The National tribune., 1896-10-01
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.
On Land and Water.

r. B. Fish, Rolfe, Iowa, wishes some GOOD
soldier writer would give us the history OF
the Army of the James from May, 1854,
until the evacuation Of Richmond. tie
should also give the navy credit for ITS
services while helping to hold the ground
which was first taken by the navy.
If / remember" he says, neither army
or navy had any soft snap while under the
continued FIRE of the Hewlett House battery,
Fort Darling, and Fort Harrison until those
works were captured. / served on the gum
boat Mendoza, in this internal river, from
May, 1864, until April, 1865, during which
time no mans head was safe.
81 was one of the boats crew who volun-
teered to take torpedoes and guns through
the Dutch Gap Canal and sink them, in
order to blow up the rebel rams, which by
MAMIE were the Richmond, Eugenia. and
Fredericksburg; this scheme proving .
failure, as they came down next day and
picked them up.
while sinking these tOrpedOes we could
plainly hear their pickets talking, but not
shot was fred at US, and after our work was
done we returned safely to our ship; the
crew of the Mendoza expecting next day to
see one or all of those monsters fly to pieces
ing the air, but we were disappointed.
SHOULD any of the crew of the Mendoza
read this article, would like to have them
write me-"
Fighting at Bentonville.
C.B. Warfeld, Co. Ell, 121st Ohio, Harman's,
Nd, writes: Il saw in your issue Of Sept IL
letter from r. King, who claimed to be an
ex-member of Battery G, 1st Ohio L. A.
Speaking of his battery rushing to the front
and meeting the flying infantry of the Four
teenth Corps, want to say was member
of the 121st Ohio, Second Brigade, Second
Division, Fourteenth Corps, and on the day
mentioned was on the extreme left of the
Corps, with 1881 Ohio next, and 106th next
to them.
"At the beginning of the battle we CUP
posed the Twentieth Corps joined us on the
left, and were instructed not to fire in that
direction, even after some of our men had
been killed from that flank. To our great
surprise the rebs had passed around our left
without any opposition, and we were ordered
to change front, facing toward the left
flank. Still the rebs were on our left
flank, and we laced to the rear. The 121st.
1881, and 108th Ohio became detached from
the rest of the line, and fought backward
and forward over the same ground several
times. We used their ammunition and they
used ours. Once we charged without any
see Twentieth Corps man during the bat
tie, nor heard even one. only write this
to show you that the Fourteenth Corps
was not where the Twentieth Corps REIN
forced, supported, nor in anyway formed a
part of its line. We were the extreme left
of the Fourteenth Corps, and no other troops
joined our left. although we were instructed
that we joined the right of the Twentieth
Corps.
He Was There.
W. B. Chambers, Co. E, 18th Kan, Fair
bury, Neb., refers to the article in recent
| issue by Comrade Pomeroy of the expedition
| under Ma.-Gen. A. j. Smith against Con-
| federate Gen. Forrest: / take pleasure in
reading these accounts, and / would be
| pleased to have the comrade write the par
| ticulars of the time of the ambush that he
| speaks of under Col Lee, as our company
+! Co. E--was the first to open fire, and the first
shot fired was by Johnny Woods, who was
(! at my side just to my right. I want to
mention one fact in reference to this fight
| for the comrades benefit. This ambush, as
he terms it, was as much of surprise to us
as it was to Jackson's cavalry. We were
| making counter-march, which threw our
company in the advance, in order to get
back to the main Holly Springs road. We
suddenly came upon column of Confed-
crates marching by tours, and we got the
drop on them with our Sharps repeating
rifles"
Scattering.
Two comrades, with coed business ability,
can obtain travelling positions, at good
salary, by addressing Col. J. G. 0. Reding-
ton, Syracuse, N. Y.
Luman L. CALDWELL, DEBORAH, Iowa, lost q
Congressional medal of honor at st. Paul re-
Gently 1t has ON it his name, the date Of
the battle of Bayou Alabama, La, Sept "a
1864.
Col J. Fl. Horton, of Buffalo, N. Y, has
in his possession the enlistment papers and
permission OF his mother sanctioning his en-
listment in the Union army of George H.
Hiltz, Of the 152d N. Y.