The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-03-19
THE "swAMP ANGEL"
To Andrew Wadleigh, n New Hamsphire
Comrade, Much Credit is Due for Its

To Andrew Wadleigh, n New Hamsphire
Comrade, Much Credit is Due for Its
Mounting.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: read in
your issue of Feb Is, over the signature of
L. c. Tarr, of the 9th Me-, story of the
mounting of the Swamp Angel" near
Charleston. ] have seen several articles on
that subject. All of them fail to give any
credit to Andrew J. Wadegh, at that time
ine-oficer in New Hampshire regiment.
When we landed on Hilton Head, after the
reduction of the forts by the navy, the IN
land approach had no Notifications, aud in
order to facilitate work on a line of works
about three miles long, detail of 100 car
pesliers was made. This detail was divided
into II squads, and foreman selected for
each. Perhaps T. c. Tarr may remember
sHall-sized private who had charge of the
erection of two-story block-house down in
the woods near the left of the line of works
Col. Serreil used to call me "Cerprel"
Andrew j. Wadleigh was also one of these
foremen, at that time Sergeant He had
seen five years service in the navy, and been
drilled to mount and dismount heavy guns;
that part of the work fell to him, and he also
did much other work.
While the seven days 6ght before Rich
mond was going on, demonstration was
made against Charleston for the purpose of
keeping the CoDfederates there from REIN
forcing those at Richmond. Gen. Stevens,
then In command of our right wing, wanted
to mount siege-gun in one of his batteries,
and having In his command the LIST n. Y.
Eng, naturally called on them.
his was good regiment, but none of the
officers or men knew anything about siege
guns and they utterly failed did net, of
course, know how TO mount the gun, nor even
how to build suitable platform. Finally,
after complete failure on the part of the
engineers, Gen. Stevens asked Capt. Brooks,
OF Go. A, Eng, if there could not be some
body found in the whole expedition capable
OF mounting a siege-gun?
Capt. Brooks replied that there was a
squad of men somewhere on the island that
understood all this kind of work, but he had
lost track Of them. Gen. Stevens at once
directed him to get on his horse and ride
until he found them. The Captain rode
from morning till three o'clock, and found |
US with the right wing of the army.
About o'clock next morning our siege |
gun opened fire on the enemy This was |
due to Wadleigh's energy and the fact that |
our squad, now reduced to five, were all in |
practice, each when his own work gave out |
helping the others
When Gen. Gilmore wanted the "Swamp |
Angel" according 10 my information) they |
bad The same experience; and / presume
Capt Brooks, who had been instrumental in
getting Wadleigh promoted, knew that he
was in that army, and, as a last resort, he
was sent for. 1t was through his pluck,
energy, and fertility of resource that the
swamp Angel was moved across mud 10
eet deep, and j presume T. c. Tarr knows
now soft.
As to Andrew j. Wadleigh, he hailed
rom Wolfboro, n. II. / have received two
'r three letters from him since the war, bat
rave heard nothing of him for about %
NJ. HoUGHToN, So East Brook
ide street, Knoxville, Tenn.