The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-07-21

trees, and being almost impossible from fire.
quent rains. We laid over one day at Pcrrys
| burg on account of the heavy rain.
| The only dry spot that could be found fol
our Brigade Headquarters-andt that was none
| too dry at this time-was in a graveyard, while
our tent covered several graves. tombstones
| ETC. 1t would be ample time to allow Tor us tC
reach Robertsville, say eight days, making oul
arrival there on the 25th or Goth of January
| late in the afternoon.
There our briga3e-the First-commanded
| by Col. Jas. L. Selfridge, of the First Division
commanded by Gen. Jackson was ordered te
| Sisters Ferry, some two miles distant. A
! short distance from the town we struck the
low bottom lands and from there to the ferry
was one continuous body Of water from ankle
to waist deep, with two or three bayous to
cross, and the bridges washed away.
We contriyed to get across one and possibly
two that night, when Col. Selfridge saw the
| impossibility of getting the whole brigade
there that evening, and sent, / think, two
companies TO try to reach the ferry that night
The rest of the brigade returned to the high
ground and camped for the night.
During the night the water had fallen con-
considerably, so we reached the ferry without
quite as much OF a wetting as those who pre-
ceded US the night before had received.
Here we found the gunboat Pontiac wooden
double-ender, at anchor in the middle of the
river, and a low ridge of dry ground next the
river, only just large enough to encamp the
brigade by squeezing in close.
In two or three days the water had subsidized
SO we could reach the high land without wading
through water but the mud was almost as i'm
passable. A daily detail of about 200 men
from the brigade was made, which, with the
brigade pioneers, was put under the writer,
with orders to repair and make the road from
the ferry to Robertvlle passable for the trains,
etc, which were expected to cross on their
arrival, and had been at that work some three
days when the head of kilpatrick's column
arrived
The General himself was among the first
who crossed, and took dinner at our Brigade
Headquarters, spending some little time there,
After hllpatrick'S trains, etc, were out of the
way, came the head of Geary's Division, the
Second of the Twentieth Corps, and / we'll
remember the scoring we got because we had
the roads in no better shape for him to get
over, as the cavalry and trains had rendered
them again almost impossible, except where
we had had time to corduroy; which had to be
completed before Geary's trains could get
through.
We then Joined Geary's Division until we
overlook our own division, which was several
days thereafter, and l think must have been
by different route as | distinctly recollect
having one or two sharp skirmishes at bridge
musings MHlLe allacHcu 10 Geafy DiVISloH'
Now, if we had been encamped at Sisters
Ferry for nearly full week, with one of our
gunboats lying there all the time, before Kill
pstrlck's column came up, cannot see how
they found and captured the two small boats
and encountered rebel force on the opposite
side; that is, after they had crossed, which
would bring them on the same side where we
were encamped. None of our brigade saw any
rebel force there, or boats, except the Pontiac
and the pontoons-C. n. BARRETT, Lieuten-
ant and Pioneer Officer, First Brigade, Second,
Division, Twentieth Corps, Port Allegheny,
Pa.