The National tribune., 1888-06-07

1t is not my purpose now to write about that
battle, though | have some knowledge OF It,
Ny health is bad and am unable to have any
controversy in regard to the various ques
tious that have arisen in regard to it. l have
read a good many accounts of the struggle on
the Ridge including one given by Gen J. Q.
Smith at the unvailing of the Steedman Monu-
ment here; the article in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE by Col. Morton G. Hunter, and the
reply thereto by Gen. II. V. Boynton in THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE of May 3, 1888, and some
accounts by rebel officers.
/ cannot enter into any criticism of the va
rance in these articles now, and may never do
so, but may say that am impressed with one
fact deduced from all the accounts, that there
was a great many more Yankees on that Ridge
Sunday afternoon than l had any knowledge
of. AS the top of that hill and the ravine on
Steedman's left, so called, grows glorious, regi-
ments and brigades and several officers multi
ply upon it, where / saw only thin line with
revolving rifles, until the question fairly arises,
how it came about that the rebels ever got pos
session of it at all? Does time breed visions?
There was space enough, in fact too much space,
and splendid fighting along the whole line, so
that it was not necessary for commands TO
charge over each other TO get all the glory they
wanted.
| protest against this clash. / commanded
the 21st Ohio on the Ridge that afternoon, and
the work it did is described by Gems. J. c..
Smith and H. V. BoyntOn, as having been done
by two other regiments respectively, and so far
as the statement goes, there was no space to
crowd my, regiment into the fight. For in
stance, Boynton says:
"Tbis brigade Van Derveers) held the left of
the line in the first days fight and the right of
it on the hill Sunday afternoon, after Steed-
mans troops were withdrawn, at about 5
o'clock"
Now Vanhorn in his History of the Army
of the Cumberland" Vol. /, p. 256, assigns
another command to the same position Sunday
afternoon, and describes the last and fatal posi-
ton of the 21st Ohio.
THE heaviest losses in the withdrawal of
the army was from captures mainly from
Baird's Division which left position under a
heavy assault; from Steedmans Division and
the 21st Ohio, the latter being between Bran
nan and Steedman. This regiment maintained
its ground in great exposure during the after
noon, and by its revolving rifles and gallant
fighting made the impression upon the enemy
that its position was held by heavy force. AT
dark portions of the 21st aud 89th Ohio aud
22d Mich, the latter two from the left of Whit
aker'5 Brigade, were captured"
The trouble with the accounts of the battle
on the Ridge is not unlike similar trouble with
the accounts of other battles A celebrated
case of this kind occurs in regard to the capt
ure of Confederate artillery at Stone River,
Tenn. Only three pieces were taken by US in
that BATTLE Several regiments claim the ex-
elusive honor, and one command that moved
in the wrong direction to take Confederate
artillery, not only claims the exclusive glory,
but also claims that there were seven pieces
taken
1t is not half enough to say that saw the
9th Ohio do some splendid fighting that after
noon on the left of the Ridge in front Of the
Peach Orchard it was really grand,
There is no doubt that Van Derveer's whole
Brigade did good work that day as well as the
SD Ind, but object to these troops spreading
themselves over the command of Col La Fevre,
who is now dead and the 21st Ohio, which was
detached from Gen. James 5. Negley, and was
fighting as an independent command.-ARNOLD
MCMAHON, Toledo, 0.