The National tribune., 1894-09-06
WITH A BIG 3.
serg't Davenport Holds to His Statements
as to Tyranny in His Regiment, but Did
Not Mention Col. Warren Concerned.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reply
to Serg't Patrick Breen, I'd q. S. Inf, OF
issue Aug. 9, will say that when his regi-
ment n mentioned as having only four COM
panies at Gaines's Mill it only occurs once
by some oversight, and every time thereafter
the slight error does not exist.
In Aug. % issue in a friendly spirit, he
accuses me of saying July 2 Should be
July 26) that Sykes's Regulars, numbering
800 men, covered the retreat ut first Bull
Run. l was not there, hence could not
count them, and took the number from
the best source l could get, and merely
wanted to give Maj. Sykes and his Regu-
lars credit for what they did. AS Serg't
Breen says there were only 400, (although
by his own estimate the eight companies,
say 60 to company, equals 480,) let it be
as he says
In the issue of Aug. % the Sergeant takes
me to task for what l said in issue of Aug.
9; to quote him, viz, "Gives us to under
stand that Sykes's Regulars possessed disci-
pline to that degree of perfection which
carried it almost to brutality, and that the
5th n. Y. was not exempt from that rough
treatment" and goes On to say as much by
implication that / accuse Col. Warren OF
brutality. He is mistaken. l say nothing
about Warren being brutal, or brutality in
the Regular officers Here is what l did
say: at is a time like this when discipline
tells, and Sykes's Division had it, If there
ever was such thing in the army, and In the
9Th n. Y, at times, exceeded the Regulars.
/ say here, at the risk of offending, perhaps,
some now living (the dead won't heed it,,
that it was carried to an extent that was
uncalled for and brutal in the extreme, etc.
Well, the above seems to be obnoxious to
Serg't Breen, but did not intend it to apply
against his regiment or any of the Regulars,
but if he desires to miscOnstIue it in that
way can't help it. Neither did l mention
Col Warren's name. There were other Off
GERS in the 5th besides Warren, and | say
now as plain as l can put it in the English
language that discipline, OR rather persecu-
ton, was carried to an extent by some Off
GERS in the 5th N. Y. which would have
gained them notoriety in ante-bellum days
of first-class "nigger" drivers if they had
been masters of such.
/ will state, however, two occurrences that
came under my notice in the Regulars that
perhaps Serg't Breen might denominate
moral suasiOn. AS our division was march
ing briskly late in the afternoon toward the
pontoOns crossing to Fredericksburg, Dec.
13, 1862, my company CHANGED to follow the
rear of the Regulars. / saw non-cOmmis-
stoned officer of the latter punch one of them
in the back with the butt of his rifle The
man seemed to be hanging back. A mo-
ment later the man got punch or so in the
back again. The "non-com." then struck
him hard in the back of the neck and he fell
like log and was left there to be picked
up by ambulance or provost.
At camp near the Henry House, Va,
Winter Of 1862, 49, and three others were
sent to bury soldier, who had blown out
his brains, on the edge of our camp. He had
fastened strap 10 the trigger of his rifle
and worked it with his foot. We went
through him, took chew of his tobacco,
but found no papers TO identify him. l
have just looked at his horn pocket-comb,
which / retained to put me i'll mind of the
poor fellow. The ground was frozen hard,
and stony; and as we only had one spade
the grave was only foot deep and the COW
ering very light. l wiped the brains and
blood from his rifle with some dried leaves,
and as it was bright on the outside and
mine otherwise, intended to make an ex-
change.
About an hour after we had returned to
our quarters an Orderly-Sergeant of the
Regulars came to our tent and claimed the
utdu Iitf DtlOuptu 10 JutlI pro-
vost-guard, and was transplanted to our divis-
ion graveyard on the little knoll where there
were few trees. Serg't Breen may remem-
Der we buried about hundred or so men
of our division during our stay there We
inferred from what the Sergeant said that
the man had been beaten by non-com a
few iys before on account of some derelc-
lion of duty, and he supposed brooded over
it, and hence this result.
l wrote a history of the 9Th n. Y. of 4S5
pages published in 1879 at my own expense
(the edition was exhausted years ago), and
| say right here that many Of my comrades
were surprised that / had not said word
against some three or four of our selfish,
tyrannical, brutal officers. For not doing so
when | had the opportunity | was rewarded
for painting the devil white by being kicked
by his cloyen hoof. Comrade Breen, with
all good feeling towards you, permit me to
say don't think THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
is the right channel through which to wash
our dirty linen, and think this subject
should be dropped. AS loathe to give the
readers of our champion soldiers paper the
details of brutality referred to-and | can
do it with big Band as / know they
must be as tired of reading my writing as I
am of inditing the same, / hope and pray
they will all say Give us a resti
We are all growing old, and every day 3
burden seems TO grow heavier. In the regi-
ment in which l served, out Of some l500
on the rolls, 1000 have passed over the river.
We who still survive can, of certainty,
look forward to only few more years in
which to fight the battle of life. AT this
late day let us remember the good deeds
only; and as for the others, let US forgive
4 n.
New York City.