The National tribune., 1890-08-28
RESACA.
Who Captured the Four-Gun Batteryr

| Who Captured the Four-Gun BatteryF
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: For 10 years
the claim to the capture of the A-gun battery
at Resaca, by the First Brigade, Third Division,
twentieth Corps, May Is, 1864, was undisputed
but now, rs time adds to the glory of that
achievement, claimants are coming forward,
| and would grasp laurels that they never earned.
have been waiting for some time for the
evidence (sc) to be all in to reply, the princi-
| pal claimants being the Second Brigade of our
| division and the Second Brigade of the Second
| DIVISION, Twentieth Corps.
In presenting the claim of the First Brigade
the facts are these:
LIST. No other body of Union soldiers were
| IN advance of said brigade on that charge
"a. No other Union ColOrs than those of that
| brigade were flung to the breeze that day upon
| those rebel works or inside of them.
! Sd. No Union soldiers belonging to any other
| brigade were killed either upon or inside of
! those works, nor nearer than the rebel rifle
! pits until the Second Brigade advanced to re-
licvo the First.
4th. That the dead Of the First Brigade lay
on that field all the way from the crossing of
the pike up to and inside of those works.
9th. That the captured guns were taken to
the railroad station at Resaca, May 16, by de-
tail from the First Brigade
To substautiato these facts what is the evil
dcmce2
LIST. Had there been other troops in advance
oil u.s. why did they not capture tho rebel Skin
mlsh-line at the rinc-pits? They must have
been stupid fellows to rush on and leave line
~ armed rebels in their rear TO shoot them in
no back The First Brigade got credit for
~ prisoners taken on that line.
II. 4. Munger, Co. c, 15ith n v Second
Brigade Second Division, Twentieth Corps, in
IliE NATIONAL tribune of late date, says
IL IS not true that our his brigade captured
the Tort He says they went into action
that afternoon and charged to the HILL but not
mp tho hillside, stopping 20 or 30 rods short of
inc battery, under cover of the hill" Further
on he says: The First Brigade Third Di-
vision, went for that battery with rush, and the
cheer that rolled along our line and Out-thun-
dered the thunder of the guns was started by
our regiment, who were intensely interested
spectators"
I'd. No claim has yet been made that any flag
OF the Second Division, nor any other than
those OF the First Brigade, Third Division, went
INTO those rebel works. We certainly saw the
flags OF the 10th Ind, 102d and l29th Ill. on
the works and in the fort Color-Serg't Hess
OF the 129th ILL.,, was killed while standing on
one OF the capt. red guns.
81. The most advanced line claimed for any
one Killed belonging to any other brigade than
to the First of the Third Division was at the
pike, 30 rods distant from the fort.
4th. There was long, long list of our boys
that lay scattered from the pike up TO and in
those works, the greatest loss falling upon the
'Oth Ind, which, according 10 official records |
left i72 of its gallant boys upon that field
9th. The rcgimental records show that CorpI |
John \. Rose, Co. ID, l29th H., in charge Of |
detail from the whole brigade, hauled those |
four guns by hand into Resaca, and got a re.
celpt from the proper officer for them.
4 his IS tho evidence sustained by the official !
records and published letters of II3 OF the boys |
who took part in that charge.
nc attempt by the Second Brigade, Third |
Division, to prove that il was their brigade |
that captured the rebel fort, while in fact they
were only acting as supports for the charging !
column, would be passed over in silence II IL /
was not adding insult to the injury they did /
us that day "a do not think malici0usly. but /
owing to their stupidity OF firing "A yolcy into /
our backs while We were charging tho nights /
OF Resaca.
The Second Brigade evidently believe that /
when they moved up 10 relieve our brigade, /
they were charging the works; when those /
works were occupied and held by our brigade, /
and at least three of our battle. flags were in /
or on those works, and had been for more than /
two hours.
There were hundreds Of our boys in those
works before the Second Brigade crossed tho /
pike. Conspicuous among them was our now
honored President, Ben Harrison, who the 1
writer saw leaning upon limber-chcst and +
not positive, but think his name was Sedgwick
The only statement the Second Brigade boys
have made that has somblauce Of truth in re-
gard TO the captnro OF the fort, is that some Of
them during the following night tumbled into
the works, aud with ropes hauled those four
guns out. Admit this much, If there was any
glory ia pulling out the guns We had captured
All the same, there was no Juhnuies ia the
works then, excepting lots Of dead ones, nor
had been after o'clock p. M that day; but
there was heavy detail Of the First Brigade |
who were left IN there when the brigade WAS
and who helped ropol the night at
Tack upon those works; p of them were mem
bcrs oil my regiment. The balance Of our brt-
gadc were relieved as We have before stated
and sc were sent 20 the left 20 support some
other troops IN a weak place Oh our line
Our dead and wounded were mostly taken
" the field, previous 10 being relieved, but the
ISGt morning burial SOUND, of which the
writer was one, Was sent to tho scene of tho
charge, and gathered up 81 dead Of our brigade !
ana buried them under the ramparts Of that
Tort the dead Of 40 other command being
found nearer 10 the fort than the rebel riac.
pits We also buried upwards of 200 rebel
dead along that line.
For the truth OF the statement here submit.
ted We respectfully refer you to our hOnored
President, Cen Harrison, who that day, with
bis old regiment, the 7Oth Ind, led the advance
upon that most desperate and successful charge:
10 Col. Dan Dustin, lOith ILL.,, now Of Chicago,
ILL., Maj. COnRer, Member VI Congress from
Iowa Col. Tom Flynn. Winchester, H.. Col
A. J. Cropsey, Ogden, Utah, or any other fnal,,
officer or private Of the old First Brigade, Third
Division, Twentieth Corps who was with that
that day.-G. III. BLAKEsLEE, Co G.
10Th H., LomaE, NCb.