The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-01-15
Read " Better than Pension y on Page 7.
FORT GREGG.
A yOIce frOm the soulh claImIng ID. Capiur..

Voice from the South Claiming It's Capture.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / sec a state
ment in your paper Of the lIth Of December that
Fort Gregg, at Petersburg. Va, WAS captured
by Dandy's Brigade, Fosters Division, Glib
bOn's Corps This is not true. Fort Gregg was
captured by the 18th w. Va, supported by the
23d H., old Mulligan's grand old regiment Of
lrishmen, and taken by them alone after all
others had failed 10 take it. We saw others
try 10 take it, and saw that they lost a great
many men, and saw them fall back from the
fort, and then the order was given 10 US 10 4" de-
ploy forward as skrmishers, charge and take
the fort" We did so with the assurance that
the 23d III. would support Us, which they did
in grand shape.
We had TO charge about half mile across
open ground, with nothing 10 protect u.s.
The two brigades OF Ord is command, as stated
by Gen. Grant, for support, could not we'll be
used around a small fort eHeiTcled by five Tegi-
ments.
There was not regiment nor a man around
the fort when We charged on the fort, as all
others had Tetreated or bad been Withdrawn.
We were ordered to halt when within about
10 rods Of the fort by some fool. and we lost
several Of our best men there. There was a
long ditch cut TO let the water of from around
the fort ] and a man from Co. ID went left
oblique till we came TO the mouth Of this ditch,
then we ran up this ditch till VIC came to the
fort, aud were the first two men on the para
pets.
The Co. ID man was killed there, and rolled
over against me, his brains flying all over me,
50 had 10 let him roll into the ditch
There was not a man Of any other command
in the ditch around the fort, except the 10Th
w. Va aud the 23d H., but there were some of
the stubbornest rebels in this fort that VIC ever
met
Our regiment finally got on the fort on three
sides; one side being stockade with loOpholes,
il was death TO 20 on that side. We then asked
them 10 surrender, but they answered back.
they would see US in hell first" We asked
them three times % surrender, and then rose as
one man aud captured the fort Nearly ali Of the
rebels were killed or wounded as they would
not surrender. They shot lots OF our men down
as we rose on top Of the fort when they knew
there was no hope for them but death OF sur
render. i think there were l3 officers and men
in the magazine that were not hurt, ali others
being killed or wounded.
You can see by this that your correspondent
is trying to claim credit that don't belong to
him. aud is mistaken Aftcrwe had taken the
fort il was reported that sOmo one came aud
took the rebel flag down and carried IL OF. 1
don't know whether this is true or not. We
had all we could DO TO take care Of our own
men, rs the rebels commenced cross-fire on us
from other forts, and there was danger of the
magazine blowing up aud doing more damage
than We had yet received, SO we commenced
making breastwOrl1s, and were soon out Of sight
and danger.
Now, we belonged TO Gen. Ord's Twenty
fourth Corps, Second Division and Second Bri-
gadc. aud were selected by Gen. Grant himself
10 take the fort; at least We were told so, and |
believe il, for he aud his stat rode up behind
us before We started on the charge aud / think
he took this course to save the men, ms the big
guns in the fort cut great gaps in the solid
columns that tried to take the fort. | am sure
1t was his plan 10 dcpOy forward as skirmishers
and charge. aud in that way the grape and can
ister from the big guns could not hit so many.
AT any rate the 18th w. Va. took Fort Gregg.
supported by the sd Ill, on the ID day of
April 1865, and anyone else who claim that
they took ii are badly mistaken. There are
many of our regiment aud of the ODD III. vet
living TO prove that we took Fort Gregg, and
that there were no other troops in the ditch or
around the fort.-ALBEET q. LEACH. Sergeant,
Co. ii, 18th w. Va, Enterprise, Miss.