The National tribune., 1886-02-25
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
CAPTURE OF MOBILE.
Let Justice BE Done to the Sixteenth Corps.


merity TO attcmpt TO reply TO so well written a
paper as thaJ OF ComTade Fry on the capture
Of Mobile" the fairness of which IS 50 lnNari-
able and the statements in the mann so accu-
rate. But its omissions touch those Tor wnonl L
write iii a very tender place, and compel me,
as the historian OF my regiment ana rs one
who was there, to rush into print Tor thclr
sakes. THIS is no matter of the unfurlinS oil the
first dag ar who first marched into an unresisV-
ing city. but one of real yaior shown and serv-
ice rendered. and we cannot afford to let the
men who deserve pobly suffer through the ig-
norance or inadvertencc of those VINO are con-
tTibutlng TO the rapid crystallizauon ot history
in TIE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
The facts are simply these: Comrade Fry
says that Gen. CaHby'S beseglng force at span
ish Fort consisted of the Thirteenth and SIX
teenth Corps, commanded respectively by Gen
Gordon Granger and A. ]. Smith, with 5000
men advancing from Pensacola, Fla, under
Gen. Steele which ultimately operated against
Blakely All this is correct. But having IN
troduced the Sixteenth Corps into his nara
tive he does not mention il again In any way,
either in siege or surrender. lie disposes oil the
whole affair of investment and Is days of siege
more than equaling that OF NIcksburg LOT It's
length in its crcencSS, and loss on both sides, all
in the interest OF the Thirteenth Corps and con-
cludes his account in these words: " This awful
Ere iartillery fireI continued until midnight.
AT , O'Clock a. m Gen. Bartram Iof the Thir-
teenih Corps entered the fort without opposl-
tiou. Over 600 prisoners and 80 heavy guns
were captured. The most Of the garrison had
escaped under the cover of darkness"
That incosed in brackets is mine. This
is a wonderful StateEent-"a most lame ana
impotent conclusion" Two corps hShtlnS TO
their utmost and aided by the gunboats for IL
days with such an ending, And ii illustrates
the often -rcierred-to truth that no comprehen-
sive account of extended military operations
can be written from one standpoint.
Now, where was the Sixteenth Corps all this
time? Not where was the rest OF the Ihlr-
teenth Corps? Comrade Fry writes for that
Nor, where WAS Gen. Steele? Comrade Fry tells
US he was at Blakely, and does him full justice
But where was that gallant veteran, Gen. A. j.
Smith, with his Sixteenth Corps, that hrst
DROVE THE ENEMY
into Spanish Fort on the 9th of March, while
the Thirteenth Corps was back at Sibley's
Mills? Where was the whole right of the in
vesting army? Had it gone to sleep at the con-
clusion of that fearful cannonade at midnight
waiting two hours or more for Gen. Bartram TO
discover, way down on the left, next to Mo-
bile Bay, that the enemy had evacuated? Not
q bit of it.
And this was the fashion of it The imme-
diate right of our line, resting on little BayOu
Minette" was held by the Third Brig gade of the
Third Division, Sixteenth Corps, consisting OF
the 9Th Iowa and the S1st, 10Sth and l24th ILL.,
Col Geddes, of the Sth Iowa, commanding.
The division was commanded by Gen. +. A.
Carr. In the early evening, when the cannon
ade mentioned by Comrade Fry was at its
fercest, Gen. Carr determined to carry small
hiliock or crest, covered with pines, near the
extreme left Of the enemy, and constituting
sort of detached portion of their works. for the
purpose of planting battery upon it, He as
sued his orders 10 Col. Geddes, who gave the
execution OF the assault to Lieut.-Col. Bell, of
his OWN regiment, who gaiiantly accomplished
it with three companies, supported by the rest
of the brigade in the rife-pits, who engaged
the enemy so hotly as to seem TO blind them to
the forward movement. As soon as the victors
had gained the crest, seeing their advantage
and emboideDed by their success, they rushed,
without orders from any general officer, upon
the adjacent pits, Joined by the rest of their
regiment, capturing $50 prisoners, three stands
of colors, and about 800 yards of the Confeder
ate works, before friends or foes hardly real
lzed what was being attempted. In fact, it was
a surprise TO them, and was one OF the most
dashing and brilliant exploits of the war.
The rest OF the brigade Immediately rushed
out OF their trenches and entered the works.
Cos. and (, Of the 124th H., were thrown
forward as skirmishers inside and moved rap
idly forward, under the command of Capt \.
II. Pratt, the left OF his line sweeping the in
ner side of the works. After advancing about
$50 yards piece of artillery opened upon them
With grape, but they
SPEEDILY CAPTURED IT
and those who served it, with its fellow, which
had not been discharged. Soon the rest of the
regiment came up, and all moved on to old
Spanish Fort in the darkness, capturing several
other guns, with more prisoners than their
own force numbered, and literally stampediug
the garrison. While in Spanish Fort, about
midnight, having done their work and stacked
arms Tor snort rest, the Octorara not know
ing the change of occupation, dropped a hun
dred pound shell among them. Not caring to
rest under such circumstances and finding
nothing further to do, they withdrew, leaving
the works cleaned out, reaching their quarters
about 3 III the morning.
No wonder Gen. Bartram found the enemy
gone at o'clock, and Comrade Fry doubtless
stated the exact truth, as far as it went, when
he so concluded his narrative. But the more
than 500 prisoners taken by Gen. Carr's Divis-
ion over on the extreme right knew how it
came about. And those gallant men who
made that charge in the dark TO the deafen-
ing music of that terrific cannonade, under
stood ii. So, too, that skirmish line Of two
companies inside the works, sweeping on to the
old fort between 10 and 12 at night, till some of
their own number asked their Captain, Are
you going TO take US to Mobile unsupported?"
knew the enemy had gone, and why, long be-
fore our left found il out.
There is no deception about this, Mr. Editor
Those men were Nicksburg veterans and knew
the character of the service they were render
ing, and the laurels they so bravely won should
not be pluckcd or suffered to fall from their
brows And since | am SO near it in this article
desire to notice another matter for moment
in the interest Of the facts. Comrade Fry gives
rs TO understand that Batteries Huger and
Tracy-they were only batteries, not forts
surrendered Immediately after Spanish Fort,
and before Blakely was taken. In my diary
which / incorporated into the history of my
regiment. ] find as follows: THE next morn
ing [April 10l all was still to the northward,
but the batteries on the river below us-Hueer
and Tracy-shelled the bridge by which we
had crossed Bayou Minette quite heavily, and
somewhat annoyed our troops that were cross
ing. As a consequence the battery on Bayou
Minette opened Oh them with spirit, and an
other was planted near where we now were,
on the north shore Of the bayou, to
RAKE THEM IN THE MORNING.
tWesoon learned that Blakely had been taken
by assault the eveAng before, and the prisoners
began TO pass by early in the day. We observed
In all about 5000, Of whom very many were
especially noticeable from their extreme old
age or youth. They were Thomas's Alabama
Reserves and truly, as was often said, both the
cradle and the grave had been robbed 10 furnish
them = :
AT 10 o'clock on the 11th we moved camp
about three miles as it was expected Huger
and Tracy would reply to our new battery as
soon As If onened and that YonId imnaril ne