Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-07-29
A Old Man Speaks.

MIR. EDIToR:-My attention has he en-
called TO an article in the Comet of John
son City of the 9Th inst. making state
ments in regard 10 the conduct of Col. A.
J. Brown during the war: II Col. Brown
had never been a candidate for office we
would never have heard Of any such
charges as arc being published against
him. If Col. Brown can be fairly beaten
| say, amen, let the will Of the freemen
of this judicial cilcuit be done, but when
such base and slanderous falsehoods are
published and circulated. ! think 1t right
and proper that the truth should be
known, and | am certain s9 pe,has any
better chance to know the truth of the
matter than myself. When the news of
Col. Browns retreat from Greeneville
was brought to our camp at Bulls Gap it
was brought by some Of the soldiers Of
his command who had been slightly
wounded, among whom was Woodson
Cope a member Of my original company
and who nov lives in this county. ! was
ordered to have my battalion in readiness
for action at once and report to Gen. Gil
lem this / did as soon as possible, and
was at once ordered to march out on the
Greeneville road, meet and reinforce Col.
Brown and report to him for duty. Imet
Col. Brown two miles from our camp
though | had met most of his command
before / met him. When / met the Col.
he was rallying a few of his men TO check
the advance Of the enemy at the crossing
of some small stream, L at once reported
to him for duty when / was ordered to
send forward skirmishers and form men
for a charge. This was quickly done,
for the enemy vas then In plain view.
Our advance drove the enomy into q has.
ty retreat and a short pursuit ended the
matter. No blame, c%efsufs, or rcprimand
of Col. Brown was ever mentioned by
General Gillem in any general order or
otherwise, and ] know the fact to be that
Col. Brown had the confidence md respect
Of General Gillem as we'll as the officers
and soldiers of his W command. / was
under command of Col. Brown from the
fall of 1858 until the spring Of 1865; was
all the time able for active duty, and had
plenty Of II to do. and / know that Col.
Brown never shrank from any danger OF
responsibility, and he that says anything
to the contrary ISLANDERS Col. Brown and
the brave men who fought under him.
Col. Brown fought with his men, exposed
himself to danger when his men were ex.
posed, pursued the enemy when we rout
cd them and rctreated with us when We
were forced to retreat. Col, now Judge,
Rose was captured by Col Browns com
mand at Morristown, on the 2Sth of Oct,
1864. Col. Brown leading the charge
against the enemy's battery on that day.
Col. Brown never rode an iron gray horse
during the war, as 'onc who knows
now asserts, but on the contrary, at the
time of the Greencville affair rode his
large sorrel roam. Cone who knows Il
mistaken about Cob Rpowh bending his
sabre over his horse. The sabre had goot
temper and spring and would not bend
This fellow certainly knows but it'll,
|. about the temper of a good sabre, or
brave man either. for q good sabre ncvc
bends. and a good soldier Is meyer whip
/, ped though he may be vanquished an'
: forced to retreat. | saw an article In tn
, Comet Of last week purporting 70 be fron
9 Kyle's Ford. This place. Kyle's Ford !
, in my neighborhood Here have bee
! brought up; here | was born sixty year
ago. l know every mag In my count
, that ever at any time belonged 10 Co
; Browns command, the Sth Tenn, Ca'
il We are some of us Republicans and som
9 Democrats, but none Of US will, or cv'
y can be found to indorse the Statement
. made in the article referred 10, and ] he
assert without going into detail that Il
n article referred to, signed '92 degrees,
Is false, slanderous and malicious. I'll
soldiers who were under Col. Brown