The National tribune., 1891-04-30
HELPED SAVE THE DAY.
A Massachusetts, Comrades Testimony for Lsasurs's
Brigade.


Of the Second. Fifth and Ninth Corps, in sup
port Of the claim OF each that his own particu-
lar brigade is entitled to the honor Of driving
back the forces OF Gen. Longstreet from his
very nearly victorious charge at 4 D. m. OF May
6, 1854, at the battle Of the Wilderness.
Now, think IL is not only very proper, but
the duty Of every soldier to support and defend
the just claim, or tho claim that he considers
just. TO any credit that may be due 10 his regi-
ment or brigade for any meritOrious act which
il has been enabled To perform But in doing
this il should be his aim To do Justice to others,
and, in describing the movements of his own
organization in a great battle like that Of tho
Wilderness, he should bear in mind the ex-
tremc difficulty Of knowing what any other
organization was doing, except. perhaps, in a
general way, and the liability in attempting 70
describe too much Of getting tangled up" as
TO his facts. The different comrades who have
written concerning this battle have doubtless
settled to their own satisfaction as 10 what
brigade deserves the honor of having checked
LOngstreet's advance.
Tho latest communicatiOn-that Of Capt
Dickson, Abide. Camp 20 Gen. Hoffman-yery
cavalicrly dispOsrs OF Ieasure's and Carrolls
Brigades by saying, / did not see them. No
doubt they were doing their duty nobly wher-
ever they were but they had no more 10 do
with the capture Of the works at the crossroads
May 6. 1864. than they had with the battle Of
Waterloo. The honor belongs 10 the
Second Brigade, WadswOrths Division, Fifth
Corps"
Well, il that is the case, and is TO be accented
rs the final settlement Of the question. the
matter may as well be dropped Bat | fancy
the conclusions Of Capt. Dickson will hardly
find acceptance with members Of some other
brigades IL certainly will not with men Of
Leasure's who were at the Plank road all day,
and claim not only to have done their duty
nobly." but TO have borne q very prominent
part in checking Longstreet's charge and in
retaking the captured works. / will state
briefly my recOllecti0nS Of the events Of that
day, so far as they relate TO the operations Of
Leasure's Brigade.
! was At that time Acting Commissary OF
Subsistence Of the Second Brigade. First Divis-
ion, Ninth Corps Early in the forenoon Of
May left the wagon train, with which had
come from Bealton, and rode 10 the front. |
found Col. LeasGre on the Brock road. little
south Of the Plank road and the brigade living
along the Brock road. Learning that his Aid
was absent sick. asked the Colonels permis-
sion to remain with him during tho day and
serve him as Aid, and Col. Lcasure acceded 20
my request. Shortly after. should say about
noon, Col. LCasuTe reported to Gen Hancock
who, with his staff was at the junction Of the
Brock and Plank roads and Gen Hancock
directed Col. Leasure TO take his brigade and
the Plank road. The movement was executed
by the three regiments OF the brigade in line
Of battle, peTpendiCular 20 tho enemy's line,
and brought the left Of our line so near to the
enemy that few men Of the DIST Mass on the
extreme left, becoming detached on account Of
the trees and undeTbrush, found themsel YES
within the rebel lines and were captured.
The movement continued TO the Plank road,
where the brigade was Withdrawn, and Col
Ilnggurp ed fo Zen Hapr..I-
still at the crossing Of the roads Gen Han
cock cOmplimcnted Col. Leasnre upon his exc
cuti0n OF the movement and directed him to
take his brigade little 10 the rear, upon the
Plank road, and await further orders. Resting
on the Plank road, the men were supplied with
coffee. Along the Brock road, on its west side.
was a light breastwork, and second and third
line were upon the east side, extending 10 and
across the Plank road.
Everything was quiet, but it was an ominous
silence that prevailed, and no one was sur
pTisGd when, at about 4 o'clock the rebel veil
pierced the air, and in a twinkling, as il seemed,
the first line was taken. The men in the see
ond line held on determinedly, but were giving
way, when Col. LeasuTc. who at the first on
slaught Of the enemy had got his brigade in
line, ordered the DIST Mass. into the second
line, and Immediately after the Tooth Pa, fol-
lowed very soon by the 81 Nd. This reinforce
ment 10 the second line was too much Tor the
rebels. The storm Of bullets with which they
were now met was more than they could stand.
and thcy began 10 retire. Their retreat was
fastened by the advance Of our line, led, be-
lieye, by the 81 Nd.
The above, in brief. is my recollection OF the
part taken by Lcasure's Brigade in the battle
Of the Wilderness. j do not claim for il all
the honor Of the rcpulse of Longstrcet, or Of
retaking the captured works. ! do claim, how
ever, that the circumstance Of the brigade be-
ing just where IL was 40 the time the first line
OF works was abandoned. aud being thrown into
the second line when il, too, was wavering
was what saved the second line, and, by infer
ence, the third; for, if the enemy had gone
through the second line, the chance Of STAYING
their progress looked exceedingly thin.
The operations Of Leasure's Brigade on the
9Th Of May were entirely on and near the Brock
road, and south Of the Plank road. Capt
Dickson says his brigade lay lin rear Of the
works, north Of the Plank road" That being
the case, he evidently knows but little Of what
was going on south Ofthe Plank road iOr he adj
mlts that he did not see LeasuIe's Brigade
which was, as stated above, just south Of the
Plank road, and must have been very near to
Hoilman's Brigade during the fight at p. m.
Ny remembrance Of events as here stated il
quite distinct, aud believe correct. ] cannot
state anything In regard 10 the movements Of
the other brgades who are plriies To this
controversy, for If / saw them | do not now
remember them. OF this however. l am well
assured, that the little Brigade Of Loasure-of
less than 1000 mcn-On that day not only per-
formed It's duty well, but also-Owing, perhaps,
10 thcacciucut of its position when LGngstreet' s
charge was made-was enabled by prompt and
skilllu! handling, aud the gallant conduct Of
its officers and men, TO aid very materially in
the Tepulse and recaptuTe, and is, 10 say the
least, entitled 10 the honor Of having saved the
second line when IL was on the point of giving
way before the impetu0us assault Of Lougtrcet
Ina b. GooDRIcH First Lieutenant, DIST
Mass, Boston, Mass.