The National tribune., 1895-02-28
Comrade Boring Made Some Mistakes in
Correcting Comrade bradford.

COmrade Boring Made some Nffstakes Al
Correcting Comrade Bradford.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Permit me
to notice briefly the article of Comrade
Boring, published June Z. He starts out to
ridicule my reply to his statements in
From Cairo to Donelson." As he has
neither argument nor facts to present, he
charges me with dishonoring the entire list
of field and line officers of the 30th H.,
simply because / gave plain statement OF
facts in regard to the way the regiment was
permitted to leave the line on Saturday
morning at Fort Donelson the men allowed
10 scatter and go pellmel to the rear, and
finally to assemble of their own accord at
temporary camp fully two miles from
where they had been engaged.
/ do not propose to falsify history TO
shield the officers of my own regiment or
any other organization. If Comrade Boring,
or any one else. can produce any proof that
my article was not true, would be much
pleased to have him do so. After much ado
about nothing he goes on to say that was
discharged after service Of four years, with
only the rank of Duty Sergeant. Very we'll.
1t took much better soldier to obtain that
rank in Co. A, and hold it, than it did to be
Colonel in some regiments. The fact that
was first made Sergeant by vote OF my
company, and also the fact that from the
time was first appointed Corporal until
mustered out, there never was man pro-
NOTED over me, is record that no soldier
need be ashamed of, and especially when
associated with such men as Go. A was COM
posed Of. The company could have fur
nish,d half-a-dozen Brigadiers, superior in
every soldierly quality TO the one furnished
by The regiment, and then have had plenty
of material left for few Captains, Majors,
and Colonies.
/ believe | saw an article some time ago
wherein the writer stated that Col. Dennis,
Both H., won his star at Brittons Lane,
Tenn, fighting a disorganized mob of riffraff,
or, to use the writer's own language:
" A body of toughs hastily raised among
the old men and boys of the surrounding
country for the special purpose of capturing
the camp at Hatchie"
The cOmrade charges me with misquot-
ing his article, but such is not the case.
The words lone regiment were typo
graphical error, and should have read, our
regiment. But / cannot see that that small
error destroys any part of my article, as it
would certainly have been much more sensi-
BILE for the Commodore to have chosen a
transport with only one regiment on beard
than any more, if he did as the comrade
claims he did.
The idea of Commodore Foote leaving his
ironclad and taking transport loaded from
gunwales to piIot-house with men, mules,
and munitions of war, and going forward to
draw the fire of the fort! If C0mrade B0r-
ing ever finds anyone who believes that l
want TO see him, as he would be a greater
<1a
plant ever was.
Now, comrade, put on your glasses, and
read my article carefully, and see if you can
find where say anything about landing or
camping nine miles below Fort Henry.
am glad you have found one comrade who
stampeded with you the first night at Fort
Donelson; because misery loves company.
You undertake to correct me in regard to
the blue banner Tor State flag) of the 1si h
H.. but you will find that / am correct on
that point Yon only make q mistake two
years and half long in regard to the flags
presented to our regiment by the ladies of
Springfield, III.
Comrade Boring says he knows more
about the officers Of my own company than
! do. He understood that Lieut.. Kirk
patrick was the Adiutant Of the regiment,
and never did belong to Co. A, etc. i was
Just as well aware when j wrote my former
article that Lieut.. Kirkpatrick had been
Acting Adjutant since the promotion OF
Adi't Bacon as anyone, but also knew that
he had been with the company since our
lines of investment had been formed. He
was not the Adjutant, neither did Co. A
furnish an Adjurant in the person of Lieut.
Peak. After Adit Payton was wounded at
Champion Hills May Is, Lieut. d. W. Poak,
OF Co. A, was Acting Adjutant most of the
tine until the Fall of 1864 but was never
appointed. The only men who held commits
slons as Adjutant of the Both Ill. were Geo.
A. Bacon, Hiram III. Payton, and Julius
Alvord.
Comrade Boring says he saw the body of
Lieut. Kirkpatrick, bnt not with the dead
of Co. A. Possibly he saw the body after it
was picked up for burial, but know to a
certainty that he did not see the body from
the time he fell until after the surrender.
He was killed at the head of the COM
pany; fell forward on his face, and having a
rubber blanket around his shoulders,
could not tell who it was after the company
swung back into the old road, although the
body was only few steps in front of me-
j. III. BRADFORD, Co. A, Both Ill, Belize
vile, Kan.
POPLAR SPRING CHURCH.