The National tribune., 1890-07-24
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OUT ON THE PLAINS.
9TH Iowa CaVaIryman Goes For the nth Ohio

Cav.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Corp'l David
T. Stratton and Comrade Geo. w. Nelson, of
the 18th Ohio Cav, have been soverally heard
from on the subject of Fighting the Sioux" or
Ont on the Plains" and both of your above
worthy correspondents would leave tho i'm
preston that | was not on tho ground at the
time and place which is the subject of this con-
troversy, and that the 9TH Iowa Cav. was n
matter of little or no concern, Now, rs to
Comrado Stratton's little squib In yours of
April II, have but little to say, for it contains
too many errors to answer in detail, and think,
for the size of the article, it contains moro
errors 10 the square inch than anything ! ever
saw in print. First, there was no Capt Sher-
man of the 18th Ohio. but there was q Capt.
Shuman, of Co. l. think, but he was not there.
He remained at Fort Mitchell and on our re-
turn to Laramie he took us all in, half.starved
as we were, and treated us right royalty.
Comrade Nelson burdened your columns
more than shall, but allow mo to answer few
of his errors and quote few extracts from let
tiers from other comrades, and then I'll decline
any further controversy on the subject. I'll
admit Comrade Nelson's dates TO DO true, and
that there were but about $50 men in all; but
he claims that the 9TH Iowa furnished only
about 80 men and the 18th Ohio 100 men. Now
It's fact that our company (D) of tho 9TH was
by no means a small company, and had recently
beeU TtCfNlleN 70 dDOub tue lltnlb OI Tue TBEU-
latons and it's further a fact that every avail
able man was taken, and these facts will tend
to establish the fact that Co. ID was represented
by between 90 and 100 men. As TO the number
killed, wounded aud frozen beg 10 differ in
the most negative terms for up to the time of
the reinforcement there was not man killed,
but one disabled by wounds and not one, to
my knowledge disabled by freezing.
Now. if the 18th Ohio numbered SO many
more than the 9TH Iowa, why don't Comrade
Nelson, or someone else. tell of their dead and
wounded outnumhering ours7 The fact is our
regiment lost but one man killed aud three
disabled by wounds, while the 18th Ohio lost
one man killed. Now these figures show
that the 18th Iowa either had more men in the
field than the llth Ohio, or that tho 18th Ohio
shirked the heat of the battle; It's either tho
one or the other, and We don't accuse them of
Sinking
Lieut. De Lay. of Co. d, says: AFTER the
reinforcement we then numbered about lbs
men y; and speaking of the Rush Creek fight
he says: That was the most hazardous fight
that l25 men ever went into" Now, Lieut..
De Lay was a man of remarkable good memory,
and / conclude his recollections are freshcr
than mine and moro accurate than anything
yet brought to light, and If the entire exped-
ton was composed Of but about l25 men, and
that all the available men of Co ID, 7th Iowa,
were on hand then where could tho 18th Ohio
cut much Of figure in that fght2 Besides,
the figures of killed and wounded support tho
assertion that there were but few OF them there
As for the charge at tho Rush Creek fight, there
were but 10 men in that squad. and cal name
seven that belonged TO the 9TH Iowa.
Scrgt Joe II. Clark, who was wounded at Mud
Springs, says: " don't know Just how many
came up with the gun, but as near as can re-
member there was about ID or 20, and not 90,
as stated by ComTade Nelson" Comrado Clark
further says that II any were disabled by freoz-
ing he never heard Of it.
Now, Comrade Nelson, haYe not mistaken
the Julesburg fight for the Mud Springs fight,
for was not at the former, but was at tho latter,
and haven't them "slightly mixed" Neither
do wish to ignore tho 18th Ohio and their
valuable service on that occasion, as C0mrade
Drake and others would the 7th Iowa, for the
representatives Of tho 18th Ohio were there and
visible 70 the naked eye, notwithstanding my
erroneous parable as to there being only a Cor
porars guard Of them. Comrades, there Is no
use Of further controversy. ! think the old
records at Fort Laramie will show the exact
number Of each and every organization there
represented, and think facts, figures, circnm-
stances and all else point 10 tho accurateness Of
my former statement, and my faint effort TO
Tefute the erroneous statement Of Comrade
Drake that IF IL had not been for the good
management Of Col. Collins that day, not one
Of the command would have been alive TO tell
the tale; aud by your permission. Mr.. Editor
l will at some future day show that by the
good management Of Col. Collins" tho Horse
Creek fight occurred, in which Capt. Fouts, OF
Co. ID, 7th Iowa, and seven men lost their lives.
When we have heard from one or two moro of
the 18th Ohio think VIC will then have heard
from about all Of that regiment who were out
on the plains.--GEo. w. ROWAN, Co. d, 7th
lows Cav, Chehalis, Wash.