The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-06-28
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOings at the Ma
tiOnaI Capital
GEN. HoRATIo GATES WRIGHT.

GEN. HORATlO GATES WRIGHT
A paragraph in the Boy Spy's" story last
week recalled Renaissance of battle and Of
as grand a soldier as ever led men into action.
Mai.-Gen. Horatio Gates Wright, who is now
on tie retired list of the Regular Army, lives
here quietly on n street in a handsome home,
near Thirteenth street, in that neiEhborboOd
where are congregated so many old officers OF
the Army.
The fight that the " Boy Spy" tries to tell of
is that one the Sixth Corps fought for a week
from June II, 1868, and i remember the date
well for various reasons. 1 was with the ar
giiery on the mesa just above the river banks
and below the bluffs, and we piled our shells
into that frame house OF DR.. Demands until
the chimney fell aud the rebel sharpshOOters
inside skipped out across the wide fields to
safer ground.
Ii was sharpshooter who killed Col. Cross,
the engineer officer experimenting the build
ing of the pontOon bridge just below where my
command was al work. and the shot came from
the Bernard house. Col Cross was dearly be-
loved by our troops and when his body was
carried Up over the bank past my guns. l
think every gunner paid more attention to
sighting for good shots than before, IN vindIca-
ton of the memory OF Col. Cross, and when we
finished every gun but one ia the rebel works
was dismounted
o. that morning of June II, 1868, the light
was well over by 10 o'clock, aud then ! rode up
through a ravine 10 the bluffs where Sedgwick
and host of officers sat. TO report to my own
chief Gen. John Newton, to know from him
what ] should do next. As / swung out OF my
saddle and saluted Gen. Newton, a rather
stocky built man with the curliest hair one
ever saw on a white man, walked up to Gen.
Newton ana said;
General. I want to know this young officer.
I've watched his artillery work this morning
and like it. Concentration Of Ere Is the genl-
Gus Of artillery work"
That was my first acquaintance with the
man vino came here to Washington 10 head of
Early's raid upon our Capital, and whose work
at Cedar Creek IN October 1864, held our
forces together until Sheridan came 10 rally
them to victory.
The battle I've told you of is known IN the
records as Eranklins Crossing, for it was there
the Sixth Corps laid bridge in December,
1862. when Burnside made his fatal blHnder
and left US on the left TO make useless fight
long after the forces on the right were beaten
to almost total dis0rgaaization. If there was
ever man who was glad when the war ended,
the writer is the party.
GRAPEsHoT.
tisalmost invariably the case that when any
writer Of events occurring during our late war
tells Of particularly hot time in an action, that
he writes of how we or the rebels poured in
grape and canister on the opposing foe. This
pleasant fiction has become so general that even
such a skilled soldier as Maj.-GeH. O. o. How
ard, in a magazine article published away back
IN 1876, telling Of some scenes at Gettysburg,
tells his readers how the rebels rained grape
and canister into his ranks.
Now, desire TO say that the grape" part
OF the phrase Is a nousenscal fiction, which
has been handed down 70 this generation from
the war Of 1872 and FeunimOre Cooper's naval
stories. Gr8peshOt, or stands Of grape, are used
on board ships 10 tear away sails and rigging
Of an opponent and IN years agone such stands
were furnished to the Publications along our
sea coast TO help disable sailing men-Of war that
might be entering port with mischieyous in
tent.
But I say here, and the records viii bear me
out that there was never a stand OF grape
shot fired by the land forces during the whole
Of the war Of the rebellion on either side. Gen.
Stephen Y. BeBet, the present Chief Of Ord
nance Of the Army, says that be never knew
Of stand being issued, and / fancy that he IS
IS well informed on the subject as any one; and,
further, be heartily agreed with me when /
tod him Of my Intention 70 write this scresd,
and told me 1 was safe 20 make such an asser-
ton.
Many years ago the writer served aiioat. and
only took 10 spurs and saber after the dread
demon Of war blew its trumpet in 1861, aud
knows what a stand Of grape is. More than
half Of the writers who speak so glibly Of
storms Of grape and canister" never in their
lives saw stand Of grape, aud if they ran
scrOss one would require an introduction. On
reamed-Out iron base Is fixed a bag made Of
heavy canvas, and IN il IS placed layer Of two
inch solid iron balls and then comes a thin iron
plate 70 keep the balls IN place. An iron hoop
is then slipped down outside the canvas and
another set Of grapesh0t Is placed, with another
plate, another hoop, and 50 on, until there are
five rounds Then the canvas is rounded uptO
the iron stem that rises through the center Of
4 Frr and EGfy nm 1s4G q
your stand Of grape.
j did some artillery work during the war IN
der that grand veteran Gen. Henry J. Hunt,
the Chief Of Artillery Of the Army Of the Po-
tomae and be, too laughs at the grapeshot
idea.
BY earliest acquaintance with stands Of
grape Is still vivid IN my memory. On board
the Old lrigate at the Naval Academy each
well-pol!sHed gun had alongside its carriage a
triangular rack Of solid shot and three stands
Of grape. 4 young rascal Of my class won {
give his name, for the ship be commands now
viii be home s0oB-got the idea that the grape
shot in those stands would be handy 20 send
Ehiriing about the berth deck after taps. and
inVe gled ne into experimenting the details
or the plot IL worked sulcndidy. We had
lots % fan, as the unfortunate "oiieer-in-
charge tried vainly 60 find out who sent the
shot bowling along the white deck. But the
next morning 1 faced the genial Carp" Rod
spent a week n meditation, with a blue JACKIE,
and cutlass just outside my locked door
Thus you see, ] know whereof ! speak when
I tell about grapeshot. When these writers
tel about grape they are thinking about
canister aud ] don't wonder much at their
error, for I've heard a charge Of canister hy
past that made me think sometimes that each
shot Ia the charge must be as big as a market,
basket.
FEAR-Ap,rIRAr. AMY
A sturdy, square-built, rather understood
uaaHs who Is a very familiar figure about the
streets aid avenues here, Is Rear Admiral John
:. Amy, was a very prominent and successful
Commander on the blockade during the rebel.
hon, and is a decidedly interesting gentlemar
70 know and listen to. he is a complete repre,
sentative Of the Old sea-dog Of the Navy O.
Aarryatt's and CoopeT's novels, peppery as tn,
deuce II aroused or disputed in argument. but /
A. kiud-hearted as a mother. and is as fon o
children, aud they Of him, as you could find il
days travel
dc was born in Rhode Island in April. 1915
and entered the Navy as Midshipmzn in Febru
airy, 1929. being then less than Il years Of age
and AZ % was q Lieutenant, in which grade h
served through the Mexican war. for Their
were no L1ieutenant-C Commanders In those DAYS
The outbreak Of the rebellion found him
Commander, and when the blockade was estab
hf civ -.