The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-11-04
CONDENSED LETTERS.


Wash. Ter, sends an excellent defense of the
LIST Iowa from the charge of having been rout-
ed at Wilson's Creek. The NATIONAL TRIB-
UNE has already yielded a large amount of
space to the comrades of this gallant regiment,
and they have made good use of IL by album
dainty disproving the charge and effectually
repelling Capt. Cracklin's uuintentional assault
upon their good name and fame. The dOcu-
mentary evidence cited by Comrade Williams
has already been published.
John j. Bennett, Co. /, 10th ". Y, wonders
how it was that many of the soldiers saw so
much of the various battles. He says he gen.
orally had all he could attend to without
watching other companies and regiments. He
gives some of bis recollections of Gettysburg.
John A. Jones, Corp, Co. ID, 64th ILL.,, Strum,
Wis, tells of the part his command took in the
battle of Bentonville. He was in Gen. Full
ler's Brigade. consisting of the 9th and 18th
Ohio, 18th Mo. and 9th Ill.-First Brigade,
First Division. Seventeenth Corps.
VIM. Defebaugh, Co. G., 18th Ohio, Seely,
Kan, writes of a Confederate picket who de-
serted his post at the foot of Lookout Noun
tain in November, 1863 swan the Tennessee
River and made his way to the Union Camp.
Comrade Defebaugh's sympathies were so
greatly aroused that he took the shoes from his
own feet and gave them to-the barefooted de-
serter. Some of the boys "chipped in a
blouse and other articles of clothing and made
him very comfortable Comrade Defebaugh
will be glad to hear from the deserter if he is
living. He also says that he has in his possess
sion Bible picked up at Bentonville with the
name of Henry j. Kempson written in it. He
Will be glad to return it to the owner.
III. A. Trip, 10Th Me-, Blue Hill, Me-, claims
that Lieut.-Col. Bailey, 4th Wis, originated
the idea of the Red River dam, and that il was
built under his direction. In evidence he cites
Gen. Banks, Col. Isaac Dyer, 18th Me-; Lieut.
pI n D.
Col. j. G.. Wilson, A. ID. c.; Brig. Gen. W. III.
Emory, commanding First Division, Nine
teenth Corps, and Rear-Admiral ID. ID. Porter.
The latter said: Words are inadequate to
express the admiration feel for the abilities of
eut.-Col. Bailey. This is without doubt, the
best engineering feat ever performed. >
The highest honors the Government can bestow
on Col. Bailey can never repay him for the
services he has rendered the country"
Jno. III. Dickson, Sergeant, Co. L. Goth Ind,
New Philadelphia, o., says Comrade Curtis, in
The NATIONAL TRIBUNE of Sept. 80, was in
error in saying that the 60th Ind. was one of
the regiments surrendered at MHndfordville,
KY. He says that at the time of the surrender
the 6Oth Ind. was at Bowling Green and
Lebanon Junction, and marched back to Louis
vile with BuelPs army.
John j. Gangwer Easton, Pa, says a good
word for Battery G, 5th u. s. Art, to which he
belonged. He says the battery contained SO
young men all under age when they enlisted
at Easton in September, 1861. They served
five years and nine months, being mustered out
in 1867. The battery was in all the prominent
battles of the Army of the Potomac, being
attached at various times to the First, Second
Fifth and Ninth Corps. OF the So young men
referred to but IL or Is are now living.
Jacob Fink, First Lieutenant, Co. ID, 55th H.,
Canton, ILL.,, did not see anything in Gen.
Leggetts article on the battle of Atlanta that
would injure the reputation of the Fifteenth
Corps. He says the members of that Corps
were too well-known through the Western
Army as both soldiers and foragers to be in
danger of having it destroyed by anybody.
Jno. Z. LiveZey, Captain, Co. C., 36th Ind =,
New Castle, Ind, replying to Comrade Blundin,
2Sth Pa, who claimed that the battle of Look
out Mountain was fought solely by the White
Star " men, says that his brigade, of the Fourth
Corps, was very actively engaged in that fight,
and there is no question that other troops be-
sides the Twentieth Corps bore an honorable
part in that battle. He says there were no
better troops in the army than the Twentieth
Corps, but they must not claim the entire
earth.
III. NJ. Biggs, Sergeant, Co. G, 37th ILL.,, and
Captain, 92d U. s. G.. t., of Portland, Ore, en-
deavors to harmonic the accounts given by
Lieut.. Hill and Maj. Poole of the Marmaduke
raid. He says the river mentioned by one of
them was not the Big Black, but the st. Fran
els, as there is no river called the Big Black
west of the Mississippi. In regard to the state
ment that some of the Union soldiers were
killed by the fire of their own batteries he
says: "Our batteries were using some captured
ammunition, and much of it exploded prema-
turely. Capt. Bell, of Co. G.. was on my left,
and Lieut.. Joseph Eaton, of Co. II. on my right.
A shell dropped among US and exploded. A
piece about two inches square went crashing in
at Lieut.. Eatons left ear, killing him instantly.
The conclusion of the shell knocked me over,
and it was thought at first that /, too, was
killed; but that was all the damage that was
DONE"
Jacob F. Goltry, 37th Ind, Zero, Iowa, insists
that portion at least of the Fourteenth Corps
was engaged in the fight at New Hope Church,
on the Atlanta campaign. His regiment was in
the Third Brigade, First Division of that corps,
and his company lost five killed and Ii
wounded on the banks of Pumpkin Vine Greek