The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-08-09
SOM E FIGURES.
Comrade Davenport Replies to GriswOl
and Stoutenburg.

| Comrade Davenport Replies to Griswold
| and Stoutenburg.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your
issue of May 81, l enjoyed reading the arti-
Gle of Comrade J. w. Griswold, 44th \. Y.
| He belonged to a first-class regiment; no
better in the army. l am afraid he does not
do justice to his regiment. Official report,
| Aug. 80, 1862, killed, As wounded, 18
missing; total, II, out of 1907 He does not
say whether the 100 included the two COM
panies sent out as skirmiahers. If Comrade
Griswold will look on a map or read official
reports, he will find that the Warrenton
| pike runs from Alexandria westerly, and
| takes a turn southerly at New Baltimore
to Warrenton, which is long way from the
battlefield west and south of it. He may
have mistaken it for the Sudley Springs
road which crosses the pike and runs about
north and south at that point
Now, as to the rebs shooting so many of
us i'll the back, etc, that is rather exag-
| gerated settlement. Some, to be sure fell
out before they should have done. 1t is al
ways the case in tight place. 1t was so
with the 44th as l see by their Colonel's re-
port. Bayonets only will keep such men in.
| am ready to swear before Justice that the
below-named of the company that the writer
belonged to were hit facing the enemy, and
in and near the front line. As l had all l
could do trying to stop the rebs. cannot
| give the names OF others whom l was cogniz-
| ant of being hit at this time, and all our
| companies suffered equally, as can be in
| ferred III my narrative on Second Manassas.
If we had not had the battery to save, we
could have left earlier and saved great loss.
! OF course, when we did leave we went off as
all others do in such circumstances Here
they are: Patterson, Nick Rogers, two
others (brotheTs) named Rogers, Byrnes,
Shepard, Serg't Phil Wilson. The above
left on the field disabled Gillen, Coles,
Giltere, Tom Brscoe, Bob Amos, Boyle,
! Charlie Taylor, Geo. Taylor, Pat Brady,
Ed. Hoffman, Baldwin Van BenschOten,
Lieut.. Martin, and Cathey. Total, killed,
| 10 wounded, in one company, as we stood i'll
line facing The enemy, that / saw shot
! down or leave wounded ; and all the COM
panies were being treated the same. In my
| company the names are here before me taken
| from the muster-rolls. OF Ii killed or died
of wounds and 20 wounded, out OF less than
! 80, ali but two out OF the 20 received dis
charges from the hospitals.
Now comrades, don't think that this is q
| very bad showing even if few Of them did
run the gauntlet TO escape being taken pris-
oners, and run the risk of being shot on The
wing, in the head. in the back, or all over.
1t required discipline and spunk to stand
and lose men in line as above noted especi-
ally after the 10Th broke through US, and no
support whatever Comrade Griswold's
| story shows that fact.
Comrade GrswOld, when you came ont in
the rear of the ZOuaves, why did you keep
on sprinting? Why didn't you tarry with
us? But forgive you, as a few minutes
after l was sprinting too; and if you know
of any word that can express faster gait
than the above why, Just put it down. !
| know for a surety that | was Just trying my
best to reach the " home plate" and if you
beat me, l can't help it. like to hear fl ON
comrades like you, even if in fun, for you
! know what you are talking about; and old
| 44th n. Y, rs well as old Al Engine olive
| Oal) of New York always could take care of
| themselves, wherever they might be. Shake,
comrade, and if we ever meet, we will adj
| journ, and crook elbows for once, anyhow,
for old times sake.
| C0mrade StOutenburg. 101st Y. Y, in
issue OF May "a, taxes me for dim memory,
aud seemingly puts me in a false light by
criticisng me for what | did not say.
| On figures and statistics l go by original
entries, not by memory. In the first place,
he certainly ought to know in what battle
! bis regiments loss occurred, and from which
| he gives his statistics. He says:
| SAT Manassas. the same battle as the 9Th
N. Y, the l0lst n. Y. lost 73.S per cent"
Col. Gessner's report gives the account of
| the battle of GrOvetOn, Aug. %. On Aug.
| 80 they were not engaged. On Aug. 80 the
| 5ih were at least three or four miles from
| the battle, and were engaged at second Ma
nassas, Aug 30. 1t appears from official
reports that the 101st n. Y. are credited
with being present at II engagements.
(l-sII i. Il y
for entire term OF service were: Deaths by
gunshOt, %; viz, Oak Grove, June 25, 1862,
Z; Groveton, Aug. 80, 18; fredericksburg
Dec. Ills, 1. The above is from Capt.
Pnsterer's exhaustive work of statistics-
New York in the War of The Rebellion -
and official records, War Department; they
both agree.
G. ]. FIX has in some way made an error
| in placing the entire loss by bullet of the
| full service of the 10lst n. Y to the credit
of Manassas, as above, &c, with percentage
OF about 159. They had 1853 men; but as
it wis only 49, the percentage is about 104.
| l stated in my article of May 10, on the
! 5th n. Y. at second Bull Run: "This loss of
| life (119) stands on record as the greatest
| loss in life that occurred in any one regi-
! ment of infantry or cavalry in any one en-
gagement OF the war" / will not retract
| Capt Phisterer's work states the same, Col
Fox's III; and the former increases the
entire loss of the regiment in deaths two
! more than the latter
| Comrade StOutenburg, in issue of May "a
| makes me say:
. But when he asserts that their loss at
Manassas was the greatest of any regiment
of infantry or cavalry in any one engage
ment during the war, L must say that time
| has dimmed his recollection"
| If he reads again he will see I said Gloss
of life" which was, 5th N. Y. 119, out of
400; 101st N. Y, Is, out of 16S. Percent
age, 5th N. Y, 2449; 101st N. Y, 1917
Loss, killed, wounded, and missing, 5th
N. Z, 302-61,63 101st N. Y, 124-73S.
As far as | am concerned, earnestly
desire to state facts only won't steal any
body's thunder, and always willing to give
| credit where credit is due.-SERG'T ALFRED
| DAVENPORT, 2lS West Thirty eighth street,
New York City.