The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-01-08
FORT GREGG AGAIN.

A Pennsylvania Man Thinks Re was ut Its Capture.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I saw in your
paper Of Dec. II, 1890 an article from Mai
StOwits Of the 100th n. Y, on the capture Of
Fort Gregg he claiming the Tooth y. Y. did il,
with little assistance of the balance of the
Third Brigade, First Division, Twenty fourth
Corps. | say they did not capture the fort. from
personal observation and experience. 10 was
captured as my diary Of April ?, 1865, says by
the First Division tF0ster'sj aud a part Of the
Second Division tTurner's) Of the Twenty.
fourth Corps, commanded at that time by Maj
Gen. John Gibbon.
The assault was led by the First Brigade,
composed Of the following regiments: 39th ILL.,,
Col. Thomas Osborne, commanding brigade :;
ed Ohio. Col. Pond; 9th Ohio, Col. A. G.
Voris; 10th Pa, Col. J. C. Briscoe; and the
detachment Of the S5th Pa. (about 125 mem,
under First Lieut.. A. ;. Dial.
The first troops to reach the fort were the
18th III. and 10th Pa. the first flag on the
fort was the flag of the 39th. The color bearer
was shot at the ditch, aud Lieut. Oliver SprOul
OF the l99th Pa. formerly of the 55th Pa,
snatched up the COlOrs and planted them on the
fort and the official records will show what
troops were there, and that regiments in that
assault lost twice the number that the Tooth N.
T. did, although Mai StOwits would like to
make believe that the Tooth ". Y. should have
all the praise.
We do not want to take the glory from any
regiment that was in thar bloody charge but
we happened 70 know the Tooth n Y pretty
well, from Morris Island to Appomattox, and
will say they were in the charge and helped to
capture Fort Gregg. and that Mai. Dandy was
killed there; but the old First Brigade was
there in front of them and led the charge, and
stayed there, as they always did where any
other troops could stay, as their record will
show from Morris Island to AppOmattOx.
The casualties Of the l99th Pa. at Fort Gregg
was Is killed, including Capt. Murphey and
Lieut.. Mcmillan, and 81 wounded, including
Col. Brisco see Bates's History of Pennsylva-
MIA VOluEteers), and | know the 39th III. and
the two Ohio regiments casualties were in pro-
portion.
Mai. Stowits says "the Third Brigade, as.
sisted by two brigades Of Ord's command, to
quote Grants Memoirs, captured the fort"
while Grant says it was Fosters Division. /
would suppose an Acting Assistant Adjutant-
General OF the Third Brigade, First Division,
Twenty fourth Corps. would know what Ord's
command WAS and for his information would
say it was the 1O9th n. Y. and the rest Of the
Army Of the James, ii he will see Appendix,
Vol 2 pages SIG, 617, 6lS Of Grants Memoirs,
il he wants TO quote them; also see Appendix,
Vol. 2 pages 623 and 62l. in which Grant says
q portion of Gibbons Corps captured two strong
works. He also says Col Dandy was ordered
by ten. Poster 20 assault tOrb Crregg. anu ne
can prove it. That we do not dispute, as the
Third Brigade along with the balance of the
division, was ordered to do so, but l do dis
pute the fact of Col. Dandy sending TO Gen.
Foster for two additional regiments 10 capture
the fort. There are plenty of officers of re-
sponsibility besides Col. Geo. B. Dandy and
Mai Geo. H. Stowits, Of the Tooth N Y. who
commanded at Fort Gregg still living that /
know Of There is Gen. John GibbOn, our
corps commander; Gen. Robert s. Foster, our
division commander; Col. A. G.. Voris 67th
Ohio; Lieut.-COl. Robert r. Hughes. of the
199th Pa. formerly Captain, S5th Pa, now
Colonel and Inspector General in the Regular
Army; and, for all know, Coils. Osborne and
Pond may be living. / would like to hear from
some of them on the capture OF Fort Gregg.
The division formed for the assault about 100
yards from the fort and in plain view of il, and
not a shot was fired at US until the charge conf
meneed. i claim to have seen as much of its
capture as Maj. Stowits, If he was Acting
Assistant Adjutant General, Third Brigade,
First Division. Twenty fourth Corps--WM. f..
CHICK Co. l. sjth Pa, UniOntOwu, Pa.