The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-01-07
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
THE LYNCHBURG RAID.
"BHokeye" COrreeis ComraGe Croft in His Account
of That Affair.


of That Affair.
To THE EDITOR: Since becoming regular
reader of The NATIONAL TRIBUNE / have
noticed several articles descriptive of marches
and battles, in which detected trifiing mac
curacies: but, OF course, no one expects that
comrades who write perhaps mainly from
memory rs | DO myself, vii! get the details all
straight after lapse of 20 years. However,
am inclined to think that If | should live until
the next centennial, / could still, at the end of
that time. provided | should be really DESTROYS
of relating events as they actually happened,
strike little nearer the mark than did Serg't
Joshua Croft in his recent attempt 10 write up
the Lynchburg raid.
He starts out with the assertion that the
small band of soldiers who marched from
Charleston, W. Va, under Averell, consisted of
the Saith Ohio and part of the 18th Pa. Cav.
Correct enough as far as it goes but why did he
not mention the other regiments of the COM
mand? The Ist and I'd and part OF the Sd
W. Va. Cav marched under Averell upon that
same expedition. Now, if Comrade Croft
wished 10 give us fair and truthful account of
the affair. it strikes me that he should have
named all the regiments that participated;
while. on the other hand, if his object was simply
to blow his bugle for the 14th Pa. Cav, why did
he not leave out the Saith Ohio, claim all the
honors for his own regiment, and be done with
it? He says: We left Charleston on the 2d of
May, 1864, and on the I'd" the same day, re-
member I'VE had Skirmish atJefersonville."
Pretty tall marching that, when we consider
that Jacksonville is, as the bird flies, about
100 miles south Of Charleston. The following
day he SAYS we arrived at Logan Courthouse.
Just why Comrade Croft makes us turn square
about and march back 40 miles to Logan Court
house, i do not know. Perhaps he can en-
Tighten US on this point.
He goes on TO say that "on the 18th we crossed
another mountain, aud on the summit of it We
I'LL
40 rebels? Not the Nth Pa. Cav, my friend
nor were the rebels captured on the summit,
except a small picket guard.
The I'd ". Va. Cav. had the advance that
day. On the summit of the mountain the
enemy had picket-poSt The guard, think
consisted of about seven men. Col Powell in
some way learned of this picket, and one of our
officers Capt. Jerry Davidson, think went for
ward with squad of dismounted men, gained
the rear of the pickets stole III upon them, and
captured the guard without firing gun. 1t was
raining, and they, not suspecting danger, were
all under shelter, engaged in game of cards We
then charged down into the valley beyond
Apo Valley it is called-where the company
was stationed to which the captured pickets
belonged, and captured the whole outfit with
out serious opposition. The mail-carrier had
just left, going toward Wythevilie. Some of
the boys chased him pretty closely for mile
so. but he was well mounted and escaped. l
do not now remember how many prisoners there
were in all; but l do remember that in point
of intelligence they were above the average
Confederate, and were very much chagrined
over their discontinue.
Comrade Croft says further: On the 10th
we met an unexpected force of rebels under
command of Gen. Pickett, consisting of 5000
infantry" His regiment, he says was in adj
vance; that they formed in line and fought
them until the rebels began to flank them on the
right, when they fell back in line with the Saith
Ohio; after that the Johnnes didn't press them
very hard, ETC.; as much as to say the 18th Pa.
did all the fighting, with the Saith Ohio in re-
serve. Well, Comrade Croft was ON the right
while my regiment was on the extreme left of
the line. He ought to know best what hap
pened at his end of the line, but beg leave TO
say that the Bath Ohio, to my certain knowl-
edge, did some savage fighting at uncomfortably
close quarters Oh that field. l remember of
one of our boys exclaimng during the heat of
the action: =" Look over there at the 3ith
Look over there at the 3ith."
had not, up to that time, paid any attention
to that part of the field; but now glapcing
across in that direction / saw that they were
being fercely assailed by superior force of the
enemy, who were driving them but it was
slow drive, and if l am not greatly mistaken,
their line and that of the enemy was not more |
than three rods apart. The 34th Ohio were |
glorious fighters always, and got in some of
their best at Cove Gap, Va. May 10, 1864.
Ofthe part played by my own regiment in that |
engagement i shall say nothing. But to satisfy |
Serg't Croft, and all others interested that we |
were thar l append the following from the !
official report ofthe General commanding:
The General commanding desires TO express !
his high appreciation of the steady and skilful !
evolutiOns of the Cd w. Va. Cav, under Col |
Powell, upon the field of battle. 1t was a dress
parade, that continued without disorder, under
8 heavy fire, for over four hours"
shall not follow Comrade Croft further at
this time, but in conclusion desire to thank
Comrade John II. Prather, of the 9Ist Ohio for
his very interesting and / believe truthful ac-
count of the Lynchburg affair. That was an
expedition fraught with many incidents and
personal adventures, which if written up would
be of great interest not only to the survivors of
the illstarred expedition, but to all soldiers and
friends Of soldiers. Let the old boys step to the
fropt.-BUCKEYE, Creola, O.