The National tribune., 1894-01-11
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.
Perryville.

|
Comrade ]. B. Work, CO. G, SD Ohio asks
Now, boys, what do you know about the sub
jectP know nothing about whether the Nc
Cooks and Sheridan interfered with Bueli's
plans, hut do know that when Gen. Alex.
McCook called for help. and repeated his call
to Gen. Buell. when the rebels were pressing
us, doubling up fonr deep on rs, with rebel
yell that seemed TO echo over half the South
| ern COnfederacy, that then and there was no
time to withhold aid from any part of the
field. The matter in hand on that day and
on that field was to give Gen. Bragg the
worst pounding he ever got, and not let him
and his army, ard 1000 wagons laden with
the spols of his raid, get away in safety.
| don't know whether Gen. Med. McCook
brought on the fight, hut after it was on,
| there was no time TO investigate as to how it
happened to begin until the work in hand
was done. We were in Gen. james jack
sons Division, in the left wing OF the army,
AID were facing Cheatham's and Buckner's
| Divisions, of Bragg's army, aud the way
those rebel Generals acted towards US that
afternoon, by doubling their lines and pour
| ing the shot and she'll at US without mercy,
| showed that they didn't care whether Gen.
Alex McCook or Gen. Buell. himself brought
on the fight
since the morning Of the 1st of October, the
two divisions OF Buell's army-Rousseau' Is
| and Jackson's. My recollection is that
Rousseau would take the advance one day,
and Jackson the advance the next. On the
morning of the 9Th of October it was jack
| sons turn to take the lead, but Bragg had
halted at Perryviile to check Bueli's pur-
suit, SO as to give his train time to get away.
Rousseau's Division were old troops, had
been in the service from the beginning of
the War, perhaps Is months, while Jackson's
were largely new men; and my recollec-
ton is that as we would have some special
service on hand at once, that Rousseau in
sisted that lie ought TO be allowed to take
the advance with his old troops. After
sometime it was determined that R0usseau's
bows might go ahead and get themselves
killed first, as we put it, and they went
ahead with a yell.
"By 10 o'clock it was getting noisy over
toward Perryviile. To our right the gallant
Sd Ohio, commanded by her brave Colonel,
John Beatty, did some terrible fighting close
by old rebel Henry Bottoms barn. On tile
9th day Of October, 1886, just "a years after
the battle, the Sd Ohio aud members of
other regiments had Reunion on the battle
field, and neither the burned barn nor Henry
Bottom had ever been reconstructed. We
broke cornerstone in fragments and
brought the pieces hsme rs relics"
Thomas w. Aydelott, Corporal, Co. G, 18th
Ohio, Dayton, o., thinks that Gen. Buell.
could have captured Bragg's army if he had
managed things right. He thinks McCook's
Corps did most of the fighting. He liked
Comrade Works article, and hopes he will
write again. ~
"steady. Therei"
Veteran, SD Ohio, says that the soldiers
must touch elbows continually, though great
gaps be made in their lines, else the pension
haters will separate them and ride them
down. The old yell about the fraudulent
pension-roll again rings out, and must be met
with earnest reiutations lest honest people
be misled.
T. J. Gordon, Battery H. Cd III. Art, West
Plains, Mo-, wants to know why the boys
of his battery don't fire few shots, just 10
let each other know where they are. He
calls up the old times of the war, and thinks
it is shame that the men who did so much
for their country should be allowed to be
stigmatized as thieves, bountyjumpers and
frauds by the very class of men whom they
had to whip so severely to teach good be-
havior before.
Henry Shelby, Co. E, Sd Pa. Cav, reads
with pleasure the Editors Open Letters to the
Commissioner of Pensions. The Brgadiers
are on top once more, however, and he fears
the evil day for he soldier will be long
one. He gets pretty mad when he reads of
their doings and their false expressions of
friendship for the old soldier. He would
like to hear by letter from his old comrades.
A Merry Christmas Day.
A. M. Taylor. Co. A, 9th Iowa Cav. Alex-
andria, Mimi, writes: Tweniy-nne years
ago was Merry Christmas shall never for
get. We were driving Hoods routed army
out of Tennessee. We were in line of bat
tie all day in the advance, along with the 7th
Ohio Cav. 1t was cold and drlzzly, and the
bullets were flying every minute. We
reached Pulaski about noon. The rebs had
fired the bridge over the Elk River, and our
regiment charged and carried it, and put out
the fire. Several were killed, among them a
brave man, Clint Pains, First Sergeant, Co.
]. He charged through the burning bridge,
saber in hand, at the head of his company.
About four miles from Pulaski the enemy
made stand and built breastworks. We
went forward as skirmshers and they flank
ed US. / was completely surrounded and
had to surrender to Sergeant of the 37th
Miss, but | escaped about 8 p. M, stad in
the woods ali night, and joined our troops as
they came along, driving the enemy before
them. Capt. McElra, OF Co. ], was taken a
few minutes before / was. w. S. Coen, now
prominent lawyer of Ottumwa, Iowa, was
then brave boy of 16. He was shot in the
foot, and showed great pluck as he limped
to the rear"
The Connecticut.
William II. Kuhn, Decatur, ILL.,, writes:
In the issue of Dec. IA Comrade Simmons
gives description of the different gunboats
forming the blockade of the rebel ports, aud
among others the Connecticut, which he de-
scribes as being a propeller.
Now, / wish to make q correction as TO
her. have good reason to know that ne
Connecticut was sidewheel steamer, be-
cause in the latter part of August, 1868,
while she was on the blockade at Fort Fisher,
she ran down the u. S. S, Quaker City. The
Connecticut's starboard wheelhonse guard
cut off about seven feet of the Quaker City's
bow, and for three days and two nights we
were throwing shot, shell, coal, and every
thing that was heavy overheard, trying to
keep the Quaker City from going to the
bottom, and we succeeded in getting her ON
the beach at Bufort, N. c., when we put a
new nose on her and took her to Philadel-
phia, where she was placed in dry-docl, and
her crew went aboard the receivingship
Princeton" HsJ rs
Capture of jackson.
William X. johnson, Co. K, 10th Mo.