The National tribune., 1884-10-16

posed for assistance. A good while after that,
| as il seemed at least, saw these two things:
| First, gradual creeping over the slope by one
| man; few here and there; now dozen at one
| or two points. While was watching this, and
! between firing was thinking we ought to have
| orders if we were to 90, there came up, wildly
cheering, another brigade, certainly tapping
| our line-for it was behind us-and it might
| have extended far beyond. Was this Hovey's
| DivisionY l remember that | and another one
| of the regiment knocked the gun of one of
| these soldiers into the air and thereby saved
one Of our men. This reinforcement indi-
| vidual" had dropped on his knee, and, looking
| up over the summit of the hill, WAS pulling
| the trigger, while the muzzle of his gun was
! within six inches of the head of a cOmrade
| higher up on the slope. But this was all done
in a second and the next, without any orders
that i heard we all went with reSounding
cheer over the hilltop upon the foe. And /
know that that First Brigade was even then at
that place in the lead. But we got the guns
among US, am sure, and put the foe 10 fight.
Yes comrade, CarIs men were in that charge
and no mistake.
Now, only word as to that charge on Vicks
burg. In Carr's front there, it was the old
First Brigade that led the way. Being, it may
be, closer to the line (or for some reason, at any
rate, we got up and got cut TO pieces even be-,
fore our Second BriCade-as brave men as ever
! hved-came up to the work How do know?
The evidence of eyesight After we were re-
pulsed-I should say five minuies-I saw, from
that awful hIll-slOpe, comrades, the charge of
our Second Brigade. And | saw those prison.
ers come down from that outwork and run
into cur lines The Goth III. led the charge
also in the First Brigade.-C. A. HOBBS, Co. B,
goth Ill.
THE FIRST TROOPS TO LAND AT BRuINSBURG.
To THE EDITOR: Comrade Morris, in THE
nf lsf is N Bruins
burg and the battle of Port Gibson in several
particulars. j. am sure il was not the 33d Ill.
that was the first to land on the Ncksburg side
of the river, but that it was reserved to the
46th Ind. to have that honor. My own COM
pany tB) of that regiment, as well as two other
companies went on board the guHboat Benton
and took our position in the bow; the remain
der of the regiment and the 2ith Ind. las | re-
member it, was also on the boat. The gunboat
steamed across the river aud the three com
panies in the bow went ashore soon as the
boat struck the land, and deployed IS skir-
miShers. and went far enough back to allow
the remainder of the division Gen. H0vey's)
TO land and form. This position we held
skirnli5hers, or pickets, until some time i'll the
afternoon, when we We're relieved by Gen.
Bentons Brigade taking an advance position,
aud we prepared the five days rations issued
TO US. know that when l was ordered TO take
command of these three companies and go
land, nothing whatever was said to me to he
on the lookout for other Union troops. think
if others had landed before us the precaution
that was taken would not have been taken. AS
soon rs the three companies went off and de-
poyed, the Benton got in shore and disem-
barked the troops, then steamed out into the
channel and cast anchor and remained there
the remainder of the day. The balance of the
gunboats assisted in ferrying the troops across
the river. For these reasons | think Comrade
Mitchell is mistaken.
Comrade Morris is likewise mistaken about
who it was that relieved Gen. Benton's Bri-
gade at the battle of Port Gibson. Instead of
its being the Second Brigade of Gen. Carr's |
Division, it was the First Brigade of Gen.
Hovey's Division. l well remember how the
men of that brigade called upon US, while we
were approaching them up the ravine the COM
rade speaks about, to hurry up, they were
almost out of ammunition, and how that many
of the men of that gallant brigade helped them
selves ont OF our cartridge-boxes and helped
continue the fight. Ali honor to Burton's
Brigade. L remember, also, how, after that
gallant brigade was driven of, we charged
across the hill and got possession of the road
and captured two guns. We cut off their re-
treat. | will at some future time write you a
description of my recollectious of that battle.
Comrade Morris is mistaken about that bat
tie having been fought on the I'd day of May.
1t was on the Ist. / know this, because Ho-
yey's Division, to which / belonged, was on !
board the steamboats, to land up Grand Gulf in
the event that the gunboats should be able to
silence the batteries Oh the 18th day of pril, |
1863, and remained on board All that day. In |
the evening we landed and marched down the |
river past the batteries of Grand Gulf, and on |
the morning of the 30th Of april went on board |
the Benton and crossed the river. We remained |
on the river bank until about 4 O'Clock in the |
sfternoon, when, having supplied ourselves |
with rations, ammunition, etc, We set out on |
the march to Port Gibson, to which place we |
arrived that night. and about O'Clock in the |
morning we just heard Benton's guns in front |
of us. We halted about 20 minutes just at day |
light and made coffee, after which we went |
into the fight. i don't think the comrade in |
tended to commit these errors, but that he is |
mistaken. 1t is good thing that accounts of
all our campaigns should be written while |
those who actively took part live and can make |
corrections. In this The TRIBUNE is doing a |
noble work. May it continue.-FRANK SwI- |
CART, 46th Ind.
GSfii Ill sf Dsllas