The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-12-22
FORT GREGG AGAIN.
A West Virginian Tells what Troops Captur
the Enemy's Works

the Enemy's Works.
n reply to Rev. J. Dudley Furguson in THr
NATIONAL TRIBUNE of the 18th of Feb
u ruary, in which he says 1t was the First
Division of the Twenty fourth Corps
that captured Fort Gregg. allow one who was
in the charge on Fort Whitworth, about BOO
yards west of Fort Gregg, to quote from the
report of the Adjutant.G General of West Vir.
GINA of Dec. 81, 1865, pages 10 and IA:
The First Division of the Army of West
Virginia, embracing the 10th, 11th, 18th and
18th w. Va. was incorporated in the Twenty
fourth Corps in March, 1866, and formed the
Third Division of that corps until it was
broken up by the muster out of troops.
THE division was commanded in the final
campaign Of the war by Brevet Mai Gen John
w. Turner The 10th, 18th and 18th consti.
tinted the First Brigade of that division, under
the command of Brig.-G Gen. NOW Brevet Maj
GEM Thomas d. Harris, formerly Colonel of
the 10TH while the 18th was incorporated in
the Third Brigade, under command of Col.
William Il. Curtis, Of the 18th.
confronting the enemy in the immediate
vicinity of Petersburg. the division bore it's full
part in the capture of the forts constituting the
outer defense of that city. The operations of
these troops on the Cd day of April agan st
these forts-namely, Whitworth and Gregg,
and two or three smaller works-wers per-
formed under the eye of Lieut.. Gen. Grant,
hHu art ucHt!oHcu ny Dim III his report with
great appreciation. The Third Brigade cap-
tured Fort Whitworth and ono or two smaller
works, taking large number of prisoners,
while the 18th w. Va, operating in this
brigade, under Col. Curtis, aided in taking Fort
Gregg, and distinguished itself very greatly in
the desperate handto- hand conflict which the
attack on that for. involved. The colors of
the 18th were the first planted on the works
"Ihe gallant color bearer, Private J. r.
I nf ~ yyua irt,rsa lint 1x oh 81
upon planting the colors there. Several others
Of the regiment were killed inside the fort,
among whom was the gallant Lieut.. Joseph
Caldwell, of Co. G; Lieut.. Josiah NJ. Curtis,
Corp'l Andrew Apple, and Joseph McCausland,
of this regiment
Ma. Gen. John Gibbon, commanding the
corps, presented to the regiment golden eagle
for their fsg-st with the following inscrip.
ton neatly engraved upon it Presented by
Maj. Gen. john Gibbon 10 the 18th w. Va, for
gallant conduct in the assault upon Fort Gregg,
April 2, 1861"
| am not able to say that the First Division
and Fourth Brigade including the 15Sth, 14Sth
and seth N. Y, 55th Pa, and 9Th Me-, were not
there, as there were troops in that affair shat l
do not remember, and my understanding at
the time was that three or four charges had
been made on Fort Gregg that morning. But
do say that the troops mentioned, belonging
to the Third Division of tho Twenty fourth
Corps, were in the charge and final capture of
Forts Whitworth and Gregg After the 10th,
18th and 18th w. Va. had captured Fort Whit.
worth and secured the prisoners we moved over
to Fort Gregg, which was about 300 yards to the
east of Whtworth, buried the dead, camped for
the balance of the day, night and next day,
moving westward In the direction of Apo.
mattox on the 4th of April.
Let us have the truth let truth 90 down In
history, az there has been SO much written on
Fort Gregg.
This division, in conjunction with the First
Division and portion of the Sixth Corps,
found itself confronting the enemy in the im-
mediate vicinity of Petersburg.
Now, it is probable that the troops Of the
First Division and Third Division of the
Twenty fourth Corps and Sixth Corps are the
troops that captured Fort Gregg.-S. L. BAR
Der, Captain, 18th w. Va, CottagevilIe, w. Va.