The National tribune., 1886-10-14
CONDENSED LETTERS.

| raue M0OdWard should Drusn up MS memory
The battle Of Franklin was fought Nov. 80
1864, aud the battle of Nashville Dec. 10 and IL
! following. There is not the slightest chance
| for debate on this subject. In this respect il
| is fortunately unlike the recapture of dc
! Gresss battery, the first flag on Mission Ridge
the capture Of the guns at Knob Gap and nu-
meross other controversial tOpics.-ED. TRIB-
/ UNEl
James H. Clement, Davenport, Iowa, writes
that in 1859 he was a member OF Go. /, 2d o. S
Dragons, and it was well known that Private
James Bates an old soldier of that company,
was the inventor of the Sibley tent, and that
Maj. Sbley stole the invention, got il patented,
and Private Bates never received a cent.
Thomas +. Anton, Co. X, S9th Ind, Decatur,
Ind, correcting COmrade Charles A. Curtis in
regard 10 the surrender at Munfordville, says
the first attack was made at o'clock Sunday
morning, Sept. IL, 1862. There was hard fight
ing for several hours but little after that day.
On Wednesday morning, Sept. Il, the entire
garrison, under Col. Wilder. was surrendered
TO Gen. Bragg. The troops captured were the
50th, Goth, 9th and S9th Ind. besides several
detachments and two batteries, making in all
100 officers aud men surrendered.
John Kelly, Battery L (Totten's), Cd u. s.
Art, Anderson Ind, was at the battle Of Will
sons Creek and is sure the 1st Iowa did not
run from the field as related by Capt. Crack
lin. He hopes the members of that regiment
will deny the unfounded charge. THE boys of
the LIST Iowa seem to be doing pretty well in
this respect. They are evidently as well able
10 defend themselves now as they were at VIII
sons Creel.-ED. TRIBUNE.l
II. A. Trip, First Sergeant, Co. F, 10th Me-,
Bluehill Me, says in answer 10 ii. M. Riggs,
Captain, 92d U. S. c. T.. that the Goth n. Y.
was assigned TO the First Brigade, First Di-
vision, Nineteenth Corps, at MOreanzia, La, in
June, 1864, from Growers (Second) Division, of
that Corps, and that during the marching and
fighting above Alexandria in April, 1864, Gro
vers Division was in Alexandria.
j. l.. Rhoads, Go. i, lst Neb., Logan, Kan,
thinks Comrade Hill, in a recent issue of THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE, claimed all the honor for
his own regiment and left out in the cold the boys
who really licked Marmadukc" at Cape Girar-
deau. He says the lst Neb. was there and its
presence was very obnoxious TO Marmaduke.
Ii was the only infantry that staid by aud sup
ported the artillery, and then, joining in the
chase, drove the rebels into Arkansas.
Charles Barnard, 10th Mo-, Floral, Ark,
wishes that some of the Union soldiers present
at the battle of Poison Springs, in South Ar
kansas, would furnish an account of the way
they were treated as prisoners OF war. He
says: Confederate soldiers, reliable men, have
stated that wounded Union prisoners were
thrown into long pit and buried alive, though
crying for mercy that some who were scarcely
then thrown in among the dead. These Con-
federate eyewitnesses were so disgusted with
such harbarous conduct that they would gladly
have left the service did they not know that
they would have been pursued and shot"
]. +. Starcher, Co. c, Sd VIVA, CRANKY, NO.,
desires 10 say TO Comrade j. Guthrie Savage
that If he was really in the battle of Cedar
Mountain, Aug. 8, 1862, he did not belong to
Co. b, Sd WA, as absolutely know that said
sha hat
after the fight was over, and did nothing but
picket duty and burying the dead, under flag
of truce two or three days after the battle.
was one Of those detailed TO assist in burying
the dead, and shall never forget the part my
regiment took on that battlefield. We were
not al Antietam."
