. In TIE retreat it WAS only s<irmislling
General Taylor woud have had the advantage 1t
the crossing o. Cane River If .sc had had any kind
OF an army. TIE strongest effort he made At
Yellow Bayou, but General Mower was too much
for him there.
Lieutenant n F. Ellsworth 95th Illinois.
attributes the disaster to bad management. lie
says:
For time my company was headquarters guard
under A. J. Smith and heard frequent converse
tons between the Two generals Smith, before and
alter the defeat of Banks Mansfield; and heard
General \. j. Smith repeatedly charge Banks with
incompetent management, III this, that ia moving
towards Shreveport from Grand Ec0Te he marched
the wagon trn OF each brigade in rear Of the sri-
gade to which 1t belonged, tins separating his
forces, so that the enemy might attack brigade
and clean it out and stampede it, while the tain
falling back would in turn deinortlizc the column
I never had any doubt that this was the true
cause of the disaster. Neither have l any doubt
that after the battle OF Pleasant Hin. fought by
General A. J. Smith and his command with little
If any help from Banks cornnIaHd,} General Smith
could have gone on TO Shreveport. rs l heard him
repeatedly declare he could have done if allowed
so TO do. also believe that General Banks had
plenty of personal courage, as have him
under lire. Ills troops were composed OF just as
good fighting material as the 10th corps but they
lacked a military commander.
18TH CORPS VIEW.
H. A. Tripp, of the 10Th Maine, has word
to say in favor of the 10Th corps. lie writes
from Bluehill, Me-, as follows:
Cornrade Ii.tlefeld, in your issue of August 23d
bows i from Maine. with their paIsr collars
and bIackcned shoes" Very few OF as can help our
birth place, comfade, and do not know but a SOL
der can march and hight just as well with paper
collar and clean shoes without them. Something
than dirt is necessary To make good soldier,
and certainly marched many miles and did
as good service the 18th Iowa. They obeyed
ordera-so did ComTade Iittlefeld foTgets that
the Red River so low after the battle of Pleas
ant Hill April 9, 1851, that neither transports
gnnhoats could get up to Shreveport, aud tnat
Porter's fleet OF gunboats was lying near Grand
Ecore 4" simply because they could 30 no further.
But ne goes on TO say: On April sth, our COM
mand was encamped at Grand Eg0rc about twenty
five miles from Pleasant Hill. IA soon General
Smith was informed OF Banks defeat nj Mansfield
he ordered rs forward. and arrived ut PLEASANT
Hill late that evening" Now. General Banks was
defeated at Mansfield at ali the 18th corps was
driven back ant first, but those Yanl1ee boys from
Maine" with the rest of Enorys division of the
10Th corps. came up about p. and drove the
rebels back. capturing numbered prisoners The
fighting ceased with darkness and held the
cround-papcr collars and ali. This was fourteen
miles ahead of Pleasant Hill. Now. do not know
when the 10th corps left Grand EcoTe for Pleasant
Hill. but l do know that there was no ds'eat on
April Sth any than there at Pleasant
Hal April 9th. In each case the enemy was re-
pulsed by Banks army, OF which both the 10th and
18th corps parts; at least so understood It,
Cor1rade Littlefeld says further:
The I'd brigade. Sd division, 10Th corps. Colo
mel w. T. Shaw, 14th Iowa, took position
in the very front and there we stayed from early
dawn until o'clock in the afternoon, sirInishing
with the enemy Soon after O'Clock the ball
(
after dark there was one continual roar OF artIl-
| lery and musketry. When darkness put end TO
the fighting, Smiths guerrIllas had gained the
battle and saved Banks army from certain defeat
! and run'
| Now. Colonel shaw's brigade held the road lead
| ing from Sabine Crossroads and as we were in
that road between the Johnnes and pleasant Hill,
till o'clock in the morning of April 9 1 sure
they did no sl.rmishng until after that time. As
| to the fighting, am willing TO own that the 10th
corps did well. They obeyed orders and held their
ground well they could but did the 18th
eorps-Maine Yankees and all. Benediet's Sd bril-
gade, lst division, 18th corps. the extreme
lett of the main line; then Shaw's brigade OF
