The National tribune., 1891-08-20
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.



John Towle, Co A. 1st u. S. V. v, says that
| tho lst regiment Of HaEcock's Veteran Corps
saw little service. but IL was very active, 20
which the 18th Ia. Cav. will swear. Ia March
/ and April. l-65, the lst regiment had their
/ camp ut Winchester, Va, and on ono Of their
marches looking for rebs along with the 18th
/ Pa. Cav, they came upon some rebel scouts and
/ guerrillas, with whom they exchanged few
shots. One day the writer's company was out
/ IS skirmishers, aud tho 18th Ia. Cav. had gone
/ down the road in front few minutes before.
/ The writer's company had just halted and form
/ cd in skirmish-liuC, when firing commenced
/ in front. The 18th Pa. then did active service,
and the writer saw it,, for they came rushing
/ back peIi-mell, the leaders firing over their
\ shoulders, 10 the great danger Of the men be-
\ hind them. On they came, with the rebels
/ close at their heels. The writer company could
/ not fire until the cavalry was out OF the road,
/ consequently the rcbS were right upon them,
| but our men had met them three years before,
/ aud gave il TO them with their brcech-l0aders.
/ At the first fire a rebel yelled they have got IN
/ fantry." The man who made that exclamation
/ was shot and carried away, but atterward cap
/ turcd. One Of the TCb5 lay at the writer's feet
/ and never rode again in this world. The next
/ day they attacked the lst regiment while they
were marching in columns Of tours, but Co
/ drove them OFT before the rest Of the regiment
l could get a shot at them. The entire regiment
was never engaged, because they could never
I get In 1t, the skirmishors always driving the
rebs of before the regiment could get into the
/ fight They were not reserves or iuyalids,
they being soldiers Of 1861. all having served
two or three years in fighting regiments.
Comments and Corrections.
b. G. Shaw, indianapolis, Ind, says that in a
recent account Of the shooting Of Col. +. T.
/ Kelley ut PhiliPpi he was made 90 say that he
| saw Sims pull out revolver and fire ut Col.
Kelley, when he should have said pistol Many
| Of these old single barrcled pistols were found
. scattered over the road BY which the JOhnues
rctreated that day. They had q bore as large
rs mans thumb, and nc thinks that is the
kind Of pistol with which Col. Sims shot Col.
/ Kelley.
c. L. Thompson, Co. T. 1854 Ohio, Metropolis,
| H., desires 10 say, in answer TO a number OF
| comrades who have written him in relation to
an item in the issue Of July 1G, that the omis-
sion Of the word JCI0 in said item changed the
entire meaning and placed the writer in the
| position Of employer instead Of employee. He
does not know who is 20 blame, but hopes this
explanation will be sufficient.
Only Mule.
A. j. Ferguson. Co. b, cd Pa, and Co. p,
1jjth Pa, Scottsville, Neb. differs from The
Caunoueer" when be says that the Fifth
Corps crossed the Rapidan at Germanil Ford.
The artillery may have crossed there, because
Of the good roads to move on; bat Grilius
Division crossed az Mine Ford, and arrived at
the Wilderness Tavern about shutdown Of the
day mentioned BIZ " The CanuOuccr." An incl
dent occurred on aIC Brock road on tho night
march OF May Z. A cOmmOti0n was heard on our
| right flank in the brush, aud instantly the col
umu came TO a halt without orders The click
/ Of the hammers oil the gun locks rang out on the
night air, and the officers had all they could
do TO prevent the men from firing q v0lley into
the thckct When quiet was restored it was
found that loose mule Laundering around in
the brush had caused the surprise.
Something About the iirh Pa. Cav.
W. II. Townsend, Co. A, 11th Pa, Saguache,
Colo, has never heard anything from his regi-
mcnt since he has been subscriber, but a single
blast from SCrg't Cruik5Eauks buge. They
did some good service during the war, notably
at Suffolk, when they gave LOngstreet o very
| black eye; also at kclleys farm, when they
routed and scattered Gen. PryOr's forces, and
near the Black Water, when they took the
Rocket battery from the u Ga. Cav. and those
they did not take prisoners were driven into
tho river under the rebel guns at Franklin.
They were with Gen. Wilson on his raid when
lie got surrounded by Early's and Fitzhughs
forces near Petersburg and cut their way out.
They took hand at Reams's Station, and they
charged Petersburg by way Of the Plank
road and drove tie rebels from the first and
second lire Of works on the edge Of the town.
then charged on the brea7tworss, where they
found difficulty which could not be overcome.
While the rcb5 were pouring grape and canister
into their ranks they were ordered 70 get out
which they did in a hurry. The writer believes
that they would have taken Petersburg at that
time had it not beea for the abatis.
An Incident.
Alvin Chamberlain, Co. T. sJth Ind, Rethage,
No, says that the boys Of his Old regiment all
remember COly, Of Go. +, and some Of his Pecu-
iar.tics. One evening during I-63, below
/ Memphis. while COly was one OF picket party
during the night he went out fOragiug. Before
the war he could no moro have eaten q turuip
than he could a rattlesnake, but ON this occa-
sion, finding nothing but tgrnips he procured
| good supply aud returned to the reserves 70
| enjoy himself. He ato an overdose pretty
soon the tUTuip5 began 20 work, and he was the
| siCkest man he ever saw. 1t took three men
the balance Of the night to keep him alive.
/ After he recovered he Joined in the fun made
at his expense.
Fort Gregg Again.
WIN. J. Spencer, Co. l. seth H. Arrowsmith,
H., has been reading the accounts Of the cap
turG Of Fort Gregg, and thinks that Of William
| Tulby, sgth y. Y, is carrying the thing too
far when he says that the First Brigade, First
| Division Twenty fourth Corps captured the
fort The l2Jh ". Va, have also been claim
ing the capture with little assistance from
the 23i III. The AdiutaHt- Generals report
OF Illinois says that the 23d lost two men killed
at Fort Gregg; while tho 3yth lost IL killed
and - wounded cut Of $50 men, q part Of the
regiment having been on picket the night
previous were not in the fight. The First
Brigade, First Division, Twenty fourth Corps,
was composed Of the cd and 9th Ohio,
the sJth and fgJtI Pa, aud tho 3Jth H.. the
lggth Pa. being assigned in the Fall Of 1864.
Mai. Stowitts gays that the 10Th Conn. led the
charge, and refers TO FOx's Regimental Losses:
but the writer believes that he saw more OF the
fight at Fort Gregg than COmrade Fox. When
the writer's brigade charged on the fort he re-
members there were troops i'm front of them,
but they were rebels and he always thought
that the First Brigade, First Division, Twenty
fourth Corps, captured the fort until last year,
aud yet there are new claims being made every
day.
Goes fer Van Bibber.
Edgar A. Oatman, Co. d. I26th n. Y, West
WalWorth, y. " having seen the editorial in
n recent issue regarding an Andrew Van Bib
Der, who claimed to be a soldier that never fur
lougbed aud who was always at the front, does
not think that Van BIbber ever had q rcgi-
mcnt II he did he deserted and thinks that he
was an officers dogrObber and was never in
fight He does not believe that Van Bibber
would for one moment have stood in front Of
Pickets charge at Gettysburg for all the money
that was in the United States Treasury at
Washington, and he now pines because those
| 4 a A.