The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-12-13
MADE 1T VERY CLEAR.
About That Fatal Gap at Poplar Spring
Church.

Church.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIPrNE: i desire to
return thanks to the comrade of the 4Sh
Pa. for his testimony on the subject of Pop
| lar Spring Church. He speaks as one hav-
ing authority when be SAYS: : The Second
Division, while forming for The charge, were
informed that the First Division were to be
its support"
THIS is something unusual for n command
| TO be informed " hat troors were TO support
them, as i! is not customary for the COM
manding officer to send ont such intelli-
gence 10 the men under his command. Per
maps tine right general guide " was in a
position TO know all the facts in the case
he might have been very good right guide
for his regiment, but a very poor Cen
eral il he intlmates hat the First Division
was to be placed upon the rght-hank TO fill
the fatal gap between the Fifth Corps and
the Second Division, which he says was
the true cause OF he failure to carry the
works in our front"
think The comrade was mistaken con-
cernIng the intention OF the Corps COM
mander about the First Division, as he only
portion of that division which WAS held IN
reserve WIS the Third Brigade, while the
| First and Second Brigades, | believe, were
! posted on the I6lI laDk Oh tie ISttbDh III
vision. and not on the right where the fatal
| gap" was found by the enemy, which was SO
large that whole division of A. T. HllFs
Corps was able to form on the right of the
Second Division without being discovered
by the lynx-eyed guide of the 4Sth Pa. /
have learned more from him about the bat
tie of Poplar Spring Church than anyone
that / have heard from on the subject, for
the whole question was so mudded that
nothing but his testimony could have given
US a knowledge OF the important service
rendered 10y the Third Brigade by the cen
ter charge made by them on that occasion.
Little did we dream that whole division OF
rebels were in our front. which had swept
everything before it except the square of the
18th Pa. | learn much from the columns
of Fighting Them Over"
What concerns me most, for the sake of
history, is to ascertain who WAS responsible
for that fatal gap" surely, the blame must
rest upon the Division commander, who,
finding his flank exposed, should have
sought TO form connection with the Fifth
Corps on his right, by n skirmish-line, at
least, which could have picketed the in
ieryal, and thus have prevented the rebels
from moving through the gap nnmolesl ed
and surprising he Second Division, causing
the rout and defeat OF that command. am
afraid, upon investigation, that it was but
the repetition of Gen. Potter's failure to con-
meet with Gen. Hancock ut Spottsylvania
whom he was ordered TO support.
When the latter assaulted the works of
the Bloody Angle" the Sd Md. was sent TO
Till that gap, which wonld have been even
more fatal than that at Poplar Spring
Church.
] desire TO correct n statement of the COM
rade, whoquoics me as follows: He says that
they were one-haif mile to the rear" sup
pose he knows the meaning of quotation
marks, and ii he will refer to my article will
find that quoted Cumraie Merrill, of the
3lst Me-, " no admitted that they retired 10
the battery about half mile iii the rear. F"
As 10 the position of the Third Brigade,
we were close enough TO meet The enemy in
his victorious career, and the corps COM
mander thought enough of its service to
recommend Col. Mclaughlin for Brevet
Brigadier- General. The Third Brigade was
in The place to do the most good, from its
position in the rear of the Second Division.
No old soldier ever saw reserve force
posted on the flank, as the comrade seems
TO intimate was the place for rs.
The comTade says, OF the Sd Md. have
UO anu SStIDS 10 hive forgotten
that the Cd Nd belonged to the Second Di-
vision, he has not included that regiment
in his list. / suppose he thought they were
not worth mentioning, although Gen. Potter |
told us May II that he sent for us flo take |
the place OF the I'd Nd, which was then on |
veteran furloueb.
will say that the Sd Nd. did not join the |
Ninth Corps until April, 1864. and was |
placed in the Second Brigade, First Division, |
which consisted OF the DIST Mass, Tooth Pa. |
{" Roundheads J, and tie 3 1 Nd, and partici- |
pated in the battle of the Wilderness, under |
Col Leasure, and as the comrade says, had |
followed Stevenson to his death al Spottsyl |
vania"; for Gen. Stevenson was killed by |
in rear Of our brigade. We |
held line of works on the Fredericksburg |
road.
j suppose are the "green troops of the |
First Division which the comrade speaks |
Of at Poplar Spring Church, whom they
thought were firing into them from the rear
when 1he rebels surprised them. i Judge |
that was the motive in naming all the regi-
ments of the First Division, who had what |
the Cannoneer has styled butcher bill"
of large proporti' n, such as Col. Fox has
as the " fighting 300 regiments"
of the late war; but 10 relieve that impress
sion would say that the Sd Md. had seen
service in the Twelfth Corps including
Cedar Mountain, Antietam. Charlottesville
and Gettysburg. They went West with Cen
Hooker to the relief Of the Army of the
and after the battle Of Chatta-
nooga they re-enlisted rs veterans and went
home on lurlough, leaving battalion of $50
men in the Twelfth Corps, which marched
with Hooker TO Atlanta, where they were
out, while the veterans Joined the
Ninth Corps, thus having the unique dis
tinction of serving under Gems. Giant ard
Sherman at the same time.-L. f. CARTER,
81 Nd, Dorsey's, Md.