The National tribune., 1894-08-16
NOT YET SETTLED.
Lieut.. Little Details the Withdrawing of His
Pickets at Rossville Gap.

| Picxets at Rossville Gap.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: A comrade
has shown me Comrade James M. Whallon's
article about Rossville Cap headed
Thought 1t Settled" in the issue Of June
| %, in which he claims the 18th Mich. to
have been in advance of the 18th Regulars
while we occupied the Gap.
If he or any portion of the 18th Mich.
were in our front at that time, they were
either inside the rebel lines or were prisoners
of war in its rear, for there was no room for
any troops between our pickets and theirs at
that time.
| During the first part of the night the
rebel pickets fired several times, and about
| 10 o'clock gave Us regular vOlley and at
tempted to advance, but were checked by
my pickets and the 18th Regulars in my
| immediate rear.
The rebels certainly were not 10 PAGES
distant at the time of this volley, and they
moved up at that time to within four or five
PAGES and lay down, hiding themselves as
we did, behind rocks, trees or other cover
that could be found. The rebels I'M
doubtedly expected rs to evacuate the Gap
that night, and fred this volley with intent
to find out if we had yet left.
Comrade Whallon seems to criticize me
rather strongly for being SO dilatory in with
drawing my pickets in obedience to my
superior officers command. / thought /
had explained sufficiently in former article
the delicacy of the work to be done so that
the experienced would not find fault with
ME for dilatoriness. Certainly my COM
manding officer found no fault on that score.
But that others may understand the cause
of the seeming delay l will say was re-
qured to withdraw my pickets without the
knowledge of the enemy, if possible-my
pickets and theirs being so close / could
not give the command to fall back in the
usual tone of voice, but the order had to be
whispered in the ear Of each individual
picket
went to the left of the road, sending a
Sergeant to the right. We had to move
with the greatest care, crawling on hands
and knees most of the time. After l re-
turned to the road and found that the Ser
geaut also had re urned, gave the signal to
the two pckets, one on each side of the road,
to commence the movement. The mode of
procedure / had adopted was that the
pickets nearest the road should commence
the movement, but before doing so should
signal the next cOmrade by touch that he was
going; the one touched was to remain in
position until his comrade was well back
and entirely out of his hearing; then he
was to signal his next comrade, and retire as
the other had done. So | only had two
pickets moving at a time Thus consider
able time was used.
/ did not claim it was exactly midnight
when received the order. 1t might have
been as late as a. M. but / do know
that at once went to work on receipt of the
order, and that / could just distinguish the
gray light of dawn when all were assembled
in the road and the Orderly gave me the
commanding officers orders to report in
Chattanooga.
| do not claim to know what the 18th
Mich. or other troops than those under my
immediate control did therefore, do not
say it is a fact that the 11th Mich were sup
porting the 18th Regulars but it seems to
me that they and other troops were the
pickets on the east face Of Missionary Ridge
to the right and left of the gap and were
withdrawn about midnight, or before; and
that when Gen. Thomas, or whoever had
charge of the entire movement, saw that all
others had withdrawn, he caused orders to
be sent me to withdraw he knew better
than did how long it would take me, and
so timed his order that should be leaving
the Gap just at gray dawn.
The presence Of the cavalry in the woods
between the Chattanooga road and Mission
Ridge to cover the final evacuation showed
me that every contingency was provided
for, and whoever it was that had full charge
of the movement did his duty well.
Comrade Whallon names Col. Stoughton
as entitled to great credit. have not the
slightest wish to say the contrary, for Col
Stoughton and / were both wounded on
July A, 1864, in the same engagement, in
front of Smyrna Church, Gal in the
shoulder, he in the leg. I was under his
orders at the time. He ordered me and my
command to capture hill in our front, and
in obeying his order l was wounded He
was struck by she'll shortly afterward, and
we were cot neighbors and comrades in the
field hospital at Marietta, Ga, for a few days,
and we got we'll acquainted. While / con-
slider him an excitable man, know him to
be as brave as any man who wore the blue
or the gray.-R. F. LITTLE, First Licuten-
ant, 18th U. s., Richardson, Wis.