The National tribune., 1893-04-06
Tho 9Th Ohio ut Gettysburg.


l-TYILLIAM JOHNSON. Co. B, 9Th
M Ohio. Ellis. Kan, writes that in
our issue of Jan. 10 Comrade
Ames says that at Gettysburg,
July 2, 1863, the 9Th Ohio WAS guarding q
| wagon train while the balance of the brigade
was doing all the fighting. "The truth is"
says Comrade Johnson, THAT we left Union
| town abont daylight and arrived at Gettys-
burg about 10 or II o'clock. On the way We
met the body of Gen. Reynolds being brought
| to the rear. We were put out to the front as
sharpsh0oters and held the ground under
command of Lieut.- Col Sawyer that day and
the next morning until after Picketts charge.
The writer does not see why Comrade john
son should slur his regiment. IF he did not
know what he was writing, he should not have
written.
The 18th Ohio Battery.
w. Z. Forbes, Geneva, O.. writes: AFTER
leaving Resaca Ga, the 14th Ohio battery was
almost constantly engaged with the enemy's
rear guard. Near Dallas. Ga, the following
incident occurred, but the exact locality. the
direction in which we were moving, and what
occasioned this snauuever has passed from my
memory. Shortly after passing q mill-dam
that had been cut and flooded the road ana
adjoining fields not long previously, we
were suddenly ordered into brushfeld over
looking the banks of the small stream. We
went In battery conceaing our guns with
brush, horses were removed, and we were or
dered to lie down and maintain strict silence.
We soon heard tramping of troops, and III
short while directly in front of us only few
yards distant was regiment OF Johnnies COM
ing directly toward us. STEADY on the right!
Close up, menl" ETC., we could plainly hear. Ga
they came If they were going to walk right
over us. 1t seemed to me that they could not
help seeing US. when all at once they moved by
their right flank, and as they disappeared away
to our left. my hair, which had been perpen-
dicnlarly disposed, slowly resumed its normal
position. We soon limbered up and proceeded
our way. 1t is my impression that the
above incident occurred the next day MAY 81,
after the fight in front of Dallas in which the
rebs handsomely repused, and during
which our battery fred lib rounds and had
only one man wounded while the official
report places the fight one day after.
Let Gen. Custer Rest.
j. z. Martin, Co. T. 1st Iowa Cav. New
Hartford, Iowa writes: There was no cavalry
| regiment in the West who served as long or did
more arduons and dangerous service than the
LIST Iowa. We fought Price and Marmaduke
| all through and ont of Missouri, hunted down
| and broke up the Anderson guerrillas secuted
and fought all over Arkansas, and after the
! Red River campaign were sent up the river TO
| Memphis where we soon met and whipped
| Forests men; and finally, when We should
have been sent home, instead, in May, 1865,
| were sent down the river to Baton Rouge, La,
/ where came under Clusters command.
/ There is no doubt but what complaints were
made to Gen. Custer abont Us. Comrades of
| the 1st will remember that even Gen. David
son had use for US at frat, till q squad of
/ our boys dashed in and drew off by hand four
| small guns he had given to his pet regiment,
| the 18th III. After that we found favor with
/ him, and the liking WAS mutual as was shown
4 ted
| him with sword costing over thousand dol
| lars. While it is trne that we suffered some
| harsh treatment at the hands of Gen. Custer
| yet we know that he was a brave officer. and
| hssi we have been with him at earlier date
wond soon have commanded his respect and
admiration. Now that he is dead, dying the
death of soldier upon the field of battle, and
by the hands of savages, let US drop the mantle
of charity over his mistakes, for who does not
! make some, and only remember that he was a
| brave and dashing comrade. The reputation
of the LIST Iowa Cav. is secure to call for any
defense at this late day.
Peach Tree Creek.
F. Fl. Knight, 2727 Shenandoah street st.
| Louis. Mo-, says that he was not in the grand
stampede at Peach Tree Creek. It now looks
i as though others went TO the rear, and evil
/ IDENTITY "stood not in the order of their CO.
| ing (?), if Comrade Henry c. King, of the
4
| he claims, which the writer lras reasons to ser-
ously doubt. In OK PLANTATION of his skepticism
| he says that If there were any of Newton's Di-
vision to the left of the writer's regiment they
certainly were gray, and had every appearance
and action of " Johnnies" for they shot right
at u.s. He belonged to the 125th Ohio, Third
| Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Corps. He is
| not clear as to the time of day he crossed the
creek going south. but we crossed, and marched
nearly to the top of the ridge and stacked our
arms in a road. They were Immediately Or
| dered to fall in. As they fell in and took arms
a volley of musketry was heard in our imme-
| date front, the balls of which passed over
our heads. The woods into which we marched
! by the left flank were swarming with men
! wearing gray clothes. They were passing our
left and going towards the creek, however.
| They were Immediately marched down the
| road towards the creek, where, without any
| formaities, they took position in rear of a
| fence to the left (east) of the road and fired at
| will. section of battery soon took position
| on our left. between us aud the creek, and a
few discharges of canister sent the Johnnies
back towards the ridge
1t was the 9th Md.
D. M. Goodacre. q. s. vessels Mount Vernon,
| Allegheny, and Mystic. Washington, ID. c.,
| having noticed the article of Comrade Jerome
Bell. LIST N. Y. uincoln) Cav, of City Island,
| N. Y. in a recent ISSUE says: 1T was the 9Th
| Md, Col. Is. Simpson, that was captured at
| Charlestown, w. Va, by Imboden's cavalry.
| After being stripped of shoes and caps the pris-
oners were marched to Richmond and placed
OH Belle Isle. Oct. 13. 1863. The writer had q
| brother in the same company to which Ben
| Swerer belonged, who saved the regiments flag
| by wrapping it about his body. i went down
to Annapolis to see the boys. all of whom 1
| knew from childhood. after they were Ak.
| changed March ID. 1864. ! found Ben Swerer
| and my brother William in the same bunk, but
| would never have recognized either of them
| if it had not been for the tags around their
| necks. Swerer showed me the old flag he had
carried with him to Belle Isle. Before his
| Capture in 1863 Swerer would weigh about ITO
pounds. When ! weighed him at Annapolis in
March, 1864 he weighed S2i pounds aud my
| brother weighed 81 pounds. Swerer was alive
| last November, when met him in Baltimore,
and he was the same old original Ben swerer."
The holidays Men.
| M Fl. Myrick, Co. B. 10Th H.. and Co. ],
18TH Ill.,, Benedict, Neb., writes: "The 100
| dayers did do something to merit the name Of
soldiers. A large majority of them were young
boys IL and under, quite good many old men,
and good many who had been in three-years
regiments and discharged for disability. and
| when the call for 100 days came had recovered
enough to stand it for that mnch longer. /
WAS one of those, with several Others, in my