The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-02-21
vort On The a,s. If March had some bear.

work on the 31st of March had some bear
ing on the events Of the next few days
Now began that long hard chase to head
off Lee before he could gain Lynchburg or
unite with Johnston which we all thought
was bis object On the I'd or Sd of April we
drew one and half days rations, which was
all the regu ar ration we drew till alter the
surrender. We managed to make our coffee
hold out pretty well, and we drew some
rations of fresh beef that were driven along
with the army. So you can imagine what
kind of meat it was, so stringy and lean
that only the pangs of hunger induced us
to eat il. comrade and / managed TO
forage about pint of cornmeal and made
little cake OF it on the last day OF our march.
colored soldier came along and offered
us SO bill for piece of 1t; there were
not bills enough in that country 10 buy 1t.
] mention this to show TO what straits our
larder was reduced at this time.
On the 9Th of April we realized that we
were closing in on Lee pretty fast. On that
day We marched till near midnight. Some
of the boys claimed we marched near 80
miles that day. On the morning of the 9Th
we heard that the Oath Corps had come mp,
and soon we saw some of the coored troops
of that command. The morning when we
renewed our VIC lSIb iihC 90 "A W.
was gwine TO have storm"
We had not been more than couple OF
hours on the road when heavy firing was
heard in front. We were hastily formed in
line, and, if 1 recollect Alright. in doing SO
we cut off n column of the Twenty -fourth
Corps which was advancing. The firing
soon ceased and we stood there waiting.
Very soon we saw Gregory's Brigade as
semble en- masse, and some of us went over
to see what was up. Gen. Gregory was tell
ing his men that flag of truce had come IN
from Gen. Lee, proposing to surrender, and
then added: Now, men, let us return
thanks to Almighty God" and right then
and there the Chaplain returned thanks for
our great victory. That night was on picket
where one road joined another main road,
and right opposite this junction was an old
deserted building like tobacco-drying place,
and here was our post. In trout OF 1T we
dug foot OF two in the ground TO get some
roots of an apple-tree, which rumor said
that day was where Grant and Lee met.
AND now, after this narration of events,
can you blame any member of the tlith
Corps for thinking that he was there as
promptly as any other, and the First Divi-
sion staid there and received the surrender?
During the armistlce many OF the rebels
came over to our camp, and / recollect one
of them saying that it looked like they
could not get away from that red Maltese
cross. They gave us credit for being there
ana stopping them. Our commander, the
chvalrous Warren, was uniustly put under
cloud during this campaign, but his men,
true to HIM and themselves, followed Gen.
Griffin with that loyalty and devotion which
won for them the approval of Gen. War
rem, which he bestowed on the boys when
he reviewed us at Petersburg on our return
from Appomattox.
Without disparagement to any other COM
mand, think for sleepiess vigilance on the
part of both commanders and men during
this campaign, the F fth Corps need take
second place TO none.-THos. MOORE, Co.
E, Dist Pa, 37i6 Rutger street, st. Louis,
Mo.