The National tribune., 1885-10-01
FIGHTING THEM OVER,
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
VERSIONS BRIGADE.
The 18th Mass. Did Join in the "Chsrgc.' y

~ EfSoN = BHlCIA LIE.
The 18th Mass Did Join in the '.Chargc."
To THE EDITOR: I do not ask for two COL
umns of your valuable space, but only enough
to say that the 18th Mass. did Join in that
charge" upon Iverson's North Carolina Bri-
gade, July, 1868, ut Gettysburg, Capt. Isaac
Hall, Of the 9th n. Y to the contrary not
withstanding. This charge" (it was not a
charge at all, only run forward to drive i'll
VERSIONS men, who were willing enough to
surrender | remember as distinctly as l re-
member anything that occurred during my
three years of service. And have good cause
to rember 1t, too, as will appear below
As AdJt Nehrums article, to which Capt.
Hall devotes so much labor and space, was
published in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE more
than Har ago, perhaps brief resume Of its
leading points may not be out Of place iii this
connection, as probably most of your readers
have forgotten 1t ere this, The article was
written in reply to one in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE by Capt Hall, in which he QHalD
denied that the 18th Mass Joined in the move
ment, but admitted that some may have broken
from that regiment, which had faced another
way (?), and gone in with the 9th. Adj't
Wehrum devoted his article to telling the story
OF the movement rs he saw and remembered it,
Briefly summarized it was this:
The 18th Mass. was facing and fighting in
two directions before and at the time the move
ment III question took place. II had nine COM
panles In line, numbering about % man. Two
companies, at that time the extreme right of
the First Corps. were formed parallel with the
Johannesburg road, facing north, and in full
view of the large red barn The remaining
seven companies faced west, and were just
returning to the Charge" delivering muir
derOus croSS-fire upon VERSIONS men. Wehrum
had been upon the right, with Col Bates watch
ing the movements of the enemy north of the
Johannesburg road and around the red barn.
Some time before the "chargo" took place he
had seen VERSIONS men deploy from behind the
barn and move toward our left. Our two com
panles facing north kept up constant and
destructive fire upon them. They moved
around into line with their left resting quite
near the left OF our companies, thatwere facing
west, and some time arter hating some of them
raised their guns with white handkerchiefs
attached. Our men began yelling Stop firing"
charge bayonetS!" etc, and there was much
confusion. Just at this moment Adj't Wehrum
came down to the left from the right of the
regiment. He ran up to Serg't Kimball, of
Company my brother), and asked, Whats
that ordcr?" Sergt kimball had been wounded,
and was trying to rest his gun in the crotch of
small tree for anOthsr shot, while Capt
Clark and myself were urging him TO so to the
rear. He (kimbalD replied: Forward !"
Adj't Wehrum always quick and impulsve
ward, Twelfth" The men (Wchrum thinks
three-fourths of the regiment) followed him,
and ran down to the left of Iversons Brigade,
bringing back large number Of prisoners.
1t is not necessary to repeat the other points
of Adj't Wehrum's article, or for me to take up
those of Capt. Hall in q recent issue of THE
TRIBUNE. | only wish now to tell what re-
member about the charge" Adj't Wehrum
is abundantly capable Of defending himself
against the sncers and iInucndOcS of Capt
Hall, and doubtless in due time will do So
He was one of the best and bravest soldiers [
ever knew. Every survivor OF the old 18th
will bear me out in this. He won his way
from the position of private soldier up to cap
taincy, and was twice wounded III battle. lie
is now prominent business man Of New York,
and is respected by all who know him. So
Capt. Hall and all others had better not speak
unfavOrably of him, for il they do they will
wound the feelings of a host of his friends and
comrades.
Now as to the charge" do not remember,
because at the time did not know where Iver-
sons men dcpoycd or where they came from,
but from the time Adj't Wchrum came to my
brother, as related above, he (Wehrum), to my
certain knowledge, tells the truth. And
Carleton is right when he says that cover
the wall sprang the 18th Mass" The crcum-
stances were such that they impressed them
selves very firmly upon my mind. | fol-
lowed him over the wall with others Il think
there were about 50) and ran down to the
"rcbs.' When nearly all had passed through
us toward our lines, l started to return. IF [
chose now to tell it, the story of my personal
experiences might be interesting to the readers
of the tribune Comrade James Bealc, well
known to a large number of your readers, used
to like to hear me describe the scene But
we'll leave that go"l When about half way
back was struck in the groin by a bullet,
|, ial,n frn, ylA 3 l.fl
where three lines Of battle were seen in the
distance moving obliquely toward the left, or
left center, of the First Corps. | lay there be-
tween the two armies till late in the afternoon,
when | was brought down to the college by the
"rebs"
Now, do not the readers of The TRIBUNE who
are old soldiers think have good reason to
remember that "charee"? | do not know
why Col. Bates NOW dead said it was charge
Of part Of the Brigade, instead of saying that
a part of his regiment joined III it, but do
know that we bore u part.
Another fact: This charge was discussed at
a Reunion we held two years ago. Those who
were in the battle of Gettysburg were asked to
rise. About % men got up. Then those who
did not join in this charge, and who knew
nothing of it only what they had since heard,
were told to sit down. Ten men resumed their
seats, leaving 10 who Joined in the move, and
they were very emphatic i'll their declaration
that the regiment is entitled to its proportion
of the honor of capturing VERSIONS men. The
10 mcn nearly all belonged to the two com
panics which faced the Johannesburg road.
If any more were needed l would only have
to ask the readers of THE TRIBUNEif they sup
posed regiment that stood its ground at
Fredericksburg, after every other organization
in the division had gone to the rear and
which, with the 10th Mc.-sent up to relieve
it-chargcd over the railroad and into
the woods, driving the enemy before them
nearly to the wagon train; which, at Antietam,
stood up to its work until 2S3 of its $40 men
had been shot down; which all through its
three years OF service was known as one of the
best and most reliable regiments in the army,
would bc liable to let such an opportunity slip
as that which occurred on July l, 1863, when
Ivcrson's men invited it to come out and show
them in? Ask any General who ever COM
manded us if the old 10Th was that kind of
Observation-Disclosures kIMBALt, Co. A, 18th
Mass, 1906 Washington street, Boston.
Ayers sarsaparilla, sending pure blood TO the
brain, gives sound mind in a sound body.
4 correspondent writing from Denver, Colo,
says it was Farragut Post, No. /, that occupied