The National tribune., 1890-01-16

derness with insufficient care and without ade-
quate thoroughness Having my memory thus
refreshed, easily threaded out the work Of the
battery during the first day and separated it from
the second days work.
As remarked in No. XI, during the day of Nav
the eight batteries of the Fifth Corps were as
signed two IN each of the fnur di,-iso,,9. 80 -
gether with Breck's, J., 1st ". Y formerly Rev
nOlds'sl being assigned To Wadsworth This gave
each division one rifle battery and one light I2-
FOUNDER rbattery-smoOthbOre NapoIeons On the
morning of May Gen. Wadsworth when about to
move against the enemy in the Hagerson clearing
directed Capt. Stewart to command both batteries
thereby in effect, making him Chief of Artillery Of
the division, the immediate command of Battery B
thus devOvng temporarily upon Lieut. Goodman
Gen. Wndsworth being ordered by Gen. Warren
to take ground toward tho plank road, no doubt
for the purpose Of closing the gap between his Di-
vision and that OF Gen. Crawford, moved by his
flank in that direction, but owing TO the broken
ground and tangled brush in which the enemy
found almost impenelTable cover, he was repused
and his troops as they TetTeaed slowly were
pushed by the enemy, who appeared extending to
envelop the left flank of his division, At this time
Capt Stewart was with the General, and he had
the guns and linIbers OF our battery with him in the
direction Of the LEFT flank, while the eai-sons re-
mained some distance back with Breck'. battery
It was Mt this time that the order cau To retire
the cassons," together with Breck's battery and
that battery, followed by our caissOns pulled back
TO the Lacey clearing by the wood road above mem
toned.
Meantime Capt. Stewart and Lieut. Goodman
uuimbered the guns OF Battery + with fixed pro-
"nge, so as to fight retiring, and opened with
deavoring To- enyclop WadswOrths flank. This fire
was continued, and the enemy checked by it until
The retrOgTade movement of the infantry safely
assured; whereupOI the Captain Iimbered up his
guns and brought them back into the Lacey clear
ing where they rejoued the caissons.
IL should be added, that in the action of the Sec
ond day MAY g. described in No. XII OF the sketch
the caissOns were not retired as the enemy was
checked in the edge of the brush without attempt
ing TO charge. The Captain, in his polite sugges-
iOu does not give the reasons he had for retiring
Breck's battery and Caissons but I assume it
was because the wood road was very bad, and, in
tending to hold the position as long possible he
did not want the road encountered with another
battery and our caissons q think we had eight at
that time-six regular and two spare) in case a
rapid withdrawal OF the guns should be necessary;
particularly sthat wood road was the only pTac
ticable for artillery anywhere between the pike and
the plank Mt that point remember that road very
well. IL was grown up with small brush and full
of old stumps. rotting logs etc. IL had been used
there were many beds Of old charcoal pit along the
rontc between the two clearings, which was per-
haps thTee-quarteFs of a mile. / presume my error
grew out OF he'faet that with the eassous at
this time, and therefore retired with them, so had
no opportunity to witness the action Of the guns
after we passed out Of sight of them. / did not
even distinguished their barking" in the general
crash or II did have forgotten il. But the state
ment that the battery fell back out Of the Hagerson
clearing without firing a shot" the first day Of
the Wilderness was certainly erroneous, and /
thank the Captain for his prompt correction. Any
nrtiileryman will understand that when the COM
mander Of n battery orders his caissons TO retira
fight with what ammunition ne has in his gun
lmbers, tho situation must be Of interest,"
AUTHoR.l
ITO be continusd1