The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-03-22
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
ON TO RICHMOND.
Capt Preston Says Comrade Bray Cot Things
Mixed.


TT0xAL TRIBUNE of Feb. / notice Sergt
Joseph B. Bray, formerly Of Robertson's horse
battery. B and J., % u. 5. Art, asks; " Can
CAPT. Preston say what United States battery
LOST its guns and caissons AT Trevilian Station"
il was PenDington's battery n ID U. :. Art,
serving with Clusters Brigade. / think one
gun was captured, but was recaptured. Gen.
Sheridan, in his official report OF that battle,
says ..
when the enemy broke they hurried between
Gen. Clusters command and Col. GreEE Brigade
Csll.turiuE five cassous OF PenEiuEJUns battery
fls-ee OF which VyCre aferyyard reCaptured leaving
So tler hancs two csssous.
IL the acceuut OF the battle given in the New
YORK Herald Of June 81 after mentioning Gus
tiers gallant fight as given in my account, It
says:
when Pennington rode up to him
General. they have taken one Of my guus."
I'D The same paper Lieut.. Eagan, Of Pen
uiuetCus battery. is mentioned Tor gaiiautry
in rcscuiuE one Of his pieces from the enemy
presumably the captured gun referred 70 by
Pennington.
Tie faz episode 7 have heard from several
sources Dr. r. W. pease, the Corps Medical
Director who WGs present at tie time, has re-
lated 1T in the hearing Of the writer several
times. and 1 remember having seen It IN print
soon after It's occurrence.
3
Richmond In May, 1854 and the one to IRE
-5.iau the following month mixed up somehow.
There seems 10 be a confusion Of dates in ms
mind also. After prepOuud!ug the question
ID regard TO the loss OF the guns at IreVlllan,
lie says;
Starting out from the wilderness with the Cav
alry Corps about The last OF May or june J. 1861 We
marched TO The rear OF the rebel army, and capt
uriuE their depcts destroyed them.
The fact is We started out on Sunday morn
ing. May 9. 1894 the First Division In advance,
Cnster's Brigade leading, the Third Division
ID the center. and the Second .GreEE's1 Diyls-
Jon ia the rear. We Of Gregg Brigade. Second
Division. were attacked In flank soon after cross
ing at Hamiitou's Crossing Of the Ny River,
while moving on the old Telegraph road. Gus
tiers Brigade charged into Beaver Dam Station,
cap uFing SO Union prisoners en- route 20 rebel
prisons, besides three trains Of cars and about a
million and half Of ratI0ns belonging 10 Lee
army. The burning warehouses and cars lit up
the heavens late 1nt0 the night, serving as a
beacon 10 guide the now fast concentrating rebel
cavalry.
As il is not my intention to write an account
O. that great raid. but simply 10 Try and make
plain the crooked path of Scrg'U Bray, ] viii
pass over tAe details Of the next day-the 10th.
The Sergeant says next:
AT yellow Tavern Gen. George A. Custer, with
the Michigan Brigade, charged q section oi rebel
battery and captured IT. ia THIS fight the rebel
D..
toward BichmoId found t0rped0es had been
placed En- The line Of our march, and some rebel
prisoners who mad been captured were compelled
20 80 forward ana dlE them up, Wine our dis
mounted cavalry guarded them. We were 1T
times surrounded 10y the rcbcis, and on tie Hlght
OF June u Sheridan had our bands playing all
night and had extra c.luptires kept lp, while the
cavalry was building road over tie swamp.
III is quite too prgs1mEtive for any partici-
pant ID q movement Of the magnitude Of SheEi-
Cau's raid ID May 1864, to tell what occurred
49, FsF.
fore relate what took place IN our Gregg S,
brigade and wbat we understood occurred az
other points ca the I1th Of May, DOT June.
We had crossed the South Anna At Ground
Squirrel Bridge the night before and burned
the bridge. Considering il safe, with the South
Anna sweeping between the enemy and cur
selves, permission was given the men 10 IN.
saddle and groom the hOrses-a luxury The
poor beasts bad not enjoyed for days. We
passed quiet . SAT. and cary IA the morning
tie men were preparing their breakfasts groom
iuE horses. etc. when tie elte-prlsing rebels
having crossed al some ford near by during thC
night came down upon us. We were wholly
USPREPER1D TO RECEIVE VISITORS
St SO unreasonable an hour and ezcusing our-
selves took somewhat hasty departure from
the cztcmp0rized cuIinary departments to pre-
pare ourselves the better 70 receive or distiH,
gui-bed callers. Our departure was consider
abby accelerated by the rude manners Of the
visitors Ne soou perfected Our toilets, how
ever ard vltL she Characteristic Yankee vigOl
retained 70 see t-aJ Tie pork we had left Try,
Iu- over the. fires did not become overcO0ked
The callers retired before Us, declining an IN
trJagcg0n5 50 urgent was tie call upon thei
l5uac i- 3otEer quarter that they did not eveI
caste Of &c dainty uOrsels left cooking by Us
f5atberI g our Effects together We packed on
sar-o a. and resumed the excursion to Rich
uoH3S
I'll morning was suItrv. and the great cloud
q d b that euTelored the moving column Wer
almost sitting. Early in the morning, ant
prITr 70 ogr engagement, Gen. Davies had beer
50 with BIS brigade 20 Ashland, where he Ia,
fharP eucaGeueHt, which resulted disastrous,
to- the Tele.s, they being driven out Of I'd
tqJgn. Gen. Davies burned the warehouses
dA pot etc, and destroyed the railroad.
tHe reached tie Richmond & Fredericksburg
~ llEsa1 soon after. ard tleWoTk Of deslTOyiu
~ begun, when we were
AGAIN FUEIDusLY AselILED.
" took p5sil5 to the west Of the railroad an
a alteG lle enemy, bat they seemed couteu
aitl q lUBr-ra8Ce rglaiutauCe. At about
* 70. q violent thunder storm broke upon u,
APO continued late into the night, and was,
- isiuE, one u the hardest I ever knew: bu
through e al continued the iuccssaut bzugin
Oftbe carlines Tron both siGes. ] was on I'll
ekirmish-liEc- aHG become ulcamlortablv satu
gated lY The c0p5gLs dew" CauuOuading La
been going on I'D front. and soon we were al
yrised u Clusters brilliant engagement &
Yellow Tavern during the day and Of his pre-
eut proximity 70 Richmond, which, il ws
sJhCurht, he would soon enter. In the morI
= Ing we Thought We should enter Richmond
but there's many Q slip-When its muddl
fCbecr after cheer went MP from our meH
( The news was passed along tie line. Is
were too near Richmond for the enemy
. remain passive now. and they banged ava
I Fiih all the rapldity with which they c0ul
Z load their old Eawed-gf muskets. Some tin
after midnight the rain ceased, and we yer
quietly withdrew irCm our position and col
tlnued On 10 Richmond This must har
been the might which Scrg't Bray meant wine
: be says that Sheridan had cur bands playiE
al night Although be gives the date
June II, il Is mentioned Ia connection wit
Clusters fight Al yellow Tavern and the wonu
ing Of Gen. Stuart. The building Of q TO-
aver q swamp" probably refers 10 Clusters 7
pairing the Meadow bridge over the Chick
h0miny swamp and River, June u, for III
one month later than this was the first day
engagement a. Jreyiian. There were
Ewamps there. and no necessity for 90 buildil
road" for there were more roads around II
william 70 the square acre than were TO be -four
anywhere else in the world.
As the foregoing takes il ali that ig embe
led IN Sergt Bray's communication, viii q
fer an account Of the next days operation
bay - in which we had an alI-day's strugg