| the 3D. division, 10th corps; then our brigade
tDwigIts LIST brigade, 1st division. l9th eOTps and
about p. the rebels struck Benedict, sent him
firing to tie rear, and then lit ont " for Shaw,
i who had to follow Benedict's example. At this
| lime were ordered toward the center of the
field, and went by the right flank. file right. TO
| our late rear and, while so marching Shaws bril-
gsaie were coming on the run from our right hand,
goii.z 10 their Ter and one entire regiment passed
/ through an interval between our right aud Iefl
wings, caused by the rough nature of the ground
and tie logs, bushes, &c, with which II COW
cred. We passed one Of the brigades OF the 18th
corps after p. M, and they said they had not
fired shot. Neither had Ban Ks army with
out the i6h corps had fought the rebels the after
noon befofc, at Sabine Crossroads and with the
same resut-that Is. we repuised them
| am at loss to know just what COnnFade Little
field means when re SAYS: Here again the West
ern greenies, acting as the rear-guard of Banks
army, had some hard fighting. while General
Banks and his men the Italics are minel marched
of to Grand Ecore, route for New Orleans" II
| the 10TH corps was not a part OF General Banks
/ men, whose men were they? II they were Smith
men, were Franklin's, but were ali under
| the command of General Banks. Our division
reached Grand Ecore \ ril III; left there at 1880
a. April - The next day at Cane River Cross
ing while the 10Th corps fighting in rear
we had fighting in the front We reached Alexan
dTId \ prjl % While here the 18th Maine WAS de
tailed - Use the AK, and did hard work on the dam
which saved the gunboats and transports. We
lett Alexandra May Is, and on the 10Th. at Man
sara Plains. near Marksvie, cur skirmiShsT.
worked far ahead OF General Smith that hi
esnnners sheIled them without hurting any one
We reached biorganzia Bend, the Mississippi
May -, and then Smiths men went up the river
/ The expedition was doomed to be unsuccessful
Banks from New Orleans, was to 90 up the Ret
River to Shreveport, and steele was to come dcwr
from Arkansas while Dick Taylor was to wait tii
their forces had united. and then all would be well
but II ayior wouldn't he had more thar
Banks Steele, and the water in the Red Rive
would not allow gunboats or transports to get [,
Shreveport The army might have fought its wa.
rapidly falling river, where would u have obtaines
supplies? The 10Th corps only " borrowed
and 10 be returned very soon. The member
of this corps did their duty while with as we iii
the same ard SO dill the fragment of the 1871
corps, under General Ransom. Give each its due
a 18th CORPS VIEW.
Samuel Scott, 5sth Illinois. Rapid City, Oak
comes back at Comrade Trip, On account o
his statements in former letter, IN the follow
ing fashion,:
Comrade Trip claim. that we did not defea
Dick TayIor's command at Pleasant tiis If tina
was not a defeat would like to know what dc
feat is. We took all the artillery the enemy brouh
| on the field, several hundred wagons and owe
LOCO prisoners, and drove them back more tina
four miles from the position we occupied VIXEN Ga
fight began. Had not darkness come on we v oul
it was, we captured everything that did not ru
away He speaks of Colonel Si.aw's brigade {
the 10Th corps being driven from their position
This Is the first time that ever heard OF any sri
gste regiment OF the command OF General A. !
smith that on the Red River expedition bein
. driven back repulsed in any engagement.
, | ComFlde Tripp states that Beneeet's brigade
the 18th corps was the extreme left of the in
iantry line at Pleasant HILL which Is error
Colonel W. Il. EynchS brigade of the 10th corp
occupied that position. This brigade was com
posed of tho 5Sth and 10th Illinois 2Ist MissouI
and seth Indiana, and 9th Indiana battery. A bri
gade OF Maine troops their right, think
and, ii he in that brigade, the that the
did not fire a shot WAS because they away +
soon the rebels in sight, leaving our bri
gade without q support. We were IN the woods O
the left of the open field, and had built up 10
breastworks. When they ran away they left q
opening in our line, through which Walkers ala