George Shecl1ler, Co. E, 34th Ohio Columbia
City, Ind, does not agree with Comrade Prather
in regard 10 the fight at Stevenson's Depot.
de says the rebel cavalry did not "ride through
the 34th Ohio; on the contrary, they did not
get nearer than 25 or 80 rods, when Cos. Z and
q, Of the 34th, gave them a yolley that sent
them back quicker than they came"
Henry ]. Blaisdell, Co. c, 4th Pa. Cav, Oak
dale, Hernando Co., Fla, writes briefly con-
cerning some of his old comrades and says that
he would be greatly pleased TO hear from any
of his old regiment particularly those of Co. G.
He writes: i" / am in the best part of Florida
on the Gulf Coast, in q new place just starting.
There is room here for all that will come, and
i will reply 10 all letters with stamp and tell
my friends the truth. There are some good
homesteads here yet, but they are going fast
and will soon be gone"
Miss Louisa T. Gillespie, Tapleyville, Mass,
writes that she would be overioyed to have
some tidings Of her missing brother, Joseph A.
Gillespie. He was a member of Co. A, 23d
Mass, during the war. He left Salem, Mass,
about 10 years ago and has not since been heard
Of Amy one knowing anything of him will
confer favor by addressing her as above.
VIM. Nj. Foster, Reynoldsville, Pa, desires to
add TO the record Of the Foster family three
sons Of Daniel Foster, of Perry Township, JEFF
ferson Co., Pa. Hiram L. Foster was killed al
Petersburg; VIM. NJ. Foster and James C. Fos-
ter are still living.
5. ii. Raudebaugh, Co. X, 65th Ohio, Findlay,
o., writes that after the battle Of Mission
Ridge, when the Army of the Cumberland was
marching TO Knoxville TO relieve Burnside,
one very cold morning we passed a pond OF
water frozen over and a live duck frozen in the
ice about the middle Of the pond" He saws
he has told the story and is depressed over the
fact that people think he is ibbing and wont
believe him. He would like corroborative
testimony from his comrades TSince his mus
ter-out Comrade Raudebaugh has repented and
entered the ministry. SO ii is not to be wondered
at that he does not like TO get the name of tell
ing whoppers. If anyone knows about that
duck let him rise and speak.-ED. TRIBUNE. I
James L. Sowders, Co ID, 30th Ind, Clinton,
Iowa, approves sCommander-in-C Chief Fairchild's
appeal 70 the GAR. for aid for the Charleston
sufferers but says many of the old soldiers arc
unable 10 contribute, as they can barely provide
for themselves and their families. He will be
glad 10 see all help who can, and hopes that the
| Members OF Congress from the South will recin-
rocate next Winter by ceasng their opposition
to meritorious pension bills
&. Van Valkenburg, Co. +, 29th Ohio Paines.
ville,O, says that Comrade FarnswOrth's version
of the battle Of Dug Gap is generally correct.
The 29th Ohio went into the fight 300 strong
and lost 26 killed and wounded and 67 miss
ing.
"B. p" Stroudsburg, Pa says in regard 70
an article in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE stating
that Father Abraham's" substitute was killed
in the battle Of the Wilderness: 1T is not true,
because he lives in Stroudsburg, Monroe Co.,
| Pa, and his name is Summerfield Staples son
Of the Rev. John Staples"
L. w. Coils, lone Of the band BOYS Of First
Brigade" PendletOn, Ind, writes 20 correct the
statement of Il. w. Surby, 9TH III. Cav. that
the band OF his brigade played patriotic airs to
enllven the men i'm the charge on the redoubts
at Nashville. He says: 1--WE were with the
Second Brigade most Of the time ON the Hood
raid, and 10 my recollection that brigade had
no band. The First Brigade, Fifth Division "a
which j belonged, was composed of the Iotb
Mo-, llth Ind, 10th Tenn. and Sd H. and as the
llth Ind. was the only regiment that had a baud
| in the First Brigade il was called the Brigade
/ Band. We We're mounted on l6 white horses
and tried TO do our duty in cheering the bows
with music and caring for the wounded"
j. III. Revell Go. M, 18th Mo. Cav, Savannah,
MO-, thinks that If the Government would do