The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-07-26
LOVEJOY STATION.
9hinks Minty Does Long an Injustice.

3hinks Minty Does Long an Injustice.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Gen.
Minty's account of Kilpatrick's Raid has
tempted me to speak. think the General has
unintentionally done Col. Long an injustice.
He claims absolute correctness in the article
above referred to in THE NATIONAL TRIB-
UNE Here are his words: " The history of
the Fitzpatrick Raid, as written by me and
published in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE Of
July 10, 1890, is positive and absolutely
correct" Now, the General is not positively
and absolutely correct in his statement Of
the charge Of the Second Brigade, as l will
try to show. His language in this article is:
"My Second (the Ohio) Brigade, instead of
following with regimental front, az ordered
broke into columns of regiments and fol-
lowed the three charging regiments" In
his article of July 10, 1890, he says that
Col. Long, instead of following the First
Brigade in the formation ordered, and sweep
ing up what we broke through broke into
columns of tours and followed the charging
regiments. If he had obeyed orders, there
was no earthly reason why we should not
have taken several thousand prisoners"
Had Long been living / think he never
would have let that statement gone unchal-
lenged. Now, we did not break in columns
of tours nor into columns of regiments. We
were formed in columns of fours in parallel
lines as regiments, and charged as we were
formed. am writing just what i saw. l
was Second Sergeant of Co. G of the 4th
Ohio, of Longs Brigade and had been con-
stantly with the regiment for nearly three
years.
In our regimental formation Co. F was at
the head of the regiment and Co. G came
next. Just prior to this we were down in
the corntield in the front, dismounted, sup
porting the battery near the gunthat was
disabled that Gen. Minty speaks Of
Gen. Fitzpatrick rode up in rear of the
regiment and said: Boys, get to your horses
as quickly as possible" l saw and heard
him give this order. We could hear the
rebel artillery in our rear, and knew that
we were surrounded.
fastening back we were soon mounted
and moved back short distance and formed
in columns of tours facing the rebel line in
the rear. Regiment after regiment came up
and formed in the same way on the right
and on the left of US. The heads of the
regiments were on line, as far as could
tell, and all in parallel lines in columns of
tours, facing the enemy in the rear. / have
always thought that there were eight Or ten
regiments at least in that formation but
there may have been but six-the Second
Division. This was all in plain view, and
under the direction of Gen. Fitzpatrick.
When this formation was complete Kill
patrick, standing with his bugler where /
could both see and hear him, cried, "Draw
saber!" Then his bugler at his command
blew the charge, and every man yelled,
leaned forward, put spurs and charged It
was grand and imposing sight. About
1000 men, as thought, hurled headlong at
that rebel line There was no breaking in
tours or into columns of regiments; but all
started on a charge from the formation
stated.
Now, if Fitzpatrick had desired our bril-
gade to take any other form, he certainly
would have had us do it. He stood within
hundred yards or so of us. We had been
formed under his eye, and charged as he
gave command.
If Gen. Minty and his brigade were ahead
of that charging column, l would like to
know where they were. There were no
troops between us and the rebel line at the
edge of the woods. Then that rebel battery
continued to fire till we were nearly to it.
] saw the smoke of the last gun when we
were but short distance from it, / think
some regiment on our left passed through
the battery just at that moment-the 4th
u. S., presume. My regiment passed just
to the right of the battery, and as / entered
the woods rebel not 10 steps away shot
my horse through the neck.
AS entered the woods l cast my eye back
to the left and saw Fitzpatrick dash up to
one Of the captured cannon, wave his sword,
and yell at the top of his voice.
If Gen. Minty gave Col. Long orders to
charge with regimental front, think Gen.
Fitzpatrick determined otherwise, for he was
right there and did the commanding him
self. We could not have taken regimental
front when the charge was ordered, for the
regiments were too close together Gen.
Minty gives the impression that his brigade
was ahead and cleared the way, and the rest
followed. Now, the reason the 4th u. S.
struck that battery few moments before the
4th Ohio, was because they were on the road
and we were in the rough field just to the
right of the road. / think we all started at
the same time, had an even start, and got
there as quickly as we could.-T. G. WAKE
FIELD, Sergeant, Co. G, 4th Ohio Cav, New
ark, ..