The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-11-20
Won't Let Comrade Norris Rest.

To THE EDITOR: see that Comrade Morris
is getting tired of being thumped, and has run
up the white flag not for the purpose of sur
rendering, however, but that he may gain a
little time in which to reform his troops, get
his batteries in better position, and prepare for
another charge l agree with the comrade that
neither Carr's nor Hoveys Divisions have need
to steal hOnOrs, for they were thrust upon us
thick and fast during that campaign. / am
surprised, however, that the comrade should
squeal "Pecav so early in the fight, as he
has received very few and very light taps as
compared with the thumps given and taken
from the 1st of May until the 4th of July
do not wonder that he thinks my letter a ter
ribly mixedup affair, if, in its perusal, he fol-
lowed the same course he does when he at
tempts to criticise it. Namely, commence at
the bottom, work up to the top, and wind up
in the middle. l am inclined to think that
Comrade Morris must have been indulgiug q
little too freely in Hostetters do you catch on
Co. I?) the night before he attempted to read
my letter. The comrade starts out with the
assertion that | concede the capture of that
battery by BentOns Brigade, in the following
words: Martin says Benton took the battery
and the credit also" Now, Comrade Morris
must admit (if he is the fair-minded man
take him to be- that in quoting that single SEN
tence he is taking an unfair advantage, as it
appears in my letter, where l speak of the 18th
Ind. and Goth Wis. claiming the capture as fol-
lows: 1.-The 11th Ind. and Goth Wis. claimed
the capture, but they being on the reserve it
hardly looks reasonable that they should have
come to the front without orders made charge
and captured a battery; but they have claimed
it, and say, if it had not been captured by the
reserve, Gen. McGinnis would never have given
it up. Be this as it may, Benton took the bat
terry and the credit also" This the comrade
must admit, changes the meaning of that sem
tence very materially. Next he says, little
before this "Comrade Martin says that neither
the 33d nor any of Benton's Brigade had any
thing to do with the capture of the battery"
This is in keeping with his criticism given
above, and that sentence, instead of being a
little before this as he says, is almost the first
in which that battery is mentioned. Let US
go back and see how it looks in conjunction
with what Immediately preeedes it. There
has been quite controversy about who cap
tured that battery, as Gen. Benton claimed it
after the battle and Gen. McGinnis gave it up
to him. will give my version of the affair,
until after the capture of that battery, and I
think | win prove conclusively that neither
the 33d iii. nor any other regiment in BentOn's
Brigade had anything to do with its capture.
This again changes the construction the COM
rade applied to that sentence. Again he
quotes from my letter: I'VE came to another
ravine between us and where BentOn's Brigade
was contending against overwhelming Odds"
fail to catch his meaning in quoting that SEN
tence, as it has nothing to do with the question
in dispute. Neither did we approach Bcntons
Brigade up this ravine, as Comrade Swigart
says, but went square across it, and this was
done before we fired a shot and previous to the
capture OF the battery. claim the cartnro Of