The National tribune., 1894-09-20

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John S. Van Arsdel, 718 East Water street,
South Bend, Ind, writes: In your issue of
Aug. 80, w. N. Brown, Co. E, 65th ILL.,, gives
a description of the retreat from Columbia
to Franklin as he saw it. It was about as l
saw it, too. But the comrade is mistaken in
one or two particulars. He says there was
no pontoons at the river. Our battery crossed
the river about so yards above the railroad
bridge on pontoOns. AS soon as we crossed
we pushed up the hill and over to the south
side of the railroad, and went into battery as
soon as we could. We used two guns with
solid shot for the bridge, and the other two
with case shell and grape for the then adj
vancing foe. One of my comrades, Ed.
| Duckett, was killed close by my side just
before we went on to the pontoon.
"Our brigade (the Third Second Division,
| Twenty Corps) held the railroad bridge
and south of there as far as a ford or ferry
| below.
cit was our battery (22d Ind and the 50th
Ohio that partially destroyed the bridge.
The 50th tried to set fire to the bridge, but
being square-timber structure it was hard
to burn. But with their fire and our plung
ing solid shot we succeeded in making a
large gap in the center.
AFTER we disabled the bridge there was
and the rebels got in there for shelter.
Then we turned our battery's guns on that
stOckade, and the way that we made the
timbers fly about their ears was sight to see.
But they stubbornly held their position and
were there when we left late on the night of
the 29th of November"
Not To Be Forgotten.
Salisbury Sherman, Co. I, 9th Iowa,
Talent, Ore, writes: "The question is often
asked: Why do you always keep waving
the bloody shirt?' We do not; we simply
cannot forget the things that were so much
part of ouI lives for years.
when our brave and good Lieutenant,
George Inman, was calling for two volun-
teers to go back to where John Goodenough
was known to have fallen it took more than
ordinary courage to volunteer to 90, but
when John Logan and / were detailed we
braced up and went ON an errand Of mercy
amid showers of iron hail. Our clothes
were riddled, but we were not harmed. We
found our comrade, shot through the head
and dead, and we have had the consciousness
and recollection all these years of having
done our duty and of running great risk.
Does anyone think we should so quickly
forget such Incidents?
"The rebs had poisoned the wells when
hard pressed down through Missouri and
Arkansas, and many of our thirsty and way
worn comrades were taken violently sick
and died from drinking poisoned water.
Can anyone suppose we have forgotten such
occurrences?
"Our commissary wagons were stalled in
the deep mud of the Ozark Mountains dur
ing Curtis's campaign, Winter of 1861-62,
and the army left them 100 miles in the
rear, and we were compelled to forage or
starve. Does anybody imagine that we
could forget some of the incidents of our
foraging expeditions so soon? Can our
mothers or wives so soon and easily forget
the trials and cares they suffered while we
were at the front and they were under
terrible mental strain during those four
dreadful years? 2"
Knew What Awaited Them.
J. W. Lindsay, Co. K, Cd Ill. Cav. Milton,
H., says Comrade Anderson, in his defense
of Gen. Nelson, is a bit hard on the men
" who did not get mad enough to go to the
front until 1862"
81 enlisted in 1862, as did thousands of
young men, knowing that there was no pic
mic ahead, and l claim all who enlisted at
that time did so through purely patriotic
motives and $13 per month in deprecated
currency. The men who got mad enough
to enlist at the first call confidently expected
a short struggle, and knew little of wars
horrors. Nine out of 10 who went out in
1862 went Immediately to the front, and
went to work in earnest, and / assure Com
rade Anderson they did their part in putting
down the rebellion in every way they could,
for when there was no fighting, scouting or
skirmshing on hand we were trying to eat
up all the surplus grub in the Confederacy."
Who VIII Tell the Story?
c.. H. Eastman, Co. F, I'd n. H., North Con-
way, n H., writes: " have read with much
interest the history of the Excelsior Brigade.
/ was in the First Brigade. Much of their
history is closely connected with that of nay
regiment. They were gallant body.
Il well remember how l walked over the
battlefield of Williamsburg and saw the
bodies of the Excelsior boys, in their con-
spicuous uniform, lying thickly in the roads
and slashngs. have always thought that
the red of their uniforms made too good
mark for the rebels.
/ remember how at Fair Oaks, when
they were ON picket and the firing would
become brisk, the boys would say, Well,
Gen. Sickles is stirring them up They
were good boys to tie to every time. l saw
their dashing charge ut Mapping flights.
After the battle of Gettysburg the I'd N.
Fl. was detailed to guard the rebel prisoners
at Point Lookout, and 1 do not know much
about the Excelsior Brigade after that time.
Now, l wish some able pen would give us a
history of the old First Brigade, consisting
of 1st and 11th Mass, I'd N. H., Goth Pa,
and at Fair Oaks the 10Th Mass. Joined us.
This brigade opened the fight at Williams
burg and lost heavily, and the brunt of that
battle was borne by HOoker's Division"
Information.
Gilbert p. Brown, Al Hammond street,
Boston Mass wishes to hear from some one