The National tribune., 1894-07-26

the pieces and their position until on
line had approached to within IS yard
of his. * x
"The enemy had used every charg
but two, one of which was found re
versed in one of the guns. x x x
found several wounded North Carolin
ians near the top of the hill, from whicl
| inferred that the position had beel
previously
CARRIED BY OUR TROOPS
and retaken by the enemy. 1 afterwart
ascertained that my inference was cor
rect"
The pieces referred to above were o
Edwards's Sd u. S, under Lieut. Hay
den.
Gen. II. B. Clitz, Z. S. A., Cat thi
battle Major in command of 18th L. S.,
IN letter to me giving detailed ac
count of his regiment, and dated Nov
%, 1881, says that my descriptions
are correct as to the 18th, and that
when obliged to give ground, before do
ing SO, his regiment fired at a rebel regi-
ment at the distance of so yards, which
dropped their whole front rank almost
to man; that he was before this hit sew
eral times, and once wounded, and here
shot in the knee, and soon after tainted
from loss of blood; was taken to the
McGehee House. used by us for tenn
porary hospital, which was near by; was
taken prisoner, and lay that night in Nc
Gehee's on the same blanket with Gen.
ID. H. Hill, an old comrade of the Mexi-
can war. "Gen. Hill asked me what
regiment in red trousers kept up such a
rapid, continuous fire, and what it was
armed with"
Gen. Clitz further says: " This hap
pened after the left of our corps line had
been broken, and our Division was
forced to change front, throwing back
our left so as to show front to the enemy
pouring through the break in Morell's
line, and while covering this move
ment with my battalion, x x x |
was sorely pressed by d. III. Hills
troops in front and flank, and forced to
give back or see my battalion surrounded,
cut to pieces or captured. x x x
Z" / warned my men that the enemy
were close upon us, and that they must
be cool and aim low. We were living
down behind a low ridge of ground,
partially sheltered X X K
"After his men poured in this close,
whitening volley, | gave the order to
face about and fall back at the double
quick, and to rally in the road behind
the second line.
while lying at McGehee's, I wit
messed the most desperate fighting of the
day. The First and Second Brigades
had rallied on the line of McGehee's
and the out-buildings, and they held the
position, in spite of the great odds against
them, for nearly an hour. They only
fell back when peremptoriIy ordered to
do So"
The above is a description of how our
little old Regular Army fought, under
West Point officers, gathered by COM
panies from the East, West, North, and
South; and some were there who proved
their loyalty to the flag when they re-
fused to fight under the black flag of
treason, when Gen. Twigg surrendered.
Here was that sturdy old veteran dis
Gen. George Sykes, although
d native of a Southern State, upholding
The flag he swore to defend when he en-
tered West Point, July /, 1888, fight
ing against the foes of his country, who
in the years gone by had been his class
mates and comrades, as side by side they
fought against a foreign foe in many
4 hard-fought conflict ON the plains
and in the thickets and chaparrals of
Mexico. But such is civil war. The |
years 1S42-'45 found him in the mias-
matte swamps and everglades of Florida,
engaged in an Indian war. The first
of the Mexican war, in 1845, |
found him on the frontiers of Texas. He |
served with distinction in that war to
The surrender at the City of Mexico,
where he was serving in Gen. Twiggs's
Division the year 1861 found him at
Fort Clark, Tex. At the first Bull |
Run he brought up the rear with his 500 |
Regulars; and so On, always at the front,
we find him in command of the Fifth |
Corps at Gettysburg. He died in the i
harness in command of the Department !
1f Texas, at Brownsville, Feb. 9, 1888, /
after an active and continuous service, /
from the time he entered West Point, of |
~ years.
Here also stood sturdy, dogged Buch- |
anan, also native of Southern State,
grim and gray, commander of the First |
Brigade, who graduated in 1880 A
veteran of the Black Hawk and Seminole |
wars, he served in Mexico, and with
MS own hand forced the door of Molino /
lei Rey.
The commander of the Second Brigade, /
graduated in 1881 a veteran /
IF Indian wars and Of Mexico, but on
account of severe indisposition forced to
land over the command to Mai. Chas. S.
lowell, a long-tried veteran of the Regu-
ar Army. And last, but not least, q. /
A.