The National tribune., 1889-11-21
The "oId Man" Comes to the Front.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Your very
kind letter OF the 4th inst, requesting me, ii
/ can, 10 put you in the way of obtaining photo
graphs of Lieuts. Dawson, Mitchell and Good
man received. l am sorry to say il is out OF
my power. as Mitchell and Goodman are dead
have no idea where any Of their friends live.
As for Lieut.. Dawson, believe he Is living
in Cleveland, o.. but 1 have never seen him
since the first day IS battle of Gettysburg where
he was so badly wounded
As regards the battery rolls of the different
periods TO which you refer, would simply do
an injustice TO q great many should attempt
TO send you the list from memory but / feel
sure you could obtain the accurate rolls of the
battery at any time that you may desire by
sending to the Adjntant-Gen HaG / not
had the misfortune to lose by fire the memo
randa kept during the war, for the benefit OF
my family, should have been able to have
answered your questions more explicitly.
The sketch you are publishing brings back
t0 my mind very vividly tho incidents men.
toned, aud certainly indorse mostly every
thing the writer has said, with the exception oi
| that concerning myself
The men were the best class of mon that
evor saw in the military service, both for
intelligence and military pride, and certainly
concur with the writer statement AS regards the
bravery of the men while in battle. | often
had to check them for undue rashness The
| left my position on the other side OF the Rail.
road Cut, as l did not leave tho position until
| notified by an Aid of Gen. John T.. Robinson
that his division had fallen back, and that
there was no infantry left to support me.
The writer states that he was with Davison's
| half-battery south of the Cut, and knew oi
| Stewards operations north of the Cut only by
hearsay from his comrades.
When / got my half battery on the road
ordered Serg't Mcbride IA better man nevel
wore the uniform of Sergeant) to move toward
Gettysburg. l then rode to where had placed
Lieut.. Dawson. not knowing that Gen. Wads-
worth had already fallen back and taken the
half-battery that Dawson commanded with
him. In riding to the position which Dawson
! occupied found it occupied by Heth's troops
of A. L. Hills Corps. / was called upon ia
surrender, but of course did not see it in that
light. l wheeled my horse about when they
sent avolley after me. made my escape, with
two bullet-hoes through my blouse / then
rode over to the road in which Serg't Mcbride
with the half-battery was leading To Gettys-
burg. i found that occupied by rebels.
then had to start in another direction, when /
found was completely surrounded by the
enemy, they calling upon me to halt. headed
my horse towards a fence, the horse took the
fence splendidly. but just "a was crossing /
was hit on the thigh by piece of shell. At
first thought my leg was broken, but
"iOOA Aooiinb ~ iouhu WIS HI TlBnC, Dut
got so nauseated that, after riding about a
hundred yards. and seeing little water in one
of the furrows of the field, got off my horse,
drank little, bathed my face. and feeling some
relief mounted again. had gone but a short
distance when found one of my caissons with
the rear axle broken. One of my men land to
the best of my recollection it was private Win
field Scott Wlliams) was there at the caissons
taking out round after round of ammunition
aud destroying the charges of powder so that
the enemy could not use them against us. /
waited with him till he had the last round de-
stroyed. then told him to come with me, aud
on entering the town found my battery to-
gether 1t was then that / learned Lieut..
Dawson had been wounded and taken TO the