The National tribune., 1889-08-15
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.
One OF Whitaker's Brigade Comes 4

One OF Whitaker's Brigade Comes TO the Front.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: VIII you
please allow me to enter the columns of your
most excellent paper to give Comrade Lewis
Blundiu, of Hulmeville, Pa, a little something
TO settle his stomachp When | read his article
in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE of July Is, said,
poor man, how easily il is for one to be mis-
taken. We read in the good book, fOld men
shall dream Dreams" etc. and his article led
me to believe that he had been having few
visions of late, and that he imagined he saw
the White Stars of the Twentieth Corps
planting their flag on the peak of Lookout
Mountain. Strange things are happening
nowadays. IL we had another Joseph he might
interpret our comrades dreams, but having
none, he is compelled to interpret his own
dreams. Some of us are not ready to accept or
receive the Interpretation which he gives TO
his visions. There are times when even an
old soldier may be mistaken. Let me cito one
instance: In one of the wars that England
Waged against India few Of the EHglish-and
Scotch soldiers Were besieged, with no hope of
rescue. They were heartsiCk. BY day they
had looked to see If reinforcements were COM
ing. AT night they placed their ears to the
ground that they might hear the measured
tread Of columns coming To the relief of the
weary garrison. Neither by day nor by night
was their watching rewarded They were in
despair. Jessie Brown, the wife OF Corporal,
was ia the garrison, victim of malignant
fever. and her mind was wandering. She lies
on pallet OF straw. One midnight she raises
her aching head the palor from her fair face
departs; one of her white hands is upllted,
and her pale lips mutter: " Hark ! hear the
bagpipes. The Campbells are comingl" The
soldiers sadly shook their heads aud said:
" No. Jessie; it cannot be- 1t is delirium. do
lirium, poor child poor child" In feeble,
but earnest tones she answered. " No. / am
not mistaken. II is not delirium. / hear the
music far away" She was right aud the SOL
ders' were wrong Our eomrade writing from
Hulmeyille may not DO deirious. but | will
venture to say hc is quite bilious. Here is what
he says:
We do claim that the White Stars Of the
Twentieth Corps were the first 10 plant the
Stars aud Stripes the peak of Lookout
Mountain on tie mOrning0f Nov. 81, 1863"
To claim the above by any comrade OF the
White Star Division of the Twentieth Corps
rcqnires more gall than is 70 be found in herd
OF Kansas or Texas steers. ! am prepared TO
say that every soldier in the sth Ky, 99th
Ohio, 5ist Ohio, 3jth Ind. aud 2lst Ky. knows
that our comrade of Hnlmeyiile, Pa. is sadly
mistaken. Capt Wilson, of the Sth Ky, is the
man who had the honor of planting the FIRST
flag on the peak OF Lookout Mountain. stood
by lis side on the peak when it was done, and
know just what / am saying. The above regi-
ments composed Nhitakers Brigade, OF the
Fourth Corps.
In concluding his article our comrade says:
ave were too busy in thrashing the johnny
rebs to think Of flag planting. until some other
regiments who were not actively engaged, ex-
cept in lodging bullets aud shells far in the
rear, came up aud planted their col0rs, and
claimed honors for first fag.p
Comrade, when you intimate in your article
that Whitaker's Brigade, Of the Fourth Corps,
was far in the rear lodging bullets aud shells,
you are of your beat No, my dear comrade,
Whiaker's Brigade, Of the Fourth Corps, was
not in the rear lodging bullets aud shells, as
you would have the readers Of Tux NATIoSAL
TEIBUER 10 believe; it was In the heaviest aud
thickcst Of the battle, aud no brigade engaged
in the battle did harder aud better fighting
than il did. Ii fought bTayely aud heToically,
until it had the honor of seeing It's brigade dag
in the hands Of Capt. Wilson, Of the 9Th KY,
planted Oh the peak Of Lookout Mountain,
about sunrise the morning OF Nov u, 1863
In conclusion. would only say, comrades Of
Whitaker's Brigade, OF the Fourth Corps, let
us rally once more, and drive our comrades Of
the Twentieth Corps into some Of the caves Of
Pennsylvania, never 70 be heard from again.
Il. T. WARD, Go. +, 9Th Ky lie Roy, Kan.