The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-25
FOR CONSIDERATION.
Let Comrades Tell Only What They Actually 5

Let comrades Tell uhiY NHab IheA Affinity
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I have read
the major part of the many articles which have
appeared in your valuable paper during the
past year from the different correspondents
East, West, North and South some OF them
with great deal of interest because they con-
tanned much that was historically true am
very sorry however and disguised as well, to
see on the part of many disposition to mag
Nifty their own services and that of their lmme-
date commands at the expense OF other COM
mands and of the truth in many cases. i am
willing TO give most of these the benefit of the
doubt and to believe that they do not willtully
misstate or misrePresent what they write about,
but that they write from memory only and not
from any reliable data.
1t is not to be expected that men from COM
mands occupying positions long distances apart
should have seen the same events or that they
should give the same account of the same bat
tie; for it falls to the lot of very few private
soldiers (or of officers either, for that matter)
to be in such position as to be able TO give from
their own actual knowledge an exact account
of what transpred iii all portions of the field.
If coOl-headed and observing, the members of
each command may have known at the time
what occurred in their own immediate front;
but when private soldier who was with his
regiment attempts to give the position of each
command or'tha disposition of all the troops on
a battlefield covering a large area, he simply
writes himself an egotistical ass. 1t is a fact
well known to any man who served in the field
for any length Of time that no soldier, except
in very rare cases, if in his own proper place,
could possibly know personally what was Oc-
curing in distant parts of the field.
In reading some of these accounts one is led
to wonder why the foreknowledge of the
writers could not have been utilized by the
Commanders-in-C Chief. Why did not these men
let it be known that they could tell what was
happening or was about to happen at any or
ali points? The commander of an army in
such q case could have remained quietly and
safely in his quarters. have been informed just
how and when every event was to happen, and
could have made all necessary provision before
hand There would have been no need to send
COuriers for reinforcemcnts; they would have
been sent by the CommaDder-in-Chief just
when and where needed; of course, arriving
just in the nick Of time" Thus those battles
/ which to the Northern arms proved defeats
could have been turned into victories, the war
would have ended much sooner, and many
valuable lives would have been saved. With
this view Of the case, these men are virtually
responsible for thus pro!onging the war and
the consequent terrible sacrifice of blood and
treasure.
Comrades, is it not about time to call a halt
/ in this matter of Flag planting? Getting There
| First? Who Reto0k DeGrcss's Battery? What
! Troops Occupied the Ridge at Chickamauga or
! Peach Tree Creek? Who Did the Fighting at
| Cedar Creek? on to the end of the chapter
/ particularly this knowing all that happened or
/ which ought to have happened2
What each of yOu actually saw or experienced
| at any time during your service every person,
certainly every old soldier, will be glad TO read
! about; but no more of these gushing know
it-all" sort of stories. Don't attempt to tell
| what you know nothing about. There is
! enough of truth to be written-truth which
/ viii injure no one-to occupy the spare time
| of all until the youngest soldier Of the war
/ shall have answered to the last roll-call
There is an official record, perhaps not en-
tirely correct in all cases, as it was utterly i'm
| possible sometimes to get at the strict truth,
/ but nevertheless the record; and all the state
ments made from memory, after the lapse Of
! p years, will amount to very little as opposed
to reports written at the time they occurred
/ You who kept diaries or written records eau
| write understandingly Of what occurred in
! your immediate vicinity, while those who al
this late day write from memory only might
| in nine cases out Of ten better save their sta.
tionery land their reputation), for much OF
what they write is historically not worth the
| paper upon which it is written If history il
/ worth anything, if the truth is better than
lie, then the matter should stop where it is.
Comrades for nearly five years we were
making history which was not lie; history
VI winch every man VINO iCughG on tue part OF
the North should be proud history during
the formation of which every man engaged
whether private soldier or COMMUNICATIVE Chief
was expected to do, and generally did, theiI
duty, whether that duty was TO support some
| important point, but where really there wa!
but little fighting; or to stand the heavy charge
or 10 make the counter-charge where it wa.
supposed the work would be the lightest. Tht
changing tide of battle many times made the
opportunities when and where least expected
and the troops who were found at their pos
and remained there, whether called upon to d,
anything or not, are the ones who did thei
whole duty, whether they planted any flags
took any batteries or got there first. Wher
all did well, who shall say who were best? lie
this be understood, the duty of all consisted il
performing whatever was required, whether i
were much or little.
Comrades, in the words Of that illustriou
man, once our COmmander-in-C Chief, once on
cOmrade, but who now has crossed to Tia
other side" and who, whether he got ther
frs" or not, generally stad after be got there
Let US have peace."-N. J. NICHOLS, Co. G
I'd VT, Honda, Republic of Colombia, S. A.