The National tribune., 1886-03-11
MONOCACY.
A Comrade Thinks Gen. Wallace Handles the
Truth Too Carelessly.

To THE EDITOR: There is statement from
the pen of Gen. Wallace, now going the rounds
of the press, in reference to Gen. Halleck S
jealousy of Gen. Grant which in part might
be true; but there are some things said in that
article at least by inference, that are not true.
He states that the battle of Monocacy was
| fought by 1o0-days' men principally; that Hal
leck refused to order reinforcements until after
the battle and not till he had seen Grant in
person. This will be news to the Old Third
Division of the old Bloody Sixth Corps. This bat
tie was fought on the 9th of July. On the 9th,
the Third Division, Sixth Corps, under Gen
Ricketts,, marched from in front of Petersburg
TO City Point and embarked on transport City of
Albany; on the morning of the 9TH reached
Baltimore, and from there moved by rail to
MOnocacy Junction, arriving there about 3
o'clock p. m. of the Sth, where we found two
Generals wallace and Tyler and about 1000
100 days men. Now, did Ricketts's Division
move without orders? If Wallace is
rect, we undoubtedly did Said article
totally ignores the presence of the Third Di-
vision in said battle, and says it was princi-
pally fought by 1O0-days' men. Let us see.
When we arrived we found the two Generals
with the 10th Ohio, one Maryland regiment
of 100days' men, Capt. Alexanders battery,
six three-inch guns and two or three companies
of cavalry under Clendenin,-abOut 1000 un-
disciplined men to fight 10000 old veterans of
Lees army,-with which Wallace says he
saved the Capital, holding them in check from
morning until evening. Il should like to see
list of their killed and wounded) Now the
truth is that if there was any saving of the
Capital on that day, it was Ricketts, Division
of the Sixth Corps that should claim that honor.
That they bore the brumt of that battle is
known fact; their killed and wounded, amount
ing to about 900, prove that fact. Gen. Lew
Wallace, in his official report, says:
The men of Ricketts's Division were not
whipped, but retired reluctantly under my
orders They bore the brunt of the battle with
a GOODNESS and steadineSs which / venture has
not been eXcelied in any battle of the war"
This is correct extract from the report of
the battle and proves two things out of his
mouth: First reiniorcemcnts came to him be-
fore the battle, and that the battle was not
fought principally by 100-days' men. l was
present as a member of the Sixth Corps, and
my regiment (l26th Ohio lost As men killed
and wounded out Of about 800 that went into
the fight.
Many of the old boys will remember the 100
days regiment that was back on the mountain
in the rear drawing rations (fghting) while
the battle was raging the fercest, and of the
new clothing we picked up on the retreat
thrown away by said regiment in its retreat
the old gray-headed 100-days' Colonel who
met US some three miles from the battlefield
aud ordered RickcttSs men into file and wanted
US to march as on parade, and the cursng he
received from the boys, telling him to go and
hunt his bread-and- butter regiment, etc. Let
our Generals, when they write, tell all, and not
keep back facts that do not suit their purpose.
-126TH OHIO, Mt. Pleasant Ind.