The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-08-14
RED RIVER CAMPAIGN.
A Naine Soldier Goes for Comrade Bryson.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: With your
permission / will take the liberty Of replying
TO an article about the Red River campaign,
which appeared in The NATIONAL TRiBUsE
OF July %, from the pen Of James Bryson, 9th
Iowa. Said article contains a series Of mis-
statements and exaRgcratiOns OF such magnifi-
cent proportions, that they would bring a blush
10 the checks Of Eli Perkins and make Tom
Ochiltrec turn sage-green with envy As a
very correct account Of the campaign, and es-
pecially OF the battle Of Pleasant Hill, appeared
IN The NATIONAL TRIBUNE in February and
March, 1884, ! will not ask for space TO give a
sketch Of the campaign, or even Of that battle,
but will only try TO correct a few of Comrade
BTysOn's mistakes.
lst lie says: The rebels won a complete
victory the day before over the Thirteenth and
Nineteenth Corps, capturing rs they did large
number OF prisoners several field batteries and
other artillery, besides a large supply train of
several hundred wagons"
Now the facts are two divisions OF the
Thirteenth Corps, numbering together about
1900 officers and men, went into the battle Of
Sabine Crossroads in detail against a force Of
over 1900 Of the enemy. AS a matter of
course they were OverpOwered, and after fight
ing till their ammunition was exhausted, as
many Of them as possible fell back in disorder
10 escape capture. They lost their artillery
only for the reason that the road in their rear
the guns were not abandoned till the gunncrs
had made a desperate hand to hand fight over
them with reviewers and rammerE The num-
Der Of wagons captured, instead of numbering
several hundred, was l56.
Emory's Division, Of the Nineteenth Corps
numbering about 4,S00, after marching seven
miles IN less than an hour aud half reached
the field about 100 p. M just as the last Of the
Thirteenth Corps were leaving IT, and the
courage Of the rebels had been 80 well cooled
by the Thirteenth Corps that Emorys Division
Tepulsed every attack that was made on them
until dark; then remained on the field till /
o'clock the next morning, giving time for the
wounded and the remnant of the Thirteenth
Corps, with most OF their wagOn-train, 10 get
away, and then fell back 10 Pleasant Hill in
good order without losing gun or a wagon and
no prisoners, excepta few stragglers Although
the Thirteenth Corps was badly whipped at
Sabine Crossroads, they did there all that men
could do, and their defeat was no disgrace.
I'd. he says that the Thirteenth aud Nine
teenth Corps, on reaching Alexandria, "All had
Oh regulation dresscoats buttoned from bottom
10 the top, with regulation hats or caps, and
strangest feature 10 US Of all, every man wore a
paper collar, while few were rugged out with
white gloves"
"Oh mOnstrOug! But one halfpennyw0rtb
Of bread 10 this iutOlerable deal Of sack % The
truth is the detachment Of the Thrice nth
Corps had Just returned from Winter cam
paign on the coast Of Texas, aud had no chance
to draw new clothing till they reached Alex
andria, and were full as rough looking as the
Sixteenth Corps. The 18th and 18th Ne. had
just been through the same campaign in the
Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Thirteenth
Corps, and were in the same condition. The
most Of the Nineteenth Corps had been in camp
several weeks, and were much better supplied :
but all the dresscOats, paper collars and white
gloves ia both corps were in two new regiments,
organized iR the Fall Of 1863, and Just starting
Oh their first campaign. Those two regiments
thoroughly recovered from the paper collar
disease before the close Of the campaign There
was, probably, not paper collar nor white
glove in the Thirteenth Corps As 10 the
Sarcastic banter" between the members of tho
different corps i heard very little of IL, not
more than i have often heard between different
regiments In the same brigade, and as for our
men calling the Sixteenth Corps "a lot of
thieves and guerrillas," heard nothing of the
kind. Smiths Guerrillas" was a net name
which have read was given 10 the Sixteenth
Corps by Gen. Sherman, aud they called them
selves by the name and appeared TO be proud
oft.
Sd. He says: "They were no more than well
established in camp before they had men ont
throwing up works and an old fashioned camp
guard was placed around each regiment
That is a great mistake. Tie Nineteenth
Corps reached Alexandria March % but we
built no brcastw0rks there till May g. more
than month after our return TO Alexandria
from up the river. As for guard around the
camp, our regiment had none at any time
during the campaign. We kept q guard of
one or two men on the color line and one at
the ColonePs quarters, just enough to call out
the regiment in case of an attack On the