davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Seele,,s Ratterr at Gettrsburg.
gOllr comrades.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Z. J. Davis,
4th u. S. Art, IN his card in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE of March s, complaining Of the iDjus-
tice of Ratferty's Third Corps at Gettysburg"
is right in denying that it was Seeley's battery
that was recovered by the Excelsior tSickles'sl
Brigade near the close of the battle of Gettys-
burg, July 2, 1863 The battery recaptured
was of four guns, and at o'clock p. m, at the
opening of the battle, was stationed near the
Emmittsburg road, in an old apple orchard, at
the extreme right of Humphreys Division. At
the time of the recapture the four guns were
in the possession Of the enemy, and instead of
their, "strange to say, never firing a shot, as
Rafferty, says, they were working one OF the
guns with terrible effect on our lines, and were
manning and preparing to fire a second gun
when the charge was made.
Six men of my command were cut down by
a discharge from the gun they were firing as
we were about to make the charge. Two were
killed on the spot and of the others the only
survivor, so far as 1 know, is Serg't Henry
Funck, of Co. T. who had his ankle broken at
that time and who Is now living at Pere
Cheney, Mich The charge was made by what
represented three regiments of the brigade, the
I'd. Sd and 4th and Pennsylvania regiment,
then freshly entering the field, on our right
With the four guns were also captured the col
ors of a Florida regiment and some 40 prison.
ers.
Excelsior (the list n. ". He was not in COM
mand of that regiment at any time during the
battle of Gettysburg and was not present with
his regiment and colors when the charge re-
capturing that battery was made and the
charge was not made with hurrah and cry
of Boys, let's go back and get those guns and
that did not "end our fighting for that day,
and the guns were not rugged with drag
| ropes" with which to make rebel prisoners as
pa fT,arty states in his Third COrDs ut Gettvs-
! burg" articles in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE OF
| Feb. 8. His account is largely imaginative.
| The guns were pushed short distance to the
| rear and what represented the brigade turned
! again 10 the front and continued the fight until
| the end fresh troops arriving on our right.
| Lieut. Col John Leonard, now living at New
| ark. N. j., commanded the Sd Excelsior (72d
! N. w, aud Lieut.-Col. Burns NOW deadl the
| 4th Tor 73d n. Y. y in that battle and during
| that charge Burns carrying his eolors and lead
! ing the charge-H. L. POTTER, Colonel ID
| Excelsior (7lst n. ", New York.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
FORT HARRISON.
Gen. Clay Corrects Pennsylvania Comrade.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your issue OF
April 10, among the Random Shots is a state
ment by A. L. Depew, of Co. A, lSSth Pa, that
. Fort Harrison was stormed by the Third Bri-
gade, Third Division, Eighteenth Corps, aud
not by the First Division, rs stated in a recent
communication in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE
by Gen. Clay"
The only reason take any notice of this is,
because | wish to attract the attention of the
numerous readers of your valuable paper to the
loose way in which people make statements as
to events and persons about which they know
nothing, and for which they have no authority.
In my account Of the capture of Fort Harri-
son / said, as to those who had been writing
about this same subject before, "A number OF
these were enlisted men, who in attending to
their duty could have had but limited field
of observation and an imperfect idea OF what
went on elsewhere than in their immediate
vicinity; while some who were wounded be-
fore the fort was entered were deprived of the
opportunity for personal knowledge Of what
followed and others are shown by what they
write, to have depended on hearsay prlncl-
pally."
Now comes your correspondent (Depew) who
may have belonged to any or all of these classes,
and adds to his Disqualification for writing
about the matter, ignorance as to what brigade
and division he belonged to.
My article was written to show who took
Division, Eighteenth Corps; what troops first
entered 1.-THE 5Sth Pa.-and who carried IN
the first Color-the writer / also called atten-
ton to the fact that, of the three brigade COM
manders, if one were more than another to be
commended, Col Roberts, commanding the
Third Brigade, should have most credit. He
handled his brigade admirably; it never fall
tered nor wavered, but went steadily on,
pushed over the parapet and were first on and
in the works and he did this while suffering
from violent fever, with which he had been con-
fined to bed where ne had to return when the
fight was over. If Mr.. Depew will read my artl-
Gle few times he will see where his own rcgi-
ment was while the fight went on. 1t was
there, in the Third Brigade, First Division,
Eighteenth Corps, and lost some men.
