The National tribune., 1892-08-25

TE' w er's wing of McCiel-
Tka~A9 lan's army. The OPP
posing Confederxtes
appeared TO be a force similar as regards isoia-
tion, numbers and determination lheS were
the hest ma,ksmen we ever met, ana as they
held n strens rosition in East Woods We had to
advance under difficulties The regimentai
history tells of the awful slaughter; OF our
slight gain of ground OF the lalal inistaNe vi
Gen Mansfield, our corps commander, VINO sup
posed the enemy WIS part OF Hooker iefoe'
and rode almost into their midst ana was NOR
tally wounded while trying TO make US cease
firing 1t also tells yeu my efforts to learn VINO
these stubborn fellows were, and 1t discusses
the ouestio.isin vogue amongst US as co wheiher
thew were a regiment or detachment oil sharp
shooters. and whether there were men In the
trees and If they used explosive ouiiels. FL
nallv YOU we're told that the men you kilied anu
buried and marked 20 GEO. Oh their cracker
box beadboaris were not goth Georgisns at
all and that WAS unable to learn who they
were
You will recall that Gen. A. H. Colquitt, now
Senator from Georgia gave Us his opinion that
we had encountered the right regiment to'h
Gal of his brigade Col. Duncan a. Mchae
was also of this opinion, but suggested the pos
sibility that we struck Ripley's Brgade. ne
was cutie sure we did not meet his brigade,
known as Garland's, though they came INTO
the woods while we were there. These three
brfgades were in ID. II. Hills Division.
Since Publishing the history have been in
correspondence with Gen. L. A. Sarnan, Ceio-
mel. 18th " j.. who in 1877 was gathesing ma
terial for history OF our Iweiith corps ne
plainly had found hard chapter III Aniiesain
helped him all could, and be gave nie copies
of some of his correspondents letters. lie mas
never published.
Tn 1884 Col. w. Alien, of S.onewaH Jaekson's
stat, and Gre of the most able and fair OF all
Confederate writers, wrote me series OF let
ters. and Diseased the battle with him as TAR
as knew it, He published his narrative IN
the Cincinnati weekly Inqeirer, Feb. Is. lsso,
but id net go deeply into details, and he was
unahie to help me solve my riddle. he mas
since died.
Twice / visited Gen. Gee H. Gordon, well
knowu as the Colonel of the p Asss. before
his death be published three volumes of per-
sonal military history, but did not finish the
Antietxm campaign, and coald not help me IA
nv search.
In 1882 Scribner & Co issued the AntIetam
volume OF their series of monographs. 1t was
written by Gen. f. W. Paifrey, goth Mass.
Second Corps. OF necessity he deals only with
the more important features OF the battle ana
throws DO light upon our little question. zen.
Palfrey also is ROW dead.
Here then we have four specfaI students; all
personally present in the battle in or around
East Woods aud none of them able to aid In
the minor matter concerning rs.
Finally. October. 1887, the q. S. Government
issued Volume XIX, Part i. Of the Official
Records, containing all the Union and Coufed-
crate reports in Government possession.
thought should surely learn everything now;
but, instead, there came with the reading
great confusion; then followed the much study
that is WEAKNESS. with despair and abandon
ment Of Vol. XIX These reports are too
nssser, and often so erroneous that, as q
whole, they are not trustworthy. For instance,
our own Lieufenant, Col. Fillebrown, hurried
together Eve sentences, four of which contain
errers. lie omitted all mention Of Gen. Mans
fields woundng: SO the ordinary reader may
believe the statement of Col. Higgins, of the
125;h Pa that Gen Mansfield was carried of
the field by his men.
At last it came over me that the wise and
mighty were dying aud leaving US in ignorance,
xad that even il ii is not SO very important a
matter yet I think we all want TO know whom
we fought and also to correct the error now
standing against us.
had noticed in the December number Of the
Century naqaziae communication from Col. w.
/. DeRopet Sd 4. C., of Ripley's Brigade and
addressed him to learn how true Col. McRae's
surnise had been that we struck Ripley. Col
DeRopet had good vision. good memory, and
good nature Our correspondence was lone
and exhaustive Meanwhile, in 1889, our regi.
mental excursion gave me chance TO see Antie
tam again and 10 snap little kodak there. Al
the end of il all Col. DeRopet and myself were
convinced that Ripley fought too late in the
day and too Ear southwest 10 be our antagonist
This result Of more than two years effort wa:
not wholly encouraging The Colonel sug
gested i should next search in Trimbles Bri
gaee, Of stonewaH Jackson's Corps. began
again, and this was the process: Vol. KIN
tells what regiments composed the brigade
The AejGtanf- General of the State told VIVA
Counties the regiment was raised in The
various Posmastcrs gave names of prominent
Confederate officers, and these named surviv
OTIS Of the particular regiment, who at last toll
what officers aud men were in Antietam, o
Sharpsburg as they call il. Then, of the rea
fighters at Antietam quarter did not care 3
write, another quarter have forgotten nearl,
all or, what is worse, have confused this battl
with some other che. But by patience an
persistence few have been found ia every
regiment blessed by nature with tie gifts O
seeing and remembering From them / hav
gradually got the story, though after all it j
only one little fragment of the battle Of Ante
tam.
Secondly. went through TrimbIe's Brigad
and found at the end that they had playe
their terrible part and melted away before tn
10th Nc. came into the woods.
i had now discovered that / didn't kno,
much about Anfietam and that l had bette
learn my B C's for the next lesson so i be
gan writing TO all Union regiments engaged j
our part of the field. IL was easier to get posr
Office addresses Of Union soldiers, but the Cor
federates are the better correspondents on th
whole, and it was slow, up hill work trying [
lcsru the truth ard correct the errors and q
up the gaps in Volume XIX.
BY a most lucky hit Col. Fox, 10th NY, W:
one of the first l wrote TO. He is the wei
known author of that standard work, Reg
mental Losses"
he noted that the 10th BE. participated
the last fight in East Woods, and that the st
Tex. and 4th Ala, Of Hoods Division, were ii
last Confcderates. aud presumably our foe.
had laid Hood aside in 1870 as fighting too r
west of Us. Col. Fox now brought them
light for me.
Again good fortune attended. / got the a
dress OF nearly every officer of the 9Th TIE
and received an intelligent and hearty respon
from almost ali of them. The other regimen
of Hoods Division also wrote as they tough
readily and ntelli2ently.
In the 4tb Ala. ! was even more fortunat
Mai. Robbins. the senior officer of that reg
ment and Of all the troops in East Woods. prov
most genial and enthusiastic helper.
gave me the one little item was searching Il
viz. that while his regiment was entering Il
woods he met five companies Of stray and u
known Georgia troops, who volunteered to *