The National tribune., 1886-03-11
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
TUPELO.
Comrade Fitch Tells How A. ]. Smith Retreated TO
Memphis.

an account of the battle sf Tupelo, Miss, by A.
L. Glanville ofthe 10th MINI. am always in
terested in anything relating TO that gallant
old war horse, A. J. Smith, 1.-THE hero of a nun
dred battles"
have never seen "Champlin's Young Folks
History of the War;" but after reading the de-
lcious extract quoted by your correspondent,
in which the ver&cious chronicer says that "A.
J. Smith, like Sturgis. was forced TO retreat TO
Memphis" / should not be surprised to find in
said History" the information that Ander-
sonville was located in Central Park, y. Y;
that It's inhuman brutalities were inflicted on
Confederate prisoners, and that Peter Cooper
was the Geudish keeper of the prison.
The old veterans history of the war is good
enough for me.
| strongly suspect that when Old 4. Us
geography class gets to reciting, Mr.. Champlin
will begin to
Oh. for a lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some bouudiess contiguiiy of shade,
Where rumor of oppression and deceit,
OF unsuccessful or successful war,
Night never reach him more.
Your correspondent refers TO the SD Wis. as
having captured a stand of colors on July 13
on the march 10 Tupelo.
was at that time Adjutant of the SD Wis,
and, like Comrade Granville, have very dis
tinct recollection of helping Old A. j. do a
little Growing on that Confederate dunghill."
At the time the raid on Tupelo was organ
q Il ~.
worn and weary from covering the retreat of
Ranks's great army for about AGO miles, after
his disastrous encounter with Kirby Smith, were
resting at Memphis, Tenn. They were at that
place when the news of the disgraceful rout of
Sturgis was received, and Gen. Smith was or
dered to move Immediately on Joe Forrest and
"take the conceit out of him.
"The boys" received the order with shouts
of delight, for they had learned by experience
that A. J. was man who never failed to :" get
there" He was not one of those tony officers
who took their position in some safe place in
the rear and sent an Aid-de-Camp to tell his
men to go" His way was TO take the lead
and say come" and come they did every time.
So perfect Was the confidence of his troops in
their leader that they would have stuck to the
tail of his old black PAGER if it had led them to
the mouth of the bottom!esS pit.
ComTade Glanville having indicated the line
of march, will only mention an incident or
two which occurred on the march.
The country through which we passed was
bitterly secesh; the people were elated at For
rests easy victory over Sturgis, and we were
often entertained with accounts of the a. lick
ing" we were TO get as soon as Joe Forrest got
a sight of u.s. These stories were meant to be
blood-curdling, but the blood of old A. Us boys
didn't "curale" worth a cent. | remember
that as we passed by an orchard the boys
stopped to I'll their pockets with the fruit and
made the sneenng remark, q Take all you want
now, for you wont have time to stop for any
when you come back"
On the evening of July IL we campcd near
Pontotoc Miss, after a skirmish with part of
Forests command. Being on short rations
the boys were pretty hungry, and Immediately
Instituted a search for something 10 replenish
their hayersacks. One of the SD Wis. boys.
in rausacking house near the camp, chanced
upon package of love letters, which he con-
fscated and brought to camp. They were very
sweet and juicy, though not, strictly speaking
good to eat, but they served to help the boys
forget their hunger for time at least.
crowd soon collected, one of their number was
installed as reader, and then the fun began.
The letters We're written by secesh widower
named Marcellus to his fGace, whose name l
remember, but viii not mention here. If Mar
cellns could have seen that group of grimy and
dust-coveTed fanks as they sat or reciined on
the-ground in various positions, listening to
the reading Of his precious cpistIes and could
have heard their original and derisve COM
ments on his loftier flights of eloquence, /
think his soul would have burned within him
while the unctuOus " yum -yums," and the sa-
lacious smacking Of lips, which greeted the
more aTnorOuS passages, would have provoked
a roar Of laughter from Gabriel himself
The capture Of the stand of coiors, already
referred to, was at Camargo Cross roads At
this place desperate attempt was made to cap
ture our wagon-train, the sd Wis. acting as
train-guard on that day tthe l3th). The enemy
were sheltered by clump of timber on the
right of the road and within a few rods of the
train. The 33d Wis. was ordered to charge the
enemy, TO which they instantly responded with
yell that walked the echoes, driving the enc
my from their position, who in their hurry
to get away, left their dead and wounded aud
Q stand Of cOlors on the ground.
The battle of Tupelo, on the 14th and 18th,
&c 4, ,-y,.f L. IL
Our regiment (33d Wis., supported Millers
battery, and was stationed Immediately on its
left Directly on our front, and within easy
rifle range, was a body of timber and on our
right-oblique was a large cornfeld. The in
tervenIng space was open ground, sloping down
ward to the woods
1t was here that Col. Wilkins, of the 9th
Mimi. lost his life. / was riding with him
along the line when he was struck by bullet
and fell heavily to the ground, expiring soon
after IN the arms OF a soldier of his regiment
Near the close of the second days battle Gen.
Smith, accompanied by his riglit-hand man,
Fighting Joe Mower" rcde up to the extreme
front Of the line and remained for several min
utes surveying the field. As he sat erect on his
horse ball struck his hat and another ball
struck one OF his stirrups, to which he paid not
the slightest attention. grand charge was
ordered and made in magnificent style This
charge closed the battle Of Tupclo. The re-
OouDldbIC JOc rOTItbb lieu luCOullnentIy, leaS-
ing his dead and wounded on the field of bat
tie. Not another shot was fired until the rebs
emerged from the woods, at a point about a
mile distant. Then our batteries played on
them until they were out of sight. That was
the way A. j. Smith was forced TO retreat to
Memphis"
The number of killed and wounded of For
rests army was estimated at 24O0 How nearly
correct this estimate was do not know, but |
know that the number was quite large, for they
lay thickly scattered through the woods and in
the c0rnfeld. The wounded rebs were taken
Of the field III our ambulances and by our men.
The memory of the Fort Pillow massacre was
fresh in the minds OF the wounded Johnnies,
and they begged Us not to let the niggers get
at them, many Of them saying, IL wasn't at
Fort Pillow"
] hope we shall hear from others of A. ].
Smiths command who were engaged in this
battle, for / think it has not been generally un-
derstood, and that the gallant A. J. has not re-
ceived the credit TO which he is justly entitled.
Speak up, comrades. Let us make little his
tory of our own on this subject.-A. II. FITCH,
+aip n N