The National tribune., 1893-06-01
NOT RAW TROOPS.
Once More the 9Th n. Y. III. A. Speaks fol
Itself.

once More the 9th n. \. Ill. A. Speaks Tor
Itself.
TN an article written by Capt. J. w. Barney,
which appeared Feb. 16, find many mac
Il curacies which reflect somewhat tho
regiment to which / had the honor to
belong, aud which | am unable TO account for,
as the records at the command of all show
quite a different state of facts.
Barney says: "Gen. Hancock was with us on
the 18th of June, 1864 in front of Petersburg
when Gen. Birney had temporary command of
our corps OH which occasion Tyler's battery
was captured. The contest was hot one, and
the mistake seemed to be that the raw material
had been placed in front, viz, the 9TH and Sth
n. Y. H. a., who had never been under fire
before"
Now, Walker, in his History of the Second
Corps, page Sal, says:
In obedience to these urgent Instructions Gen.
Birney formed the division of Mott, supported by
one Of Gibbons BriGades and by the division of
Barstow on the left, and made strenuous assault
which repulsed with terrible slaughter. .
The attack of Mott from the Hare House WAS
especially memorable account of the heroic
bearing and monstrous losses OF the lst Me- II. A,
which that General. determined to try wha. virtue
there might be in the enthusiasm of new, fresh.
strong regiment, not yet discouraged by repeated
failures. had placed In his front line. The older
regiments advanced in support of the heavy artii-
lcry. to take advantage of lis success should it
penetrate the enemy's works. The charge was a
most gallant one. though unsuccessful. The Maine
musketry, ard retired only after more than 600 of
their number had falien-the heaviest loss sus-
tanned by any regiment of the Union armies in any
battle of the
This was on the 18th of June, and as Gen.
Walker was Adjutant General of the corps at
the time. one would think he ought to be good
authority. So the 9TH and 9Th n. Y. Ii. A.
were not in the front of the attack. Now as
to the aforementioned regiments never having
been under fire before, the 9Th N. Y. II. A. lost
10 killed aud 10 wounded at Spotsylvania: two
killed at North Anna; POT killed at Cold Har-
Dor, and 298 wounded. On the 18th of June
its losses were AZ killed and the usual propor-
tion Of wounded
Two hundred and sixty-one men killed
would seem to indicate that the regiment had
been under fire before the 18th of June As
TO the 9TH n. Y. II. A., / see by "Foxs Regi-
mental Losses" that they had lost 29S killed
before the 18th of June. Perhaps the Captain
may have got the 22d of June mixed up with
the 18th, aud l would refer the comrade to
1.-THE Campaign of "a and '65," Humphrey 8
account Of the affair Of the 22d.
The 9Th n. Y. III. A. was enlisted as the
10th n. Y, and was transferred to the arti-
lery branch of service without consulting the
regiment of course. While in Baltimore the
officers repeatedly petitioned to be sent to the
front, and the i'm putation that the men enlisted
expecting "soft thing" in the line of garri-
son duty is uncalled for. Not every man in
the regiment was hero of course / leave it
for others to claim that the regiments to which
they belonged were "band of heroes" But
the old 9th n. Y. III. A. has no reason to be
ashamed of its record.-E. Cook, Co /. 9Th N.
Y. Ii. a., Portland Ore.