The National tribune., 1885-09-17
Averysboro aud Bentonville, N. C.

To THE EDITOR: / have been subscriber
and constant reader of your valuable paper Tor
about two years. and enjoy reading the differ
ent accounts Of the " wah" as seen by the COM
rades from different standpointS Now, if there
Is anything dislike, it is this continual wTang-
ling; but if comrade makes big mistake,
then, correct him, and let it stand at that. Now,
Gen. Carlin mentions Baird's Third Division.
Fourteenth Corps, as engaged at Ayerysbor0,
n. g., the 10th of March, 1865, when the facts
are, it was the Second, or Morgan's Division,
Fourteenth Corps, and our regiment the 121st
Ohio were the skirmishers, joining the Twen-
tieth Corps skirmishers j know, Tor was in
command of our company * that day and it
was the first time that any of the boys ever re-
fused to charge the rebel earthworks. We had
driven them behind their main line, and held
good position about % rods from them; but
there was little Major in charge of the Twen-
tieth Corps skirmshers who wanted to get a
little glory and wanted us to charge. We said
no, unless the order came for general advance;
and We didn't. The next morning the John
nies were gone.
Now, in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE of a re-
cent date, COmrade Seaman, Co. q, 9Sth Ohio.
must have either been a recruit or an escaped
prisoner that came to us out of some of the
North Carolina swamps, to not know his COM
mander do not think Gen. Absalom Baird
would feel complimented TO be reduced from
the command OF a division to Il brigade that late
IN the war Brig.-Gen Jno. q. Mitchell COM
manded the Second Brigade, Second Division,
Fourteenth Corps, composed of the 9Sth l05th,
18th and l2lst Ohio, 18th and 3ith Ill. Jas
Morgan, Brigadier-General, commanded the
division. At the battle of Bcntonvilie the First
and Second Divisions, Fourteenth Corps (Car-
Inns and Morgan's) bore the brunt of that bat
tie. The Third Division (I'aird's) was not
there having been sent TO the right towards
Goldsboro with the supply train.
do not think Gems. Sl0cum or Sherman an
tlclpated fight there, and il it had not been
for the pluck OF the men it would probably have
been, as Gen. Joe Johnston told his men that
morning, they would gobble in those two di-
VISIONS OF the Fourteenth Corps" Our division
was nearl surrounded so that it fought from
the front, left flank and rear. Our regiment,
the 12lst Ohio, being in the second line of bat
tie, we were sent to left to fill gap between
our division and the First, and found that
Hokes, with two brigades OF his rebel division
had got there ahead of us, We then fell grad
ually back, stopping to deliver our compIi-
ments to them occasionally, until we crossed a
deep swamp, when our First Brigade drew their
1.-THE rebels') fire, and the rebs made q half-left
wheel, facing what had been the rear of the
First Brigade, Second Division, Fourteenth
Corps, leaving the 12lst Ohio and few men
from Carlin's Division on the right flank of the
rebS, with the swamp between. We reformed
and with fixed bayonets charged back across
the swamp, rs the boys used to say, OH their
end; at the same time the First Brigade jump
ed their works and charged them in front, and
We drove them out faster than they came in !;
80 l claim the l2lst Ohio was the means
of saving Brig Gen. Jimmy Morgan's Second
DIVISION, Fourteenth Corps, from being cap
tured on the 18th day of March, 1865, near
Bentonville, N. c., the last heavy battle of the
war.-M l.. ADAMS, First Sergeant, Co. K,
l2lst 0hiO Csrdington, o.