The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-05-09
THE GUNS ATGAINES'S MILL
Comrade Davenport Argues as to Their
Fate.

| Comrade Davenport Argues as to Their
Fate.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reply
to w. +. Wieland in your issue of April 1S,
cannon at Gainess Mill" he persists in
trying TO argue that two guns of Edwards's
battery, to which he belonged, were not
eventually taken and retained by the enemy.
/ have no particular interest in the mat
ter, and only desire 10 state the facts as /
understand them. He may think i am an
ass TO doubt his uncorroborated word, but l
must say that, with my little common sense
and dumb understanding after reading the
reports" which would take up too much
space to insert herein, found in Series ], Vol.
III, Part 2, Official Records, can only say,
however much / desire he should have his
own way, that the section two Parrotts) of
l.. and NJ, Sd u. s., were captured by the
Goth n. c., and held for about five minutes;
retaken by the 10th n. Y, but soon after
obliged TO be left in the hands of and re-
tanned by the 9Th Va. in the last final onset
of the enemy at dusk.
If the following brief extracts from re-
ports wrong l admit am wrong. Col
w. S. H. Baylor, 9Th Va, p. 597, says:
The whole line in the last and
successful charge obliqued to the right, and
the right of my regiment swept the road, in
which il captured two Parrots pieces in bat
| terry, which, from their heated condition,
evidently had been used very freely and
with terrible effect upon our forces. The
enemy bad used every charge but two, one
of which was found in the lin ber-box, the
other reversed in one of the guns.
Il reported these facts to Gen. Winder.
My men got but little repose, as we had
every reason to believe that the enemy in
ii al.
found several wounded North Carolinians
near the top of the hill, from which / in
ferred that the hill had been in our posses
sion and retaken by the enemy prior to our
coming forward. / afternard ascertained
that my inference was correct" THE above
is dated July 8, 1862, II days after the bat
tle.)
Gen. c. S. Winder, p. 500, says:
Col. Baylor and his regiment
were subjected TO heavy fire of artillery
and infantry, but held the regiment well in
hand, moving up in gallant style. Though
he lost heavily he held the extreme left and
delivered TO me two Parrot guns, part of
the fruits of his victory" (The
above is also dated July 0, 1862
/ think have said enough before on this
subject, and all interested, no doubt, have
digested it, but willingly submit the evil
dence before the jury-our comrades-and
leave it to them to render their verdict as
to whether on one mans statement they be-
lieve the two guns did not eventually fall
into the hands OF the enemy, when srch Off
GERS as Capt. Edwards, commanding the
battery in which Comrade Wieland served,
and Gen. Sykes, commander of the Division
of Regulars in which the battery fought,
state, in writing their official reports, that
t1a fxro Iott
use his own words They fell trophy to
the foe"
On the Confederate side, Gems. Jackson
ID. III. Hill, j. Garland, jr., c. S. Winder, and
Baylor, 9Th Va, all say the guns were capt
ured. / don't think all of these officers falsi-
fed their reports; especially as they were
written after they had full time to know all
the truth. There is no remark or note OF any
kind in the reports on the Union side that
these guns were brought off, and Capt Ed
wards's report of his battery is very full and
explicit, and after such a brave fight, if such
had been the case, he would certainly only
have been too glad TO note it
As to Comrade Wieland's statement in
issue of Dec. 90 1894, that James Candy
charged through the mass of North CAROLYN
ians. who gave way, thinking, no doubt
that he was one of their men hauling off
captured gun, and with his two horses linn
bered it up (this, as i read it, was brass
Confederate piece, and returned, charging
through the same infantry, / must say it
could not have been done on the bloody
line where the two guns were lost, and agree
with C. S. Yaroger, Co. III, 4th Mich, who
said, in your paper he could not help
passing judgment on the truth of this
story"
This charge of one man with TIVE horses
may have taken place, but when / read of
it / could not help thinking of the cele-
brated charge of Don Quixote on his steed
Rozinante against the windmills, only the
latter did not fare as well as CAVITY appears
to have done, for "the sail hurled away,
both knight and horse along with it."-A.
DAVENPORT, 9th N. Y, New York City.