1t had been in that brigade and division
since the beginning of June, 1864, and remain
ed in it until the Eighteenth and Tenth Corps
were consolidated, some time after Fort Harri-
son, when the Third Brigade, First Division,
Eighteenth Corps, became the Third Brigade,
| Third Division Twenty fourth Corps. Fort
Harrison was not taken by brigade, but by a
divisOn-the First Division, Eighteenth Corps.
a charge by brigade would have failed, as
did the charge of that sort on Fort GiImer by
a regiment or two at a time. The division lost
700 men during the day, most Of them ia the
assault on Fort Harrison. The fire that in
fiCted that loss, concentrated on a brigade
would have left it too weak to do anything
with the defenders of the works had it reached
| them.-CECIL CLAY, Washington, d. g.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Please allow
me 20 say few words in regard TO the crossing
at the Lacy House before Fredericksburg Dec
II, 1862
Comrade W. J. Church, Co. D, 9TH Mich, is
correct when he asserts that his regiment 9TH
Mich was the first and only one that crossed
in the boats manned by men of my regiment
50th \. \. Engineers. After we were driven
of the bridge the first time by the murderous
fire Oft the 18th Miss, Sharpshooters, that opposed
Us, there we're so many hit in our ranks that it
was necessary TO make a detail out of the 18th
Mass, / think. After being rcpulsed, there
was a call for volunteers from the 9TH Mich,
when the whole regiment stepped forward /;
but as we only had seven boats at liberty they
were filled, and the balance Of the 9TH crossed
after the bridge was finished, which was done
in about 10 or Is minutes after the boats
reached the other shore. / was IN the boat in
which the Lieutenant-ColOnel was wounded,
and know am correct in my assertion that the
9TH Mich. was the regiment that went over in
the boats-D. F. DU BoIs, First Sergeant, Co.
II, 50th n. Y. Engineers, Elmira, N. Y.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
What Col. PearsaII Thinks of Adam Badeau.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE; The recent
publication of Gen. Grants letter to Gen.
Badeau and the weak explanation OF the latter
impels me to say a few words, viz:
When Brig. Gen. T. w. Sherman came into
the Department of the Gulf, in August, 1862,
Badeau came with him as Captain and A. d. c.
] was then a Second Lieutenant in the 4th
Wis. Cav. Gen. Sherman was assigned TO the
command of tho Second Division Of the Nine
teenth Corps. to which our regiment belonged.
On Sept 2 1862 | was detailed as Aid on the
staff of Gen. Sherman, and served IN that ca
pacity until May y, 1863. Gen. Sherman lost
his leg at Port Hudson, and on that day Badeau
was wounded in the foot Badeau was CORE
spending with his political friends to get on
Gen. Grants staff long before the siege Of Port
Hudson, and Sherman was very willing 70 let
him 90. He was what We would term nova
days dude lie wore his eyeglasses and
kid gloves and in fact, was the laughing-stOck
of our Western officers. If he ever exhibited
any military capacity, it was after he left the
Department of the Gulf. Sherman frequently
remarked to me that all he was good for was TO
entertain Southern ladies. My conclusion,
therefore, is that what reputation he acquired
was by reason of his relations to his Chief
whom we all know was too slow to shake of
unworthy followers.
His letter to Grant is characteristic Of the
man He was ambitious and selfish in the ex-
treme and while technically educated, had no
natural ability. He was one of those appointed
from civil life simply by political influence, re-
CARELESS Of merit, and was indebted to Grant
! for all he is or has been; and to be guilty of
such base ingratitude as making such cold
| blOoded demands upon Gen. Grant when he
/ was on his deathbed should be enough to make
! all soldiers of the late war ignore and despIse
| him To those who knew Badeau as 1 did it is
no surprise. I only wonder that he did not 90
! further aud claim credit for planning some Of
| Grants campaigns; for, while he was lacking
| in almost everything else, he never was az
cused Of lacking conceit, and in fact, had what
is now ordinarily termed cheek to a super
/ lative degree-U. 3. PEARsALL, Second Lieu.
tenant. Co. II, 4th Wis. Cav; Colonel, 4Sth
Wis, Fort Scott, Kan.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
The Pennsrlrania Reserves.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Tn your issue
of April 20, the author of A Boy Spy in Dixie
says Meade's Division. of the old Sixth Corps"
That division, best known as Pennsylvania Re-
serves, was the Third Division of the First
Corps, then commanded by the lamented Rey-
nolds, a former commander Of the division.
