The National tribune., 1891-10-08
CRAvEN-HOusE GUNS.
COmrade ChaiTee Insists that His Claim Concerning
Their Capture is Correct.


Their Capture is Correct.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE In repIvino
to an article in your paper from the pen OF
Surg Beach, relative to the capture of the guns
at Craven House, at the battle of Lookout
Mountain, | am reminded Of the old saying
that two men cannot see the same thing in the
same way. even though both are eye-wituesses.
But | think that 1 am entitled to my share of
Credibilty, because i was there as "A soldier in
the skirmish-iine, and in the few DAYS that
followed this event was crippled for life aud
the whole circumstances were indelibly I'M
pressed upon my memory, because i felt the
heat of the conflict and bore the suffering, aud
was not a Surgeon in the rear ranks beneath a
white flag.
Indeed, it seems strange that tho medical
gentleman should have so minute q knowledge
o. the whole occurrence since, if Le attended
to his other duties he mast have been very
busy with all the wounded at Craven House.
aud u he studied the scenes of the battlefield
IN preference to the wounds of his comrades
then his reliability as an historian is as poor as
that of Surgeon
L respectfully state that the brave soldier
who went into the cellar was VIM Upton. and
i refer the medical gentleman to the history OF
the Goth n. y, by Chaplain Eddy, fer further
information. In case, however that no may
be as ignorant of the glorious achievements OF
the Goth n. y. as he is of the Craven or Carlin
House episode, / viii say that 1 am willing to
make my sworn statement to the fact that
three Of us went into the yard of the aforesaid
house but that there was no peach orchard
there-Ouly q tree or two. Further, that there
was not dead soldier in sight, nor a live one
either, of tine Confederate side. for they had
piled up interesting space between US, and were
on a dead run around the nose of the mount
ain. / recOIlecL that Myron Ward, of Co. T.
went ON beyond the Craven House. aud con-
tinued firing at the enemy I was compelled
to return to my company, being out Of ammu-
milton.
Our main line had halted before getting 20
the Craven House, and of course we left the
cannon standing where we captured them, and
10 is therefore not improbable that the receipt
OF COmrade Oren is correct. Soon after my re-
turn to the company a dense fog came down.
And here / again refer you to the abOve-men-
toned history, page sos. If c. w. Fiack, of
Co. ID, is living be would, I think, have a right
to claim the honor of capturing one of those
cannon, but / am not sure.
Early next morning Gen. Gcary had the
White star Heating from the ellis above US, and
well remember that the cheering aWOke me.
1t seems impossible to me that / should err in
this matter, and as far as tho Craven House is
concerned / consider it small affair compare
lively speaking. The dead lying in the ward
may have been killed by the sharpshooters in
the cliffs above, but there were only a few, if
any, as the mist settled over the place and pro-
tected US. However, the fact that there were
dead comrades in the yard afterward does not
prove that fight took place over the cannon.
The difference is chat L was there when the
cannon were first captured, and the Doctor got
there when the dead were there, which may
have been next day. j do not wish to have
any controversy over this matter, but merely
to remove from myself the charge Of bragga-
dOciO aud general incorrectnes5 imputed to me
by the Doctor. / would also state that my
letter to Capt. Jesse III. Jones' to which the
latter refers in his able article Of May z, is
entirely correct.
hope he viii take this in good feeling. and
bear in mind that the opportunities of observe
ance in the skirmish-line are better than in
the rear hOspi,al-JANEs r. CHAFFEE, SOC
Elysianields street, New Orleans, La.