The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-12-25
ChichasaW B!gTs.

To THE EDITOR: Having been participant
in the charge at Chickasaw Bluffs on Dec. %,
1862, | cannot refrain from having my say
about what l know. / was member of Co O.,
10th Ohio. | have been reading Mason and
Frys history, or rather their recolectious, and,
TO be candid, they made pretty good job OF it.
They have, however, evidently written from
memory, and got things little mixed. On
the 9th night closed in upon US iii line of bat
tie, with our left doth within few rods of
the old cotton press that burned that night, and
facing due east, the bayou in front and timber
beyond. Just 4 short distance TO the right the
bayou made a square turn to the east the
ground on our right being an open cotton field.
At early dawn of the 2oth the 10th marched by
the right flank, following the bayou,-Co. A
well out as skirlnishers,-a line being on the
left and between Us and the bayou, and bearing
sharply off to the south, behind which was
heavy cypress timber, in which the rebs were
posted As soon as the skirmishers got within
range the Johnnies commenced to pepper away
at them, and the line of battle was formed Just
beyond a small slough that ran directly at
right angles from our line of march, the road
passing over near the levee on an embanlI-
ment. The 10th, after passing over, filed off
to the ri ght and formed line of battle, the
skirmiSh-lin in the meantime having been
called in; Lampheres battery wheeled into
position on our right, when the battle opened
brigade and our boxes filled, we filed to the
left, passed over the levee, and charged down
into the timber where the rebs were The
charge was made IN column at half company
distance, 5ith Ind. in front, 10th Ohio next 22d
KY. next and 42d Ohio in rear. The 54th Ind
were new men, enlisted for year, and had
never seen a battle, and as they neared the
edge of the timber a shell exploded in the head
OF the column, killing several men and fearfully
al hauefiel1 and
officers did all they could to steady the men,
but they had got scared, and they wanted to
get back Oh important business. DeCourccy
seeing how matters stood, rode rapidly to the
front, and In his own peculiar style called out,
sharp and clear, "Col. Mansfield! Col. Mans
field! take your id yearliDgs to the rear
and let my regiment in" And We went ill.,
too, and made our visit so lively that the John
MES took the other side of the bayou and all the
afternoon the battle ragged with undated fury
That night a tired set OF men lay down to rest
without fire, to be lulied to sleep by the sweet
strains OF Dixie" played by the bands up ON
the hills, and to be rudely awakened by the
screaming and bursting Of shells that were
carelessly thrown by our erring brethren.
In the history Of the next day Mason and
Fry say the 42d Ohio and 9th Ind. had to stop
three times to let the front line get forward
The truth is that after the assaulting column
started il never stopped till after we had crossed
Int bayou, anu IAeD LOT a moment only 10 aQ uSt
our column. Up the bank and over that ter
rible field Of death without faltering went the
10th Ohio and 22d KY, till the number in the
10th was reduced from 100 to 13l. We never
fell back against the 22d KY, for that noble
| old regiment was abreast of ours yainly striv-
! ing with US to reach the rebel works. When
| we were within about 90 yards of the first line,
from the sheer force of the terribly -destructiv
! fire of the enemy we all dropped fiat on the
| earth, where we were slightly covered by a
! rise in the ground. There was, however, no
confusion about it. Men dropped along the
| route from wounds, death and fatigue till
we could not go any farther, and then we
! stopped. The rebels did not run out of their
works and take us in as Mason and Fry say,
! but squad of cavalry came charging in, and
just then thought Of what my father had told
me when leaving home" Don't come home
with bullet in your back" had faced the
music so far and got no bullets III front, and
thought would risk the chance of getting one
| in the rear. 1t was a desperate race, and
know 1t did not take as long to get back as
| it did forward. The 42d did not cover our re-
treat in good order, either; for when reached
| the causcway there was not a man of the 42d
| there, and they had not even carried off our
wounded. As to Blairs Brigade, it was part
| OF the assaulting column On our left, with
| which we had nothing to Go; in fact, We had
bitten off bigger chunk than we could chaw.
The 42d was good regiment; but don't pile il
on too thick, comrades.-J. e. LEAsURE, Color
Scrg't, 10th Chic, Ladora, Iowa.