This division did make a famous charge across
the plain, under a sweeping fire from the rebel
batteries which were well posted in the edge of
the timber; got beyond but was forced back to
the railroad; held the ground for more than three
hours keeping the enemy from their guns I'M
til the line on the right was forced back. Of
my own company, we rallied with just half the
number of men we started in with, and lost all
commissioned officers on duty-Captan killed
and First Lieutenant wounded.
While this was q famous charge and one per-
haps as hopeless and fatal as that of Pickett,
yet much credit was due all Of the participants
in that bloody struggle Ihave always believed,
however, that had the support came up prompt
ly as we hoped, we could have turned the enc
lny's right and thereby changed the fate Of all
concerned. / we'll remember the old hat Gen.
Meade wore on that occasion. l did not see the
bullct-hole the Boy Spy" speaks Of. but know
the hat had good opportunity to get ridded
| M. l. BEAN, Co. q, 10th Pa. Reserves, St
| Charles, Iowa.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Snenrs in the Rebel Army.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reading
over my old files of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE,
| find quite a controversy in regard to spears
in the rebel army. One writer tells about see.
ing a lot at Knoxville, Tenn, and says the spear
was about 10 inches long and two wide, and
fastened into long handles, l have just such a
smear in nv possession It is made of an old
file, and spointed. The long handle was cut
of. leaving haEdhold, by T. E. McCurdy, of
the SLh Mo. Zouaves, who captured it at or near
Vicksburg, Miss. Since the war this blood
thirsty looking weapon has been doing duty
here in Crawford County, o., as a " corn cut
ter" Last Fall my children used the rebel
Bible say anything about the spears being turn
ed into % corn cutters" L would like to hear
from the blacksmith who made this dangerous.
looking weapon, or the brave rebel who car,
ried it.-JAMEs N. MCCuRDY, Co. c, 49th Ohio
Bucyrus, o.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Last Review Of the sixteenth corps.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I think Sergt
A. E. Granville, Co. f, 10th Mimi, is mistaken
in regard to the last review of the old Six
teenth Corps.
AS was at Montgomery from the 26th of
May, 1865 to the 2Gth of March, 1866, know
the Sixteenth Corps was on grand review the
29th, 30th aud 3lst days of May, 1868.
Gen. A. J. Smith was there. 1t was in a
large plantation about two miles from Mont
gomery, and / say that the 3lst day of May,
1865. was the last time the Sixteenth Corps was
ever together.-L. r. JOHNSON, Co. 6, 58th H.,
Geneseo, Kan.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Horey,s Division at Champlon nIlls.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The battle OF
Champion Hills, May is, 1863 was won by the
divisions of Hoyey, Logan and Croker. Every
soldier fought in this engagement with courage
and staying qualities never cXcellcd and but
rarely eaualed Logan did all that was re-
quired OF him. CroCker in like manner as was
his custom, came up to the full measure ia the
part performed by his command. But what
shall be said when we come TO the division that
bore the unequal pressure so long and so sue
cessfuly on that hot May day2 Must HOvey' 8
Division yield the palm to either Of the other
two. or to both of them? Certain am / that
neither the troops under Logan nor Croker
are going to make any such claims The rec
ord of that days work is made up, and no
amount Of writing can wrest from Hovey's Di-
vision whatever there may be in the way OF
precedence in battle where all did so well. l
loved Logan in life, mourned him in death, and
will cherish his memory while last but there
is a point in your article in The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE of April 10 on making the anniver-
sary of the battle a Logan day that / cannot
subscribe to- Not one of Hoveys soldiers, how
ever much they admired Logan, will assent to
the proposition that the battle in question was
won by his division. 1t is neither ingenious
necessary nor appropriate to seek to magnify
the deeds of Gen. Logan at the expense OF
others. His record stands so eminent that it
actually detracts from his renOWn to claim for
him prominence on an occasion where his Own
troops know and history has recorded that the
burden of the work done on that day fell tC
HOvey's Division. The monument to Logan
will be erected, and Hovey's Division will re
tain its place in history.-GEo. GRINDLEY, Co
L, seth Ohio, New Orleans, La.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Cowan's lst \. Y. Battery at Cedar Creek.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / was much
interested in Comrade Griiins article on Cedar
Creek in Fighting Them Over" Of q recent
issue. ] wish 10 correct him in one particular
Ii was true that Cowan's battery galloped out
10 cover the rctreating men Of the Nineteenth
OF Eighth Corps, and held the Confederates in
check for more than 30 minutes, aud with the
help Of the gallant Jersey Brigade repulsed
them with great slaughter Cowan's battery
did not lose a single gum and il was the only
battery Ia the corps that saved all of its guns
One Of our guns was brought or the field and
slung under the limbeT-chest on account of a
wheel that was shot Off Our loss was % men
killed and wounded and % horses. The com
rade states that Gen. Bidwell was killed by ar
tillery Ere. IL was nay impression he was NOR
tally wounded by a mimic ball through the
bowels, though Of this ] am not certain. ! am
deeply interested IN all accounts of this battle,
/ as 1t was the last one ] took part in. ] have a
( painful reminder through the left thigh re-
+ ceivcd at that time. With all due consideration
/ for the other troops engaged in that battle do
/ believe the Sixth Corps saved the day.-W. f.
