The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-09-23
ANTIETAM AND COLUMBIA.
COmrade Walton Ably Defends Ills Articles on
These Two Fights.

To THE EDITOR: / see in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE OF sept that several of the com
radcs have trained their guns and aimed them
at my position taken on the above subjects,
but think their shells have gone wide OF the
mark aud left me unscathed but as they, or
some of them az least, seem 20 be inclined TO
mix little too much pepper in their powder,
think that sOldieHy courtesy on my part calls
tor mild reply.
The first article is that Of Comrade Potter,
OF Co. A, Both Mass, aud he winds up his
somewhat lengthy article by asking TO be ex-
cuscd from further controversy, and seems TO
think that ! ought To let ham have the last
shot which / should certainly do If the com
rade would shoot at the mark and hat II, which
he does not. In fact there never was any
call for war of words between Comrade Pot
ter and myself because 1 was telling OF part
OF a great battle that he could not possibly see,
aud he undertakes TO prove my position 10 be
false one by relating some other part OF the
same great battle that could not see.
The only point that 1 can see IN the COM
rade's communication that needs criticism Is
that be cannot conceive the idea that there
were any other troops doing any work around
the Burnside Bridge except those seen by HIM
soli or has line officers, and that have been
trying TO steal some OF the honor belonging TO
has or some other regiment both OF which are
sad mistakes on his part. However, as he now
gives mp the fact that our brigade did cross the
creek and come mp on the other side aud advance
90 the 'front.' that is some concession at least; and
a. he refers 10 the CoItu'y. let me ask him TO
what division did Gen Crooks Brigade belong
that Is shown In the Century 20 be above the
bridge with its left resting az the bridge and
the line running parallel with the croekg /
think YOU will hud the nth Ohio mentioned
by Conrad Edwards an that brigade; so, then,
when you hud that Crooks Brigade was part oi
CoN's kauawha Division 81 the Ninth Corps, as
u was known in that campaign, composed en-
tiroiy oil ONO troops, you must admit that the
buckeye boys were somewhat mixed mp ia the
little Job az the bridge, as some were just below
and some ust above il.
Comrade Potter objects 20 my statement OF
several charges being made at the bridge, and
j repeat the statement that IL he did not know
Of more than
ONE DASH At THE BRIDGE,
then he was not in sight Of il all the time that
! was for saw one or two attempts made on
the bridge before we started down the creek 10
wade across IL.
lie says further that fought not TO have
claimed the honor of the capture of the bridge"
In reply, repeat what / said before, that
have never claimed the honor OF its capture,
and will now add a little more and say that
when any one OF two regiments or even bril-
gades claim the honor Of the capture of that
historic bridge II only proves an old saying by
an ancient writer, to wit,
"Ho ONE SEES RATTLE.
The common soldier fires away at those in front
of him and sees but little beyond his own files"
And my opinion is that if the honors of that
struggle were placed exactly where they be-
long they would be pretty evenly divided up
among several brigades some Of which have not
even been mentioned in this little controversy
of ours.
Now, cOmrade, as we have both had our little
shots and nobody seems badly hurt let us start
up the "something-good-t TO eat business And
what shall il bel The bareback sow belly and
soggy light bread of the Army of the Poto-
mac1 The cornd0dgers, leather pies and paw
paws OF West Virginia bushwhacking2 The
sweet potatoes and fresh pork of "Sherman's
march tOthe scar" The corn stolen from under
the feet Of the mules and parched TO prevent
starvation at Chattanooga. or the soe-lcather
slaRjacks manufactured by the boys on the
Nicksburg campaign? / have been to all Of il,
and so you can take your choice of any Of the
above articles Of diet and am prepared todis-
cuss the subject from personal observation.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if my article is not getting
too long, will say a few kind words TO those
two Iowa comrades who took exceptions 10 my
article on the capture of Columbia =. &. Now,
sir, it seems 10 me that those two comrades
must be extremely hard up Tor a spat with some
one, for although do not remember my exact
language, distinctly remember that / did not
claim 10 have been the first i'm Columbia and
did not mean TO say that we crossed the Broad
River the same day that we crossed the Saluda
All that claimed was that our brigade was the
first b cross the SaluCa and that the Both Ohio
was in the advance OF Sherman's army until
the bridge across the Broad was burned by the
enemy, who was driven across said bridge by
the JOth Ohio and that was on the skirmish-
line that day all Of the time and know lust
what ! am talking about, while the two CON-
rades (Pallock and Luckey) recorded in their
diaries such events AS they saw and knew, but
which will not in any way contradict my state
ments If rightly understood; except that
COmrade PallOck's statement that the bridges
across Saluda aud Broad Rivers were burned on
the night of the 18th is not correct, and he
must have put that part Of il down in his diary
by guess, because every surviving member of
the Both Ohio who was present for duty on that
day will testify that the saluda bridge, at Sa-
lnda Factory, was burned on the morning of
the 10th of February. about o'clock, and that
the bridge across Broad River was burned about
q O'clock p. m. Of the same day.
de says: In the afternoon we crossed the
Saluda River on pOntOOn bridge and marched
over 10 Broad River" Correct, comrade; but
the Both Ohio drove the rebels from the west
bank of the Saluda on the morning of the 10th,
and up on TO the ridge, and thus made il posi-
the "other troops" mentioned in my former
article 10 cross Oh and march to the Broad
River, after we had driven them across the
bridge and seen il burned.
The cOmrade is right, however, about one
night intervening between the burning Of the
bridges and our march 10 the city, as we did
not march TO the city until the afternoon of the
18th. and then, as j said before, there were
other troops there when we got there, although
j never knew until now what troops they were
nor how they got ia there, except the report
current al the time that some troops had crossed
the Congaree. And now as TO Comrade Luckey's
statement that :" was badly in need OF infor-
nation" because his history says il was Gen.
Howard with the right wing who crossed the
Saluda at Saluda Factory on the 10th" etc. Now,
comrade, let me Oiier you little OF that same
badly needed information and say 10 you that
Gen. Howards right wing consisted of the Fiji.
teenth and Seventeenth Corps, and, of course
when the Second Brigade Second Division. Fiji
teenth Corps, made a move il was simply Gen.
Towards move, as we We're a part of his com
mand; but IL your theory would be the correct
one, that Gen. Howard was your commander
but not ours, then he must have been division
commander, as you and 1 belonged TO the same
corps.
Just admit that as critics you have only
learned the rough, uncouth part of the art, that
OF adverse criticism, and that in this instance
your love Of controversy has led you 10 use
some very harsh language toward a comrade
without any just cause whatever In future
please remember that private soldiers when i'm
their proper places could not sec much that was
done by other troops and that two members of
the same regiment would soc things differently