The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-02-12

The Part Taken by the IOOh n. !. In iis Capt
ure.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Comrado
4 Chick Of the slth Pa, clearly msapprchcnds
4 the letter and spirit Of my article relative TO
the assault and capture Of Fort Gregg. He
misqH0i,s my quotation from Gen. Grants
Memoirs" Vol. IL, page 4j0 Grant says:
! about ] o'clock i'm the day Fort Gregg was
/ assaulted by Fosters Division, Twenty fourth
Corps lGibbou'sl, supported by two brigades
! from orl's command
4 The Tooth n. Y. was a part of the Third
4 Brigade Of Fosters Division Then he rightly
/ suppo.os HAT Maj. stowiis Ought 10 know the
composition OF Ords command, aud proceeds
/ 30 enlipbten me- Had been ignorant, could
have learned speedily from an authenticated
work before me- entitled the " Organization Of
the Union Forces in the AppomattoN Campaign,
from March - 10 April g. 1868"
would say, for the information Of Comrade
Chick, that ! am somewhat of a student of war
records, having written a history OF the Tooth
y. y, and can affirm with pride that not a
stated fact therein has been disproved, as Gen.
Butler and Gen. Foster, by letter, have com
mended the work j have not claimed that
the Tooth n. Y. did il, but that il aided 10 do
il.
Comrade Chick can read from a voluminous
work OF 600 pages 10y l4cUt.-Col. w. i. Fox, u.
s. Vols, on the Regimental Losses in the
American Civil War with a short history Of
each Of the Three Hundred Fighting Regi-
ments," of which the Tooth n. Y. aud 10th
/ Conn, of the Third Brigade; the 39th III. and
9th Ohio, Of the First Brigade; the Sth Me.
and 55th Pa, Of the Fourth Brigade, are men
toned as part of the list
Col. Fox says Of the 10th Conn, " that IL
took the lead ia the victorious but desperate
assault on Fort Gregg, It's losses there amount
ing to IL killed and - wounded. Its flag was
the first on the purapet and the gallantry dis
played there by the regiment was signally
acknowledged by Gen. Gbbon, the corps COM
mander."
We recommend Comrade Chick 10 settle with
Col Fox as 10 the first flag on the fort, since il
was well understood by the regiments Of the
Third Brigade that the flag OF the 10th Conn.
was the first on the parapct and certainly the
cOmrade can see that Mai Stowits does not
claim everything for tho Tooth n. Y, nor
81 that they should have all the praise"
In my former article ] affirmed that Col.
Dandy was ordered by Gen. Foster 10 assault
the fort ComrHde Chick says: That we do
not dispute, as the Third Brigade, along with
the balance Of the division was ordered 10 do
so; but j do dispute the fact Of Col. Dandy
sending 70 Gen. Foster for two additional regi-
ments to capture the fort"
Really, comrado ] think your declaration
stretch Of seit-assumptiou, since who can know
better than Gen. Dandy as 10 whether he asked
for reinforcemcnts or not2
COmTade Chicks claim to having seen as
much as Maj. StOwits Of the capture of the fort
may be based upon his better opportunities for
sight a. that time, as my claim is based upon
orders" though it is well known that soldiers
in battle see but little Of the fight save what &C.
ours In their own command Why, a comrade Of
the l00th n. Y. claimed that his regiment alone
captured the fort, simply because the brave
man was cnyeloped in the smoke Of his own
gun and the guns Of others about him; hence
not shadow Of an inference can be drawn
from my article that i claimed that the Tooth
n. \. did IL alone" with " little assistance
from the balance Of the Third Brigade
Though not part Of the suhjoct-mstter in
dispute, Maj. Stowits would he pleased TO know
what inference a stranger ought 10 draw from
COmradC Chicks asserted knowledge Of the
Tooth ~ Y. from Morris Island to Appomat-
tOxY he says: /" We happened TO know the
Tooth n. Y. pretty well aud will say they were
in the charge and helped 10 capture the fort,
and that Maj. Dandy was killed there; bat the
old First Brigade was there in the front Of
them and led the charge, aud stayed there, as
they always did whore any other troops could
stay, as their record viii show from Morris
Island 20 hppOmattoX."
Well, cOmrade, why did you not say as much
for the record Of the Tooth n Y, and not
leave il 10 inference, though its friends know
that u never aid duty a day 10 the rear, not
even as Provost Guard" i resent a reAec-
ton, or an inference that has a shadow Of an
aEpersIOn upon its well-earned fame, and GER
tsnly j would not lessen the wcll-deserved
credit Of any one Of the loyal regiments OF the
First Brigade.
In closing this too long article ] will add
that Gen. Dandy, Deputy Quartemaster-Gen-
eral Of the United States Army, has furnished
me copies from the War Department OF his bril-
gade report 10 division headquarters, and Gen.
Fosters report 70 corps headquarters Gen. Glib
bous's report 10 Gen. Ord, ia command Of the
Army Of the James, all too late TO uso in this
article. but will aid in a future article very
much toward an intelligent solution Of tie
matter in dspute.-GEo II. STowITs Major,
tooth N. Y, aud A. A. Adj't-General Third
/ Brigade, First Division, Twenty-fourth Corps,
Buffalo, n. Y.