The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-08
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.
A Good Home.

| a GOOD Home.
John Malay, Bloomingburg, N. Y, writes
'" have good home for some comrade or
comrades son who understands something
about farming. / have small farm near
the village of Bloomingburg, n. Y, but can
not work it alone, owing to the infrmlties
contracted in the service. VIII give the
right party good home as long as we both
live. Oaiy satisfactory letters can be an
| swered.n
| Having Picnic"
F. W. Benjamin, Terre Haute, Ind, says
that the men the boys in blue confronted
when 1T was no "picnc" are now in power,
and propose to have picnic with those who
are left. L am sorry that so many of them
| were misled by promises, and voted against
their direct interests in the Fall of 1892.
| If promises had been held out to them
between 1861 and '65, they would not have
gone against their interests; but powder and
lead is different from demasogic argument
and paper ballots"
| Was There First.
| T. B. Hambledon, Co. E, 10th Pa, Fern
| glen, Pa, writes: l notice in recent issue
| COmrade Bene6el, Sergeant, Co. G, 9Th Ind,
states that they encamped upon the mount
4
the time Hooker was storming Lookout
Mountain) on the identical spot where the
18th Ind. battery was located Aug. 81, 1863,
when it fired the first shot ever sent into
Chattanooga by Union gun.
Now | claim that my regiment, the 18th
Pa, was the first Union troops in front of
Chattanooga, Tenn, which was OIL the 7th
| and 9th of June, 1862, IA months previous
| to that of the 18th Ind, when our battery,
LIST Ohio, under command of Lieut.. Sypher,
and list KY. battery, Lieut.. Nell, shelled the
| city, and also what is now called Cameron
Hill.
Il visited the spot in September, 1892,
and also had talk with the Colonel who
commanded the Confederate battery on Cam
eron Hill at the time of the engagement"
sherman's "Bummers."
Wallace Kelsey, Co. A, 10Th Wis, Cottage
Grove, Mimi, writes: ain your issue of Feb.
% squib from Comrade Kern, Sd Pa L. A,
in which he says after Lees surrender his
brigade was camped near Richmond. He
says the advance of Sherman's army was
composed of bummers, and that these bum
mers cleaned out dozen or more suffers that
were near Richmond, taking thousands Of
dollars worth of canned goods, etc, without
paying cent for them also, killing col
Ored man for trying to defend the suffers
goods, etc. Comrade Kern, / had the
homer to belong to Sherman's bummers for
four years, and don't like to have such stories
go out Now, comrade, l don't dispute
your being in camp where you say, but
will stand by Sherman's bummers, and
deny the charge. You have got too many
bummers and too many suffers. Then, the
idea OF 2 200 bowling bummers, after having
their appetites sharpened up with all the
good things of a dozen sutler shops being
scared by two men from New Ham pshire.
No. we were not made of that kind of tim
Der; and l will say right here there never
was an army more obedient than Sherman's
after JohRstons surrender"
why Don't They write1
T. E. Galbreath, Co. D, Sd East Tenn,
Virtue, Tenn, writes: "My regiment was
composed of good lot of fighters, although
l never see anything from them. However,
1t Is but fair TO assume that every regiment
did its duty; and the fact that one was called
into a position that required hard fighting,
is no argument that another placed on duty
where there was no call for fight would
not have shown as much valOr had oppor-
tunity offered. l had the honor of belong
ing to a regiment known as the Bloody
3d. or Houks Bushwhackers.
No Offense, Boysl
John A. Joyce, oath KY, writes: "Com-
rades S. c. Smith, 1st Me. Cav, and John p.
Woodward, 10Th Conn.,, take me to task for
some statements in my recent article on
Gen. Sheridan and his famous ride from
Winchester. My reference to the rarity of
dead cayalryman,' and the reward offered
by the infantry boys for a specimen, was
uttered in a facetiOus, poetic way, and not
to underrate the valuable service rendered
the Government by such heroic warriors as
PleasontOn, ButOrd, Gregg Kilpatrick
Averill, Wilson, StOneman, Grierson, Custer
Shackelford, WOOlford, and Murray. No, so
long as Shiloh. Perryville, Stone River At
lanta, Brandy Station, Beverly Ford, Gettys-
burg and AppOmattox are remembered, the
cavalry arm of the service will occupy |
front position in the victorious columns of
the Union. Yet, / insist that there was not |
General of the late war that could or did
organize and fight 10000 cavalry like our
glorious Little Phil, who blew out the |
light of Jeb Stuart at Yellow Tavern and |
forced roundup of Bob Lee and his |
chivalric pets at AppOmattox. Comrades, |
read my little poem, commencing: Our |
ranks are growing thinner every year."
A Correction.
The article "From Pulaski to Nashville" |
in the issue of Feb. %, was written by G. o. |
Pond, not by G. V. Loud as stated.
Contract Surgeons.
J. D. Holt, 1902 South G street, Tacoma,
Wash, writes: " In Picket Shots of Feb. 8
is communication from p. p. W., Putnam,
Conn, referring to my article, published
Jan. 10, concerning Contract Surgeons. He |
says there was no law at any time prevent
ing these M. DIS from joining the service,
and, by so doing, enjoying all the pay and
benefits of Assistant Surgeons and Surgeons
with chances of promotion in medical staff
He goes on to reflect on their ability, skill,
and attention to duty.
of p. P. W. was at any time in the
Medical Department of the army, he ought
to know that the number of Surgeons and
Assistant Surgeons of the U. S. Army and