The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-09-06
THERE WAS NO Sinking,
And Col. Mervin Clark Did Not Die as Col,
Sherwood Relates.

sherwood Relates
! EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I read
with great interest the article in your issue
of Aug. 2 of Col. Isaac i. Sherwood of the
/ 18th Ohio, in reference to the death of Lieut.
Col. Meryin Clark, who was killed while
| bravely leading his regiment, the 1S3d Ohio,
at the battle of Franklin, Nov. 80, 1864.
cannot let the article pass unnotieed without
! replying and calling Col. Sherwood down
and correcting the errors made in his letter,
| and the unjust reflection cast upon officers
and soldiers of his regiment and those who
| LOST their lives along with Col. Clark.
| was private III Co. K, 183d Ohio. Lieut.
Col. Clark fell while on the extreme right of
| the regiment during the first bayonet charge
of the rebels upon our rifle-pits. He jumped
on top of the works, urg ing his men 10 fill
the break, when he was shot and instantly
killed.
Everyone knows who participated in the
battle of Franklin that it was fought behind
hurriedly- reconstructed rihe-pits, that were
hardly finished when the battle began; there
was no open field, except in front of our
works, and that was where the rebels made
their stand. was the one into whose arms
Clark fell, and Serg't Frank Bradford and I
carried him off the field. Col. Sherwood
says there was no fort or parapet where We
stood, it was in the open field in front and
to the right of the old cotton-gin and at the
right of the Franklin pike. The Colonel's
memory must be bad, indeed; if he had
consulted any authority or looked at the re-
port of Col. Stone in the Century magazine,
or of Gen. Cox, of the battle of Franklin, he
would never have made such mistakes.
The famous cotton-gin he spoke of is on
the left side of the Franklin pike, and Col.
Easements regiment, of Reilly's Brigade, Oc-
cupied the ground, and the rihe-pits were
not 100 feet from the gin.
On the other side, or right side, of the pike
is the Carter House, and south of it our rifle
pits continued to the right. Here was sta
toned Gen. Thomas H. Ruger's Division,
composed of Col. Stricklands and Col.
Moore's Brigades. The regiments were sta
toned as l name them-50th Ohio, I'D Ohio,
I'D Ills, 44th No., 1S3d Ohio, 10Th Ills,
80th Ind, 10th Ind; 23d Mich, 111th Ohio,
and 11Sth Ohio.
At that time Col. Sherwood's rank was
only Lieutenant-Colonel, and he could not
have command of a brigade, as there were
several Colonies who were his seniors, and
Col o. II. Moore did command.
1t was impossible for Col. Sherwood to
yell in Col. Clark's ear or catch him when
he fell. He says Clark was where he had no
right to be, and away from his own COM
mand, where his duty called him. He also
speaks of the oath Mo. This regiment was
not with our army at all, nor in the cam
paign, but was stationed in Arkansas Or
Mississippi at this time.
The distance from the cotton-gin to where
the 1850 Ohio was stationed, where Col.
Clark was killed, was at least !, 500 feet, and
to Moore's Brigade and the nearest point
where the 111th Ohio would have been sta
toned was at least 1000 feet, for most all
the fighting was done in front of Reilly's and
Striekland's Brigades by the Carter House,
which was the key to the position.
The lines were five or six deep in the rebel
charges. There were no troops who had
served in 80 battles. The battle was fierce
and desperate, and all the troops engaged
fought bravely. Col Geo. ". Hoge formerly
Captain in the 126th Ohio, was Colonel, and
commanded the regiment. Col. HOge and
Mai. HAIRY remained with the regiment and
conducted themselves with great bravery
and GOODNESS.
We all loved COL Clark, and no.officer was
drawer than he. He fell, sword in hand,
urging his men to follow his example, and
they all stood by him.
Maj. HAIRY was division field officer Of
the day. and came from the skirmish-line to
join the regiment just after Col. Clark was
killed. He remained with Us, taking Col.
Clark's place. This officer several times
was compelled to go from the rihe-pits to
Gen. Ruger's HEADQUARTERS for orders, and
always returned to the regiment, and by his
bravery held the men in line amid the many
charges.
Col. Hoge had charge of the left wing, and
stood his ground as firmly rs a roek.-R. n.
SPoHR, Co. K, 1S3d Ohio, 1925 Webster Ave,
Pittsburg Pa.