The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-05-03
TREvILIAN STATION.
Comrade Preston Explains His Former Communi-
cation.

NOnEaup Preston IGDlAfaA HIS E0THleE COMMUNE
cation.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Since there
appeared in the columns of The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE my brief account Of the battle Of Ire
william Station, Va, Juna IL and II, 1864, / have
received many letters, mostly inquiries in re-
gard to that hard-fought engagement. The
great Interest manifested should prompt some
prominent participant > furnish for your col
umns an account of battle. l say some
prominent participant Dr the battle was Of so
disjointed a nature at times, and covered so
much territory, that il would be difficult for
one occupying q subaltern position to furnish
an intelligent acCoun. covering the whole
ground
The narrative furnished by me was not in
tended as an account Of the battle, but more as
the personal experience of participant The
illusions to the part borne by Clusters troops in
bringing on the engagement etc, were intend
ed as merely incidental, and the repetition of
facts already established. The action of my
own regiment on that eventful 18th of June
was only intended to be recorded up to
the time of its making the gallant and
successful charge, which called forth the
plaudits Of its brigade, division and corps COM
manders. In that charge l was wounded, and
unable to participate in the severe fighting that
occurred afterward
l have received letter from one of the gall
work on the morning of the 18th Of June under
Gen. Custer which furnishes such graphic
account Of the part borne by his battery, that
Will as | have his permission, give that portion
Of it which is Of interest. The writer was for
merly member of my regment-the 10th n.
Y. Cav.-but was detached in the Fall Of 1868
and assigned to Horse Battery NJ 4th U. S.
Art, until the Spring of 1864, when he was
transferred to Horse Battery III, I'd U. S. Art,
with which battery he was serving at the time
Of the Treyilian action. He says:
The circumstances, as ! remember them, are
these: Gen. Custer was ordered TO join another
brigade lMerril's-N ID. T. at the station at 8 a.
IN. remember seeing the rebel vidcts rs we pass
ed between them and their reserye-picket post
The 5th Mich. Cav. had the advance Of the brigade
When near the station they charged the rebel re-
serve and captured two caissons aud 50 wagons and
ambulances, and Gbout75 prisoners. We had been
III position and fired few shots in support of the
charge, when an order came for US to Timber to the
front and advance which we did the road running
through the woods until we came opposite the sta
tion--or rather, where Ii had been for only the
side tracks, etc, remained. We halted just oppo-
site the station. In the meantime they had got
one two pieces of artillery in position to our
right, and opened fire on We were ordered by
Gen. Custer toreply. While in the act OF unlimber
ing the piece, Clusters Aid experimenting it hap
pened TO on the other side of the track regiment
Of rebel infantry lying quietly behind the fence
He gave instructions TO the Lieutenant in charge
TO get that piece out Of there quickly possible
but instead of that the Lieutenant, who had stem
mount-Mountl " wherCupon the rebels raised up
and fired yOlley, and with yell made for the
battery, the rest of whichthree guns and six cais-
sOns-WeIe standing lnbered up IN the road. 1t
so happened that there were two gaps let down in
the rail fence the side opposite from the rebels
Lieut. Pennington gave the command, " BY the
left flank, which took US through tho fence. We
went at gallop for about 200 yards, when he gave
the command, In battefy-tire to the rear Dou-
ble-shot with canster!" which order was very
quickly obeyed. That volIey checked the rebels
at this time; and from that time until l: 30 D. M
we were continually firing. don't know just how
many rounds my piece fired, but we had fired per-
haps 10 rounds when we received orders from Gen
Custer to refill our imberchest, the enemy was
pressing him hard he feared they would capture
his wagons and caissons and as on one part of the
field no enemy had yet been seen, he directed that
they be sent there for safety. They had scarcely
reached the place before a regiment of rebel cav
airy charged upon and took the whole lot. They
were so holly pursued, however, and one of the
eaissons becoming stuck in q ditch, that it and
the battery wagon were recaptured; but they got
away with all the rest OF the wagons and edhorses
belonging to the battery excepting one other cais
son that had one Of It's drivers and one horse killed
| In the beginning and consequently was not with
the rest. AS TO the gun that was captured II had
no support, and when the drivers saw that capture
was lheVlutDie tey ran away with the liniDer' ana
before 1t could be run of by hand some of our cav
| airy charged and took it back
The Lieut. Egan you speak aboutwas Sergeant
In command of the piece, II / remember correctly.
| The loss of Battery Nj in this engagement WAS as
| follows: Four caissons, battery forge, 40 men
killed wounded and missing (mostly taken prison
Custer while / heard it told Mt the time substan-
TALLY as you related 1t, it occurred while he was
attempting TO retake his wagons.
| Very truly, yours ROBERT TRoTrER,
| Acting No. g. LIST piece, Battery NJ I'd U. s. Art
In the New York HeraIF8 account of the
battle Lieut.. Egan is mentioned for conspicu-
GUS gallantry in retaking the captured gun
| He was wounded in the encounter.
Gen. Sheridan, in his official report of the
battle, mentions the loss of five caissons, three
of which were subsequently, recaptured, leaving
| two in the enemy's possession.-N. ID. PRES
| TON, Captain, 10th h. Y CAV, Pittsburg Pa.