The National tribune., 1885-06-11
THE TECHE CAMPAIGN.
The Stubborn Fight Made By Burbridge's Brigade
Against Great Odds,

/ r i
The Stubborn Fight Made By nurbriages Brigade
Against Great Odds.
To THE EDITOR: | was much interested in
the articles of Comrades Mason and Fry on the
Teche campaign, and the part their brigade
tSheldOn'sl took in it. So far as other brigaies,
and especially as our own was concerned, the
events of that campaign were not the soft duty
of veterans taking their ease amid the orange
groves and counting the Creoles," but the ter
rible realities of war.
After the memorable AZ days siege of Vicks-
burg and it's surrender, the First Brigade,
Fourth Division, Thirteenth Corps, which con-
sisted of the 1861 Ind, Col Tom Lucas; 6Oth
Ind, Col. Owen; 9th Ind, Col. -, 23d Wis,
Col. Guppy SD Ohio, Col. Fred Moore; Goth
Ohio Lieut.. Col. A. Ii. Brown, and 18th Ohio
battery, Capt. Chas. S. Rice, which brigade was
commanded by Brighten. S. q. Burbridge, on
the 9th of August 1868, embarked on the
steamers john E. Warner, Rocket, Fanny Bull
lit and Laurel Hill for New Orleans, where we
arrived on the Goth, and went into camp near
Carrollton suburb of that city. Little oc-
Cured while in camp here besides the usual
routine of drill, ETC., except a review of the
Thirteenth Corps on the 9TH OF September by
Gems. Grant, Banks and Washburn aud Adj
jutant-Gen. L. Thomas, and All expedition by
our brigade to DonaldsOnville and New River on
the Goth of September after rebel guerrillas.
We destroyed considerable property that had
been captured from transports on Oct. 8, when
we turned over our tents and prepared tor the
Teche campaign, with only our rubber blankets
for protection from the heavy dews of that eli
mate at night and the rain showers, which were
by no means gentle. Only the officers had tents
for shelter.
As Comrades Mason and Fry have stated,
this expedition was undertaken in the main,
at least, TO secure the cotton and sugar crop of
Western Louisiana and the stores that would
otherwise fall into the hands of the rebels. The
Attakapas (called by the natives Tuck-a-paw)
country, west and northwest of New Orleans.
was rich in cattle and corn and vans and
cotton, sugar and oranges, and these were to
be secured During the afternoon of Oct. 3 our
brigade lin part) marched from camp to the
landing at Carrollton, and embarked on steamer
Emerald for Algiers, opposite the City of New
Orleans. There we found a train of Hat cars,
| on which was loaded a train of army wagons,
waiting to transport US to Brashcar City, 80
miles distant. After some delay the Goth Ind
was ordered into the army wagons and the
9Sth Ohio was ordered to board these fiat cars
UNDER THE WAGONS.
The patriotism OF true soldier forbids him to
murmur at hardships, and his loyalty and
faithfulness required unqueStioned Obed ence
to orders. The soldiers of the Goth Ohio boarded
the cars, with hilarious shout, under the army
wagons. The soldiers of the army laughed at
out their orders. and had they been ordered to
place impossible to reach woald have looked
about for transportation. The writer hereof,
with two other comrades found slecping-car
bunk under the fore axle of one army wagon
on that train, and thus rode from Algiers to
Brashear City, where we arrived at 3 o'clock
on tho morning of Oct 4. We lay down on the
wharf and slept until daylight. After eating
our bareback and drinking our coffee we were
fcrried over the bay to Berwick City, and went
into camp. When we broke ranks rush was
made for some empty houses near camp Tor ma
teri al to build shelters from the storms, and IN
an incredibly short space OF time the weather
boards were torn from these houses and
| the frames taken down to construct our shell
| tiers.
We remained here three days only, and then
| started ON the march, taking the grade of the
| then unfinished New Orleans & Great Western
| Railway for few miles through the cypress for
ests covered with the gray hanging moss which
| there abounds. For some miles swamps and
alligators were plenty, and then we struck a
| higher, rolling country, where the orange trees,
loaded with fruit, and the orchards growing
wild, added to its beauty. Our line OF march
| was near Bayou Teche (Tash), and passed
| through Pattersonville, Franklin, New Iberia,
| Vermilionville, and as far as OpelOusas. Oct.
| 49, 1863 while in camp near VermiliioEvliie,
| the Ohio soldiers voted. Our regiment-96th
|
landigham, 2 for Pugh. and 222 for Brough.
AS we advanced we found the country more
open and the prairies larger, and in the neigh
borhood of VermillOnville the enemy in pretty
strong force, but they gradually fell back until
we reached Opelousas, when we began a
retrograde movement, with our brigade as
! rear guard. Skirmishing with enemy was OF
daily occurrence, and several casualties oc-
Cured on each side. On the morning OF Nov.
3 our brigade was IN camp about four miles
| northwest of Grand COteau, as the rear-guard
of the army on the edge of a large prairie and
near the timber. The main body of the army
CThirteenth and Nineteenth Corps was en-
camped on Carroncro Bayou (which the boys
called Carbon Crow, about three miles from
our camp across the prairie. Skirmishing with
the rebels had been very lively for three days
and the rebel cavalry,
SUPPORTED BY A LARGE FORCE
under Gen. Dick TAYLOR, menaCed US. BESIDES