The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-03-30
AT GETTYSB BURG.
The Cannoneer Explains His illusions to
the Eleventh Corps.

~ \ more careful reading of Comrade
g & McKay's article III a recent issue,
am net satisfied with the curt and
possibly, diseourteous manner il
which discussed the subject in a short Pick ei
Shot in the issue of March 16 Judge from the
/ tenor of Comrade McKay's article that he is
worthy veteran and man of fine feeling as tx
/ his organ Zaton in the army, with which car
heartily sympathize. Therefore ] will &c
somewhat into detail as to the remark to which
! he. in common, takes exception. This remark
was not mine at all, but was made by our Perry
Rowe. Of Battery B, now an bonored citizen OF
Greeley. Nebraska TO the Hon. Clinton Beck
with of Herkmer, New York, at the Wash.
ington Encampment, and ali | did was TO re-
/ peat ii in little speech / made at the Reunion
! of the Iron Brigade that great occasion
] The circumstances were these: Beck and
were old friends. neighbors in New York, aud
business associates. When the Encampment
occurred he came to Artillery Headquarters to
! find me, and though he was an infantryman OF
! the 121st n. Y OF the Sixth Corps. he seemed
to join Battery B, Professionally, as it were and
4 spent most of his time with u.s.
lie and Perry Rowe fTaternized very quickly.
/ They are much the same kind of men by
nsture-both strong, hearty, and full of the
sort of courage that some men inhale with the
air they breathe.
Each had his record Perry, that of the cast.
steel fortitude that enabled him TO survive four
hot days in the ditch with both legs shot
through and no nourishment, and Beck that OF
/ having. as an 1s-year-old boy weighing not
more than 125 pounds, rescued the badly
wounded Capt. Wight, of the 9Th Me-, in the
collapse OF CptoDs charge at Spottsylyania
May 10 1854 and carried him half mile on
his back, though the Captain weighed nearly
! 200 pounds
Thursday afternoon when we left the camp
/ ground-or Grand Army Place, as il is now
called-I invited Perry Beck, serg't Chaplin,
and Johnny Cook to dine with me at Chamber
Inns. of course, at this dinner, we talked
about Gettysburg. It was then that Perry
Rowe remarked TO Beck that if the Sixth Corps
bad been on cur right that day instead Of the
Eleventh history would have been altered or
words to that effect.
The next night made little speech at the
| Iron Brigade Reunion, and, as Beckwith was
! present as representative of the Sixth Corps,
] reproduced Perrys remark, though with not
the least intention of rejecting on the Eleventh
/ Corps.
Subsequently, upon the receipt of certain OBJ
( jectlons and criticisms from members of the
Eleventh Corps l attempted TO show why such
remark that which / quoted from Perry
Rowe was natural and logical. i take nothing
Of that back. At that time the Sixth was by
great odds the most powerful corps in the Army
Of the Potomac. 1t was over $1,000 strong. 1t
had never known defeat. II. with its great
strength and its traditional fighting power, the
/ Sixth Corps had been ptted against the divis-
( ions of Rodes and Early that lst day of July
/ the result must have been foreordained and
/ that without the least discredit TO the Elev-
enth. This, as ] have already said in these
/ columns, would have left us Of the First Corps
| to deal with Heth's and Pender's Divisions,
and the wreck we made of Heth in the first
/ three hours Of the combat would seem to indi-
I cate what we could have done in the rest of the
afternoon If the great Sixth Corps had been up
/ there about the old Pennsylvania College and
! the Red Barn." to keep Rodes of our backs!
OF course, it was not so, and history must
/ stand as il is.
have already shown that the First Corps
! stood its ground there until over 60 per cent OF
/ its present for duty were hors du combat
and OF this percentage nearly half was lost after
1 the events on our right had made our fight
! hopeless; that is 10 say, after o'clock in the
afternoon. This was the greatest loss ever suf.
fered by large organization as an army
corps IN one days fighting, and as only about
four per cent. out of about 60 was reported
missing" il would seem TO indicate that there
was conflict in that vicinity.
Our OWN little battery WAS in action only
about two hours and yet it lost 40 out of 10I
effective, including four Wisconsin infantry
men not on its rolls.
IN conclusion, have only to say that this
ends my discussion OF the subject / say
nothing abont the Eleventh Corps except that
/ il was not strong enough numerically 10 meet
4 the foes il had TO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
BUELL., Philadelphia.