The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-01-28

= n NIX times 1 have noticed
/ H/tt - W statements that were
nEA M " not quite correct, but
/ f~%ssES< IN allowed them 10 pass.
/ Ut l=SSTT Tho Cannoneer.
J vi mn n .LTJ while his narrative was
! H O fB y'yll>LD well written and very
/ kR,--N Xxx \ accurate, fell into some
] bAM ZIZyES / Nslight errors. When
/ ssT1s1-s-- E%Sa2 ( read THE NATIONAL
I So IL A~-A tribune Of Nov. 10.
/ ~ 1891, laid il aside 10
correct Arthur Edwin
/ Hayes in his" Incident Of AppomTttox " and
ROW comes the issue Of Nov. 20. with brief
sketch Of the Ith Mich, which needs correct
ing, or adding 10, to fully answer the query Of
/ H. w. Tufts.
As TO the APPROXIMATION incident Comrade
! Charles 5. Needer must DO in error. The Sec
ond Brigade, First Division. Fifth Corps, was
! FIRST organized, with Gen. Fitz John Porter in
command Of the division aud Gen. Morrell in
! command Of the brigade, in the Fail Of 1861.
! When the corps was organized, with Porter in
/ command, Gen. Morrell took the division aud
Capt Charles L. Griffin, Chief of Artillery, was
/ promoted to Brigadier General, and FIRST took
\ command Of the Second Brigade on June %.
4 1862, when we fell into line for tie Mechanics
Vile fight.
81 Charlottesville Col. J. b. Sweitzer,
! Of the 62d Pa, took command Of the bril-
/ Eade and retained the command until the
expiration Of the term OF his regiment when
I he was mustered out and left for home with
/ his regiment. The brigade was originally
composed Of the l4th y. Y, 4th Mich. 9th
/ Mass, and cd Pa; the 32d Mass being as
signed TO itaiterwaris. During 1864 the terms
I OF these regiments expired or most Of them at
1 least. The veterans Of the old ath Mich and
\ Capt Van Nalcr's new company, that Joined the
an at Spottsylvania in 90, were assigned 10 the
/ lst Mich. aud served with that regiment 10 the
sH q a..
/ Brigade but think about that time all Of the
! old division, the remnants OF is regiments
were consolidated into one brigade, with the
4 dashing Gen. J. J. Bartlett i'm command As
/ thus organized this brigade served 10 the close
! The flag Of truce for Gen. Lees surrender came
] IN TO this brigade as il was pressing forward in
line of battle at Appomattox on the morning Of
/ April 2, relieving the cavalry the rebel bate
rlcs having opened on the brigade before the
| flag OF truce came in.
The line was Immediately halted in opcn
! field not far distant from the point where Grant
and Lee met ] was present, and within about
! two hours, n seems 10 me now, many of our
men, myself included, aud many Conlcderates
4 were AT work az the celebrated apple tree, aud
/ dug il upand carried II of root aud branch.
THIS brigade also received the arms aud col
/ 0rs Of Lees army the Confcderates marching
/ mp 50 as to cover the front Of the brigade, then
\ hating stacked arms, aud then passed on. aud
I others took their place, IL taking from about s
/ a. IN. TO between ~ aud ! p. m. before all had
stacked arms. While / remember all these
4 matters very we'll, do not remember that the
noble Gen. SWcitzer did A. C0mrade Vccder las
stated. Gen. SweitzeT was not there but IN.
4 doubtly the whole Union army offered silent
/ but earnest prayer Of thanks for the result
The above answers some Of the inquiries Of
/ r. W. Tufts, of Waila Walla Wash. whom /
suppose WAS "A member Of the regiment.
would like 10 hear from him. II ! should en-
ter into full narrative in answer 10 his iuqui.
rics ] fear would trespass too much on your
valuable space.
The 4th had been on many Reconnaissance
and had some skirmishing. bat its first fight
was at New Bridge, on the Chickahominy, May
p, l752. In this fight the 9TH, led by Col
Woodbury. and Lieut.. Geo A. Custer Of
McCIellau's staH, met brigade Of Louisiana
! troops THE Tigers. and in a two-hour-' fight
the 4th lost two killed aud six wounded. aud
] captured 30 prisoners, leaving abou; 100 killed
and wounded rebels on the field. Its next en-.
/ gagement was At Hanover Courthouse May a.
and then followed the Seven Days fight, end
| ing az Malvern Hill, where 60. A lost - killed
and IL wounded the other companies suffering
about rs bad. The regiment held the left Of our
line IN open field, and repulsed FIVE lines Of
/ C0nfederates.
At Gettysburg the regiment was standing
l
strip OF woods with narrow open field
/ lcalied Wheatfeldl in front Of Little Round
/ Top, short distance TO the left The COnfed-
crates were pressing Sickcs back At that
moment 90. a discovered three soldiers on A
I rise Of ground % 20 the right and slightly an
/ front, firing and falling back and called 10 them
I and asked what they were firing at In a mo-
mcnt a brigade Of rebels appeared in full view.
aud within range OF the right Of the 9TH, swing
4 iugsn through gap IN our lines Gen Barnes
commanding the division and staff were sit
ting on their horses slightly in front OF the left
1 OF the 9TH, and she'll had Just taken a leg of
F Of one Of his Aids horses, when he ordered the
/ 4ih TO advance 10 the front The regiment
passed across the field into the woods aud be-
came closely engaged from the front. and this
1 Confederate thanking brigade having reached
/ the ground Just left by the 4th, opened a muir
derous fire on IL, flank aud rear. An order was
I given 10 fall back, aud all that got out did so
i bV running on towards the left. il was only
about 10 minutes from the time the ith ad-
vanced across the Geld until all who got out az
all were out. A portion Of the Sixth Corps in
/ stantly drove the rebels back. Co. A went
/ into the fight with 20 men, and lost FIVE killed,
seven wounded, and nine prisoners; the other
companies losing ia about the same proportion
The mistake was that the ith was not wheeled
10 meet the thanking brigade. Gen. Barnes was
I said 10 be drunk. Gen. Griffin was back, sick,
] Da1 hAAlI ~ ASAA Jay anu relieved barnes.
4 The an lost at Gettysburg % killed, 50 wound.
I ed, and 70 missing.
The 9Th WAS relieved from the front at Pc
\ teTsburg FOR musicr-Out, on June 20, 1854 its
term having expired. Only l35 men aud -
! officers were present FOR muster-out, and 30
/ were prisoners. The rolls contained the names
l Of % men whose terms had not expired, which
included 100 re-enlisted, 10 recruits and Can't.
! Van NaioI's company, which were assigned 10
/ the lsi Mich. as "A detachment, aud served with
/ that regiment until June, 1865. Eight compa-
mes Of a new fth were raised by Col. J. W.
/ Hall, and sent 10 the Western army. Tho vet
Grams Of the old 4th Joined the new 4th az New
! Orleans on juno -, 1866. aud went 20 Texas.
! The veterans Of the old 9TH were mustered out
al san Antonio, Texas, Feb. 20, 1866. The rest
OF the new regiment was mustered out ia June.
l566.-GEo. W. OWES, Go. A, 3th Mich, OWOsso.
! Mich.
1.-THE OLD MAN"