WEBSTER, COwans lst n. Y Battery, Auburn
/ n. Y.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Rattery X. 4th U. s. Art.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your issue
of March 8, 1888 Col Thomas Rafferty, makes
statement in regard to Battery K, 4th U.
S. Art, (of which | was member) which is
not correct was a private No q in Battery
X, 4th u. S. Art, at the time of the battle of
Gettysburg, and at no time of the three days
fight at Gettysburg was there any guns lett on
the battlefield, as | was present with my bat
terry under command of Lieut.. Seeey
Lieut. Seeley was severely wounded on the
ID of July. aud when taken from the field
(wounded) Lieut.. T. S. Smith was put in COM
mand The latter viii approve what l say as
will all the members of Battery K, and | think
it is very unjust for Col. Thomas Rafferty, to
make such MISUNDERSTANDING CoNLoN,
Battery K, 4th U. s. Art, West Hurry, N. Y.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
A Fine Military Rernrd-

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Seeing in a
recent number a communication from a New
York comrade as to his soldierIy lineage, will
give my record.
BY t-grandfathers on my fathers side
both served all through the Revolutionary war,
were both wounded, and both lived to the
great age of l04 and JOG respectively. My
great grandlathers on my mothers side were
both killed in the war of 1872. My paternal
grandfather and two of his brothers also served
in the same war. My father and two of his
brothers, also one Of my mothers brothers,
were soldiers in the war of the rebellion, my
father re-enlisting and having two honorable
discharges. l enlisted in the 1880 n. Y at the
age Of l6 years, and served until my discharge
at the close of the war. Beat il who can
WM. SHAFER, Richland, Heb.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
A Chinese PensiOner.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The following
has been going the rounds of the papers:

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The following
has been going the rounds of the papers,
Last week the name of Ah-Lin was placed on
the penson-roll of the Department at the rate of
S. per month. All Lin Is the first Chinaman to
receive pension from the United States Govern
ment He is IA resident of San Francisco but bears
allegiance to the Celestial Empire. Ah-Lin enlisted
in the United States Navy a landsman less than
q decade ago, and shipped in the Hartford. This
vessel went to South America, and after cruising
around for seVaral months steamed into the harbOr
of one of the cities the coast of Peru. While
firing salute a gun burst, and so fractured An
Lin's left leg that he was made a cripple for life
This occurred Aug. %, 1884, and May 80, 1885, lie
applied for pension with the above result
will now claim for another Chinaman the
honor of being the first of his race to receive
a pension from the United States Government,
and also the first Chinese Grand Army man.
When the writer had the honor being Depart
ment Commander of the GAR. of Pennsyl-
vania, and while on an official visit to the
Posts of Indiana County, May 10, 1885, two
recruits were mustered into Post Is, of In
diana, one of whom was Chinaman, who had
enlisted in Co. d, S1st Pa, and served until
disabled by disease and wounds. lie has been
receiving a pension of So per month since date
of disability. His name is Thomas SylVanus,
and under that name he served in the army. His
name might have been at one time Ah-Lin, h
Sin or any other Chinese name. he is a citi-
zen of the United States, having been natural
lied, but whether before or after the war the
writer does not know. He is married to an
American woman. and resided in Indiana
County, Pa, at the time above mentioned, and
was respected by all who knew him.-AUsTIN
| CURTIN, Roland, Pa.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Suggestion to BARRIERS.

EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: want TO say
one word for our paper in this way have run
a barber-shop for about - years, and have six
papers for my customers to read, but THE M
TIoNAL TRIBUNE is the one that shows the way,
and it is appreciated, by the wear and tear on it.
csnnot keep any on file; they are borrowed
before l can use them. do wish that other
BARRIERS would keep up with the times by
keeping it in their shops. May it never die,
is my sincere wish.-C. L. CHAPMAN.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Peach Tree Greek.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / have been
waiting 10 hear If any of my old regiment
would have anything to say about that little
affair at Peach Tree Creek, aud seeing an ac-
count Of il by Comrade J. II. Henderson, Co.
II seth H.. which is the most accurate of any
thing that have seen, will relate what
know about It, On the afternoon OF the 18th
of July, 1854, the Third Brigade, Second Di-
vision, Fourteenth Corps was moved down on
the extreme right, near the creek, under a
lively fire of musketry. The first regiment to
cross was the SD Ohio; at any rate, we found
them some 800 yards beyond the creek, at the
edge Of a little coTHfield fighting for dear life,
trying to hold tOe-hOld on the brink Of the
hiil Some were shooting Others were shovel
ing dirt and piing up rails, and the JOhnnies
were securing them from the edge OF the timber
AZ short range. Our regiment was moved down
70 the creek and crossed on a fo0t-lOg, and as
soon as the regiment could close up after cross
ing we were moved forward in line of hattie
until We came up in line with the sd OHIO,
with an interval Of some 50 yards between our
right aud their left. Our Colonel lDilworthj was
IN command Of the brigade. Our regiment was
commanded by Maj. Rider, WHO'LL think, was
/ either drunk or a fool, as he received an order
from the Colonel commanding brigade to move
by the right flank and close up on the left Of
the 52d Ohio Instead Of that he gave the order
" Forward-Guide centeT-DOuble quick ~
/ taking US entirely beyond all support and run
( ming Us into a rebel brigade in the edge Of the
woods We drove their first regiment the 10Th
4 Miss back in a hurry, when we were charged
7 By the other three regiments Of the brigade
/ the ID, 9th and 9th Ark. There were only five
companies that received the forceOf this charge.
4 ] was in the second company from the right
when the charge was made the colors Of the
( % Ark coming out Of the woods within two
rods Of me. We had lively racket for some
five minutes, and the company TO which be-
/ longed lost 30 men out Of 43 in that time. /
fred some half-dozen shots aud received a
minie-ball through each arm, and was captured
1 in that condition, and went eventually 10
/ Hotel de Nirz minus my right arm. As to who
| crossed Peach Tree Creek after we did and what
they may have done this deponent saith not
! for ] was very busy with the Johnnies.-DAYIL
SIaLEY. Co. u s5th Ill, Havana III.
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
FRANKLIN.
Capt. Wolf Replies TO Capt. Conner.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

INCE the publication
of Capt. Corners arti-
Gle in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE of Jan. 26
questioning and even
contradicting what |
said in my article pub
lished Dec. . last as to
the position occupied
by the 175th Ohio at
the battle of Franklin,
Tenn, Nov. 80, 1864, l
have received numer-
Gus letters from MEM
bers of the regiment
assuring me that l was
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
Crossing at fredericksburg and Capture Of the
Battery az SuHoIk.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

n your issue Of April
20 appears an article
from the pen Of Thos.
Groody, Captain, seth
n. Y, in answer to J.
V. Albertson, 25th n.
j., in regard TO the
crossing at Fredericks-
burg, etC i wish to
iudorse all that Com
rade Groody has said in
regard to the capture
of the battery at Suf-
folk, with this addition:
The National tribune., 1888-05-24
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
UNION VS.. REBEL CAVALRY.
The Superiority Of the Former Proved On Man!
Bloody Fields.


ONE time during the
month Of May, 1868, the
Union Cavalry Corps IN
the East was organized,
with Gen. PleasOnt0n
in command. T b e
corps consisted Of three
weak divisions, COM
mauded by Gems. Blu
ford, D. Mem. Gregg
and Dutlie. After
ward-June %, 1868,
Duties an d StahPs
were united, and con-
srirufei the Third l)i-
The National tribune., 1888-05-24

IF each subscriber 10 THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE aoH charge himself Nth getting
one ,eetO subscriber the circulation Of the paper
,oiH be doubted at once, and Nth little trouble.
Let each subscriber try it,