The National tribune., 1885-03-05

part so well. One would suppose that tn.
| proper credit would have been cheerfully con
| coded to all, but such was not the case. While
yet the smoke of battle hung over the mountain
| side wrangling as to whom belonged the credit
| of the brilliant victory began. The forces
| under Hooker that day were strangers to each
other, and from widely-scparated districts
| Geary's Division of the Twelfth Corps was just
| from the Army Of the Potomac, OSterhaus's
| Division had just arrived with Sherman from
the Mississippi. while Whitaker's and Crosses
| Brigades of our division were from the Army
of the Cumberland, and it was natural that
! each should look with some jealousy upon any
claims that disparaged its own prowes5. The
! movement that gave Us the mountain with 50
little loss, comparatively, was the rapid ad-
vance of our right wing tGearys Division and
| our brigade), Grose being with Ostcrhaus on
the left, near the foot of the mountain.
This movement. which flanked the main
rebel force on the mountain side and left it to
fall into Osterhaus's hands an easy prey, was
led by Geary's Division up to q certain point,
where it halted, in obedience TO orders. that
the whole line might be readjusted. If this
order had been fully obeycd it would have cost
us scores Of lives. az it would have allowed tho
retreat up the mountain of the rebel force in
front of Osterhaus. and this, manning the
works rear the Craven House. would have re-
qured struggle to dislodge it; but, fortunately,
with the happy inspiration that prompted our
troops the next evening at Mission Ridge to
make tho memorable assault without orders,
ran through Gcary's Division, charging the
several lines of works before reaching the
Craven House, and tho right of our regiment
reaching n point in the rear of the rebel lines.
This rapid advance of our regiment. cutChing
the rebel left at point so near the Summer
town road that Lieut. Col Jones, who led the
right wing of orr regiment, insists that if sup
ported by 900 men the movement would have
put us in possession of the road thus virtually
giving Us control of the mountain, was the
notable feature of the battle. With this known
to everybody, yet the sun had not gone down
before the claim was made that the credit of
this bold dash belonged to Gearys Division,
and a somewhat acrimonious dispute was had
between Gen. Whitaker and officers of the
eastern division over the matter In proof of
the business of our claim, Gen. Whitaker
pointed to the dead of our regiment lying near
the captured guns and all along the line of adj
vance from the point where Geary's Division
halted"
There can be no doubt, as the Colonel says.
that Gen. Hooker told him that the capture of
Lookout Mountain was mistake thanks to
the iron Brigade Alas they had not for
gotten the memorable Sunday afternoon at
Chickamauga, where they had the honor of
being one of the two brigades which, under the
gallant Stecdman, drove the rebel horde from
the right and rear of Thomas, and so effectually
cleaned out that valley of the shadow of death.
"a mistake"! Yes, but no part of the Army of
the Cumberland was to be plucked of their
laurels; and as the Iron Brigade" came to
the rescue on Sunday afternoon, the last if not
the least in the struggle, it was now their turn
to take the lead They set the example, and
the grand old Army of the Cumberland caught
it up as if by magic, and i'll their front Mission
Ridge proved as but mole hill to the noun
tain-aud contrary to the plan, too, Colonel.
Had that bold dash of Whitaker's Brigade
proved a failure, as Gen. Grant remark ed to
Gen. Thomas on the following day, when the
Army of the Cumberland was making the dash
for Mission Ridge, Somebody would have
been to bame;" bat as it turned out as it did,
Colonel, in the name of all that is just and
right give the honor to whom honor is DUE
+. f. OLNEY, Warsaw. Ind