The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-11-10
MISSIONARY RIDGE.
The Only Running the 18th Regulars Di
was to Help the Battery.

The Only Running the 18th Regulars Die
was to Help the Battery.
= WISH to reply to Comrade Samuel ]
Murphy's article, published in THE Ma
l. TIoNAL TRIBUNE recently, in which h,
gives history of the I'd Ill. battery
| and as he makes statement which know tt
| be incorrect. want the boys to hear the othel
| side of the case. In the article in question b.
says his battery on the morning of Sept. 81
! 1863 was on the front line on Missionary
| Ridge, one section in the Gap (Rossville, pre-
sumo he means), one on the right, and the
other on the left of the Gap. The left section
| is what have to do with, because / was will
it.
He also says battalion of the 18th Regular!
was sent to support them, and when the rebe
skirmish-line was within 200 yards the Regu
lars broke and ran and left them to themselves
and tells how they fired two rounds of loose
shot and one of canister, which made the
Johnnies timber to the rear. Very heavy work
and hard fighting
Now comes the pretty part of it. The 125th
Ill. come along-out walking for their health,
suppose-and find this section without sup
port They were mad about it, and were ready
to have regular Tim Finnigan's wake with
the Regulars. l have forgotten whether there
was any blood on the moon at the time OF not.
I protest, in the name of all that is honest
and right, against such statement going on
record. Now for the facts, and how / know
them to be such.
First, not one, but the 1st and Cd battaIions
of the 18th Regulars were there; second, they
did not run one stop; third the 125th Ill. was
not near the section of artillery during the 21st
OF September or the night following; fourth,
the Regulars were not sent to support the Sec
tion, but the section was sent to us. We occu-
pied the hill just about day dawn on that
morning, and had thrown up good temporary
breastworks of logs. There was heavy detail
made to cut a road through the brush to the
foot of the hill, in order to bring artillery up.
The hill was so steep we were compelled to
drag those two guns up by hand, leaving linn
ber-chests and horses at the foot, and while
Comrade Murphy was working those guns,
was one of those Regulars that ran-yes, that
is the truth, did run. / was on detail to
help carry ammunition from the foot of the
hill to the top for that section, and was obliged
to run down the hill, receive two cartridges
for the guns, and walk up as fast az / possibly
could.
/ want to say right here, it was no fun for
me, either. lost one shoe-heel on one trip
canister-shot came along and wanted it worse
than l did, and / gave it up, as matter of
course.
The balance Of the Regulars were hugging
mother earth as though they loved her, and if
the Johnpies had come in force the Regulars
would have been heard from in no uncertain
way. We never left the hill until the morning
of the 22d, about o'clock; and while Comrade
Murphy was lying at ease that night / was
away out in front on picket, watching for
Johnny rebs.
About 12 o'clock an officer came to us and
in whispers told us to fall back quietly. We
had hardly started when another officer
countermanded the order. We then stayed
until about 230 o'clock, or perhaps 3, when
We silently slipped back past the hill we had
occupied during the day, which was now
abandoned, and found the regiment at the foot
of it, in the Gap.
Now, is it not as plain as the nose On mans
face that We did not run, save only az we ran
for ammunition for those guns? AIso is it not
plain that the 125th III. could not have occu-
pied the hill in support of that section of artil-
lery2
submit this to your readers for them to pass
their own Judgment upon it. do not care if it
does provoke controversy, for my hair raises just
q little; but when comradc comes ont in plain
English and says we ran, feel like saying
in just as plain language that he prevaricates.
/ am not afraid Or ashamed to submit the fight
ing record Of the 18th Regulars to the closest
scrutiny, for it will compare favorably with
any other regiments One incident, and am
done. At Stone River my company lost five
killed in as many minutes / call that very
red record.-I. n. STANFoRD, Co. A, Cd battai-
lion, 18th U. s. Inf, Charlotte, Tenn.