The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-15
COLU M BUS, GA.
Others Besides the "Fighting Regiment"
Charged There.

Charged There.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Capt. Ran
kin, of the 7th Ohio Cav, has written very
interesting History of Fighting Regi-
ment." l read it with great deal of pleas
ure, until came to certain incidents which
know were not correctly stated. / regret
exceedingly that such gallant soldier and
intelligent writer as Capt. Rankin should
have allowed fatal errors to creep into his
| narrative.
When the proper time arrives, in writing
Incidents in the History of the Saber Bril-
gade of the Army of the Cumberland" it
will become my duty to contradict some OF
the statements made by the historian of the
7th Ohio.
The object of this letter is to enter my
| protest against his account of the capture OF
| Columbus, Ga, on the night of April 10
| 1865.
| Ga that occasion the division which I
commanded (the Second) bivouacked 10 miles
west of Columbus, and took no part in the
gallant work of that night. The assault
and capture of Columbus was made by
| Winslow's Brigade, of Upton's Division-the
81 Iowa, Colonel Noble Gate Secretary OF
| the Interior) the 4th Iowa, Col. Winslow
and the 10th Mo-, Lieut.-Col. Benteen, after
wards commander of battlion of the 7th
Cav. at the time of the slaughter of Custer
and his brave men.
On the approach of our column the
Confederates destroyed all but one of the
bridges crossing the Chattahoochee at Column
bus; the one spared was a covered roadway
bridge, such as were in those days common
all over the South.
The west end of the bridge was protected
IL Il oh.
parapet; the interior of the bridge, sides
and roof were packed with cotton, saturated
with turpentine, and two howitzers loaded
with canister and grape were placed at the
east end and were trained so as to sweep its
interior.
The assault was made from the north, or
up the river by the Sd and 4th Iowa, dis
mounted. While the fight at the works
was progress NJ Gen. Upton directed Capt.
Glassen, of the 10th Mo-, to take two COM
panies and endeavOr to secure the bridge.
Capt. Glassen moving well to the right of
the assaulting force, struck a road leading
into the enemy's works, which he followed,
entering the enemy's lines without being
even challenged.
AS he rode toward the bridge the enemy
took the little force for body of their own
cavalry, and they were met with such in
quiries as Whose escort is that ?" Where
are you going?" What cavalry is that ?"
No reply was made, and Glassen and his
men rode across the bridge and took possess
sion of the two howilZers.
This is as il was told to me by Gen. Emory
Upton, when l entered Columbus with my
division the following morning, and this is
as it is told in Van Horne's History of the
Army of the Cumberland, Vol. III, page 800.
Capt. Rankin says: Three hundred men
from the Sd Iowa Cav, Wilson's regiment,
charged and took a fort that protected
another bridge. When the shout from the
Iowa boys made the heavens ring, charge
was made by tours across the bridge (charge
No 15), capturing the battery that was
placed in the farther end of the bridge killed
a rebel Colonel in the bridge, killed 300 and
captured 2,700 with their arms, together
with "a siege guns, and the rebel ram jack
son with her armament almost complete"
If it was not for charge No. 49," Capt
Rankin might be understood to mean that
tons Division but all through his history
he has been numbering the charges of the
18th Ohio; it is therefore clear that he means
that the bridge was crossed and the battery
captured by his own regiment.
There are many of the men who took part
N the capture of Columbus, Ga, still liv-
ing, and l will be pleased if some of them
will step forward and say whether or not
am correct in the statements l have made.
Ii l am in error, please correct me.-R. II.
G. MINTY, Breyet Major General, U. S. Vols,
Ogden Utah