The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-06-14
s1st Mass. at Roanoke leland.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reading J.
II. Whitney's statement of the fight at Roanoke
Island find it so different from the same tat
tie that WAS engaged III, that, with your per-
mission, / will write you how see 1t now, aS /
did some years ago, AS that time no one dis
puted my letter as printed in your paper.
Burnsides expedition landed at Roanoke
Island without any opposition from the rebels,
and our regiment (the 2lsU Mass) had the post
OF honor the General giving Col Magee, as he
SAID the honor of doing picket duty The first
night after landing. Early the next morning
the First Brigade passed our plcket-ines, and It
was not many minutes before the firing of
muskets commenced, aud very soon cannon be-
gan 10 roar. How long this brigade was III the
engagement don't remember, but one thing IS
certain the First Brigade came out and our
brigade went IN. Our brigade stood ia line of
battIe, firing as fast as possible, when Serg't
Hitchcock, of our company lA), called my at
tentlon to his hand, aud he held 1t up he
said, First blood for Co. A." he stood on a hog
with one hand on tree when bullet struck
bis fingers, making bad wound. Very soon
after this Gen. Reno, our brigade commander,
asked Col Magee if be could depend on his
men to charge on the battery, which WAS flank
ed on two sides by swamp, our regiment be-
ing 10 the left of the brigade His reply was,
Yes, General y; and the next order was Fix
| bayOnets,' and then we started, aud your hum
bic servant was the fifth person inside OF the
earthworks, aud tie JOhnnies were flying IN all
directions. We were so excited at our success
that the Colonel said if the Tebs had wished or
thought of it, they could have turned back and
recapUnred the fort.
The Zo-Io i see has not even mentioned our
regiment the 2lst Mass. Mr.. Whitney speaks
OF the 51st n. Y. aud the 23d Mass, but our
regiment tine 2lst Massl, 5Ist y. Y, aud 5lst
Pa. We're all ia the same brigade. didn' Z
know, and do not believe, that the 23d Mass.
was in our brigade. Soon after this battle
Harper's Weekly came to US, and the fight of
Roanoke Island was finely illustrated, showing
Hawkins's Louayes in perfect line of battle
charging OH the rebel battery. The men had a
! quarrel over the matter and left it TO Gen.
Burnside, aud he decided in cur favor, aud
/ called the battery after our brave Gen. Reno.
| When the ZUs make their claim OF the first
/ bayonet charge Of the war, guess, if that was
the first, we OF the 2Ist Mass. Will have 10 share
/ that honor with them. Gov. WiSes son was
captured while trying to escape in a boat with
other men. They were ordered TO turn back,
/ but did not, when d vOlley WAS fired at boat
] and Gov. Wises SOL was mOrtally wounded, and
was brought up to one of the buildings, where
! he died that night. No Massachusetts, men
| gave way for the Zouaves and if they were In
the Third Brigade and didn't come into the
/ fight until they came, then they were not there
when the work was captured. Aud, again, how
could they give way? These Zo-Zo's claim
to have been on the corduroy road. We were
TO the left of that road, and after we got into
| the battery many Of the soldiers came i'll by
! the corduroy road, as there was danger
About graspiug the foe by the throat, / didn't
/ see any Of that among them, and in fact they
were no Drawer than the other troops. He says
Col Hawkins had orders TO tank the rebel let
/ We were on the extreme lett, and Gen. Reno
! had command of US ahd ordered the charge
/ There was Que regiment, at least, that charged
| through the swamp, and We got there before
any other Union soldiers.
You will notice OH the map that Mr.. Whitney
gives that the road runs directly TO the battery
aud that the 9Th n Y. is placed there, while
TO the left are Foster and Park; then farther
on are the 5lst n. Y. aud the sd Mass. Well
the 23d Mass was not in our brigade. Now
when we charged the battery we had plenty Vi
room, but il vas through tile swamp, and wren
We got to the fort or battery there vas deep
wide ditch, aud we had To 20 around that Il
get IN ana when we got in there was not
10 there aud the rebs were running away
as fast their legs would take them, and II
the los made the charge it must have been OF
that narrow corduroy road, where two meI
could not go abreast.
Let US near how some others of the Dist Mass
feel about the 9Th n. Y. making that charge
and whether they remember Ghe light 1 do
Il. Il. REED, Private, 20. A. 2Ist Mass, Ben
son, VT.