The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-07-02
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.
The Struggle Over the Guns Near the Craven Housc

The Struggle Over the Guns Near the Craven hea,e
EDITOR NATIONAL Tribune: Commencing
on the morning Of Nov. %, 1868, the dispute IS
to whom belonged tho honor Of capturing the
works and section Of artillery near the Craven
House in the battle Of Lookout Mountain, seems
intcrminable.
On the morning after the battle, group OF
officers in the peach orchard, near tho Craven
House, became involved in a somewhat acri-
moniOus discussion of this very question. OI
the three divisions, all strangers to each other
until that day, and representing three different
armies. II IS not difficult to sec how each mag
have been Jealous Of its own hOHors and it is
not surprising that when Gen. Butterheld j
think, claimed the honor Of the day for the
Eastern division. Gen. Whitaker. OF The Fourth
Corps, bluntly disputed his claim. When Gen.
Butterfeld somewhat haughtily demanded OF
Gen. Whitaker why he should claim any honor
for the work about the Craven House, the latter
responded. in language more forciLie than pO'
lite, by God there is my mark pointing to
the dead Of his brigade. then being collected
for burial.
Ever since that morning this dispute has, at
intervals, been pushed to the front, and have
no doubt will remain an unsettled question
until the last one Of the White Star Division
and Whittaker's Brigade is mustered out. But
j would not notice the gross inaccuracies in
statements referring TO that particular part Of
the field, the Craven House, were it not that
justice to comrades who fell on that very spot
calls for u word Of defense.
/ do not remember seeing tho article on
lookout Mountain by Capt. Jesse T.. Jones, Go.
/, Goth y. Y, which appeared Oct 81, but his
article Of May leaves tho reader in 10 doubt
as 10 the claims made in his first article, as in
the last article he quotes Comrade James +.
Chatice, Of his company, in corrobratiOn OF
statements made in the article published in 50.
Comrade ChafIco furnishes a most extraOrdi-
nary bit Of history, referring specifically 10 the
question in dispute; j. G., Who captured the
guns near the Craven HOuse?" lie says in
his letter to Capt. Jones, which the latter
quotes, that three priyates Of Co. ], Goth y. y,
ono OF whom was CEatlce, were the first Fed
erals 10 invade the Craven grounds. Before
reaching the guns they found eight or 10 rebel
officers hudded together, and whom they
promptly sent to the rear 10 meet the main
line
They reached the guns, when two Of the
squad each claimed a gun as his particular
capture. The third Of the group, doubtless Of
an inqgisitiye turn OF mind, went on into the
house and finally down cellar, where he found
a rebel Colonel. Ii all seems 10 have been a
very tame affair.
IL is astonishing that such statements can be
made by anyone having personal knowledge OF
the events Of that day. Whether il was 4 bat
y
OF the war that will so long live in poetry and
painting, or is so firmly fixed in the memory
OF the hundred thousand spectators who, from
Missionary Ridge and Chattanooga Valley,
with strained eyes, watched the progress OF the
struggle amid the mist and fog and battle
smoke that hung over the front Of Lookout.
And yet Comrade Chalieo grayely states that
the central feature OF this grand scene, the
struggle on the grounds about the Craven
Hon Il
but the work Of . squad Of skrmishers, who
seem TO have met with no opposition.
Docs COmrade Chatice really mean 20 say
that these guns near the Craven House were
taken without resistance? That no blood was
shed, no lives lost in their capture? If there
was fighting at this point, was il by the White
Star Division. Gcary's, or Whitaker's Bril-
gadef IL By the former, will COmradc Chafee
furnish the names Of any Of Co. !, Goth y. Y,
or of any Of the Eastern troops who fell on the
field ut that point? The names, please, as they
would do much toward settling the question.
In support Of the claim Of Gen. Whitaker
that his brigade was so fortunate as 20 be on
that partof the field and entitled to the credit
OF the work done there, / submit two facts,
leaving the reader to draw his own conclu-
siOns:
About the captured guns and in the grounds
about the Craven House, III Of tho 10Th Ohio,
fNAAAA@hNA ID lEitAcY Atll Ntaus lAGlI HdLltl
were as follows: Maj. Thomas Acton; Nelson
Glaze and Jacob Long Co. A James W.
Scroggy, Co. b; Richard Evans and George
Keuzla, Go. G.; Creighton Allen, Richard Butte
Edward GoOlland, and William T.. BigeIow
Co. ID, and Irvine Smith, Co. +; Of the Is
wounded Of the same regiment, and at the same
time and place. two died later Of their wounds
Hon. Jesse y. Oren, now Of the Ohio SEN
ate, has in his possession the following:
CAMP 1T LoORoUT CEEFK, Nov. =, 1863
Received Of J. y. OFcn. Sergeant Of Co. Il, 4Jth
o. V. J., two pieces Of artillery. captured by the
4Oth U. V. 1. at the battle Of Lookout Mountain
II. +. CEOXTOS,
First Lieutenant and Ordnance Officer, First Di-
vision, FOuitI Corps.
This, Think, should settle the question but
| wait patiently for tho names of those Of Co
], Goth y. Y, who fell anywhere near the guns
or anywhere near the Craven House.-JoHN
n. BEACH, Surgeon, 10th Ohio, West JelTer.
son, o.