The National tribune., 1890-12-18
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
RED RIVER CAMPAIGN.
The Formation Of the Line at Pleasant hin.

j am sorry that he Is AT too long range 10 hll
with an ornge-the best one from the trees
and such 10 make him wish that he were
here "Ht the other end Of the gun" as he was
at Pioa4 mt Hill.
Now, while 1 MUNICH the bareback that
he shios al me ] will also try TO break some OF
them luo enough, that he may join me IN the
rePast Also, ID we shall iHd one that proves
unsouHd hope thai we may agree to keep our
teeth ont al IL.
No at eek fell upon The extreme right at
Pleasant liiil--the place occupied by my regl-
ment ID was la the woods and shut from view
Of the irhtiug. j remember ii as ridge oyer
looking Il raFine-a place naturally strong.
My comIgHy h had been on the skirmsh-
line, bul was called la just before the battle
opened. This, Others have said, was with
artileT" Shells from the left mote the dlrec-
tom ouiiIalcd onr line, but too high 10 do
harm. We meanwhile cXpe,ted an attack from
our front shortly we heard the sound of In.
fautry firing well TO the rear OF our left
again uuie the directon.l ON these points
my memory is clear, and Of the firing heard
my Cll :ain then remark that he heard Moth
Ing sharper at Antietam.'
Z will here cite our rcgimental history, which
is based ou It's authors diary, he being al the
time Adjniant of our regiment:
The most unpleasant thing about them tthe
she Is cas the fact Of their coming from our
left rear. ~ We know now that some OF
this noise musketry) WAS made by tie Both
Me"
Tile reader is reminded that the Both Me-
was in ihc Third Brigade, Nineteenth Corps.
Ia my paper in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE Of
Sept ] : quoted from regimeutal history our
movement across toward the left where the
fighting was in progress THIS was through
gTOunc Oi very roagh description, where we
wrcsiicd around through brushwOOd, fallen
trec-tup-. aud the bludest ways / ever saw on a
battehtlA. When we came under fire we could
not sec who gave il aud were forbidden TO re-
turn il, being told that our own troops were in
that direction. As I remember this We thus
came under fire quite long time before sun
down, and here note that the sequence OF our
regimcntll history places this after the retire
mont co. olaWs troops. j do not think tins can
have much exceeded a half hOur from the open
ing, bur the time may have seemed longer to
COmrade McAlalIen out in the field with the
enemy than il did TO me over in the brush.
will now recall ComHde McMakeu to my
citation from Gen. Emory's report rs given in
my paper OF Aug. q:
The enemy emerged from the woods IN all
directions and In heavy columns completely
OuthEhking aud OrerpOWerinE my left wing
composed Of the Third brigade aud brigade
OF Gen. Smiths, which broke in some coulu-
sion. Ny right stood firm aud rcpulsed the
enemy handsomely, and the left would have
ANiiN ~ AhuN toi AaiE ElthA tlAElhaA btthfbNA "a
aud the troops 10 the left, leaving the flank en-
tirely exposed"
Now Greeley and Admiral Porter were. in
deed, miles away" rs Comade McMaken
says, bnt Gen. Emory is original authority. for
he commanded that line. ln the above from
his report, he shows that the Third Brigade
was on the same line with Shaws troops. in
The time Immediately following the battle
also learned that the Both Ne. was in The front
in my former paper sept. lsl ] treated Of
the circumstances under which the Third Bril-
gade was driven back. but did not call attention
70 the fact that they were az the same time
Ranked, shown In the above from Gen.
Emory.
think 1t must now he apparent 10 the COM
radc that BeneGict's Brigade was in the fight
with Snaws ln the line on the left when the
engagement opened, and that Shaw's Brigade
WAS not posted in advance" Of the main line
with its faBk In the air Also, that when
Benecicls was thus lanked and driven back a
way was open for the enemy TO pass in and
partial 'y cot off shaw from the rear.
ln detailing the position Of my own reEi-
ment have shown that the right Of Emory :
line WIS swung far back aud fully al right
angles with the center understand that the
left Was also refused. In such line brigade
Hanks viii stand salient. unless bent back ward,
70 conform 10 the general formation. They
may thus 10 the casual observer seem % be ia
the air, and IL the enemy once penetrates the
line 10 is a short road 10 the rear Of adjoining
portions lf the Third Brigade lay IN woods
thus refused on Shaw's lett, the misapprehen-
sion Of want Of supports readily arises So
when somebody got warm cursiRg was it
certainly Deritedf
Bot the c0mrade states that when retired
from tie front bis regiment passed through the
Zouayes of the Third Brigade. Now il Is
evident that, IN leaving the front, the latter
must naturally, in such formation Of the front
line as j have described. have thcmselves with
drawn 10 point IN rear OF ShHws men The
lines OF retreat eonyeFRug would bring them
% hat point, and az Bcnedicts men were first
Ranked and driven in. Shaws, retiring later,
would hud them there. have always under
stood that the Third Brigade met the enemy
q second time, and on a new line.
C0nrlde McAaken states that Col Shaw
made repeated requests Tor these supports /"
tthnt is tho covering Of his fangsl aud ID
proof Dr. cites my rCFImcutal history incor-
Tcctly rendering the passage thus, but never
thcics-, o. quotation marks: Gen. DRi .ht Wae
appealed 10 and refused" To correct this mis-.
quotation. and 70 force the giving Of just ice to
Gen. Dwight ! will again, as Ia the former
pupef quote the passage ~ length aud teiJafini
" lle fSHaH. also WAS attacked al the same time
Benedict was and sent 10 Gen. Dwight 10 come
over and help him. which Gen. Dwight de.
cllued d. do without orders" This demand
therefore. came during the battle aud not be
ioIc. u must, further be remembered that
Dwight was but brigade commander IN
charsc oi \ part Of the line in face Of the
enemy. HIS action does uOt evidence an +" Ia.
competent aud drunken imbocilcD
Aud nuw, perhaps we can IN turn leave Il
our friends Of the Sixteenth Corps the account.
ing i0r the great interval between Emory,
line nnd " tle troops % the left, who wers
commanded by Gen. Smith. ior il must be born,
in mind that through this gap the onems
entered and commenced the 1anking az shown
By Gen. Emory's report Here we must eav,
tbis question Of the line which involves Col
Shave case against The officers Of the Nine
tcenth Corps
Uull ComIadc McMakou's paper appearea
have never known Of the subsequent trouble
aud 0i Tie dismissal OF Col. Shaw from IA,
service. The passage that The c0uIrade quote
from tycr's Iowa in War Times seems I,
me Hs Illogical aud absurd ar ID b partisan. I
Dr. NOT she he comrades paper whose love 10
his u.l commander every soldier will like h
see shown; bat while love may support ID
object !. should not Try 10 cover an iudelepsi
bic act. The author of the book states tia
Col Shaw. +" IN letter b. public journal n
tbe time printed under his own name puh
lishod several Of the officers Of Bankss arm
as Incompetent aud drunken imbccilos on tha
day OF Pleasant Hill But lac stlrrc,
up au awful hornets nest o. sting aud hate
Who shall say u Nas sting and hate Moul,
men bc Hcek aud rest under such accusations
Will NOT thc reader Judge that thc man VIII
knew Ae hEd no night 10 bring such charges
eEceIt in military court, was probably wron
in the accusations lac made la this eNtraord
mary nunueri Aud was this act of Co
Nltat.lN "a Iiulff ofIeuup mud oue ,t,t y.