davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
BATTLE OF THE CRATER.
Capt. sowles Replies TO comrads Wilson'S
Criticism.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE. In your
issue Of Sept .2s, Comrade Clarepce Wilson,
"a Pa. Prov. r. A., Los Gatos, Colo, takes
me to task for saying that the troops who
wore massed for the charge at the Crater
battle, July 30, 1854, "were ordered to lie
down; wearied and worn with hard duty,
most of them went to Sleep" Comrade
Wilson also says: 81 also deny that there
was Is minutes delay after the explosion" !"
l wish to say right here that for seven
months | was a prisoner and IN the same
mess with five officers. OF Comrade Wilson's
regiment, and it was from them that lrSt
heard the story of the first charge.
Comrade Wilson then quotes from Maj
civilian II. Marshall" Maj. William H.
Powell is the man you mean, comrade, and
you didn't quote him correctly, either; for
you say, speaking of the explosion and the
falling debris: "This caused the members Of
the regiments to back into one another and
some confusion occurred, and about 10
minutes were consumed reforming for the
attack" Now look on page sol, Vol. w.,
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, and
you will see what Maj. Powell really did
| write; viz, so close were the Union lines
that the mass appeared as if it would de-
scend Immediately upon the troops waiting
to make the charge. This caused them to
minutes We're consumed in reforming for
the attack" about 10 minutes" Is not
very far from 10 minutes.
Now, Comrade Wilson, turn over to page
| SCI, same volume, and read, 'ln the Crater,
| by Brevet Mai Charles H. Houghton, 14th
| n. Y. III. A, the regiment that was massed
directly behind you. He says: while
waiting quietly and anxiously for the ex,
plosion, men had been allowed to lie down
The National tribune., 1899-10-26

worked out of the ground by the constant
travel of teams hauling supplies from
Yazoo River across this battle-ground
To Grants army besieging Vicksburg.
In returning from the field spoken of l
recrossed the bridge, and followed the
road across the battlefield. This gave
me good view of the ground over which
Blair's Brigade passed in the charge OF
Dec. 20.
Before going over the battlefield at this
time | thought perhaps l might have ex-
aggerated things, on account Of the eX-
citement Of the battle, in my diary notes.
from which the events of the field as given
in this narrative were written. But /
found the notes in the main correct. The
distance from our starting-point in the
charge to the enemy's guns did not seem
so far as / thought it TO be at that time.
AS 10 the course of Chickasaw Bayou, ]
think most of US were entirely mistaken.
Instead of the bayou before us Sunday
evening and Monday morning being
Chickasaw Bayou, it was one similar to
those We had passed the day before. Ii
ended abruptly near the edge of Chicka-
saw Bayou, and Chickasaw Bayou opened
out just at our left, losing its formation
In swamp that extended across TO the field
In front of the enemys guns.
This place where the bayou opens out
Into swamp Sherman calls the head Of
Chickasaw Bayou; but moro properly
speaking it is the mouth Of the bayou. and
The National tribune., 1899-10-26

| was partly filled with water, which had
softcned the ealluviai deposit at the bottom,
making it a mirc-hole, through which
Blair's Brigade floundercd.
When the signal was given for the charge
| to commence, both b-igades started, having
about the same distance to go to reach the
enemy's lines. During the time unayoid-
ably consumed by De Courcey's Brigade in
getting across the first bayou, Blair's had
| crossed the swamp, and, while our brigade
was working its way through tho fallen
timber, Blair's was in the field being
crushed by the concentrated fire of nearly
all the enemy's guns along the hillsides.
Just as the remnant of that brigade was
leaving the field, the advance of De Cour-
cey's was entering it, The enemy turned all
their guns onto the three regiments of our
| brigade in the field, crushing them, and COM
pelling them to fall back just as they had
Blair's Brigade.
Now, two things occurred at the time to
prove this hypothesis. The first was the
fact of our meeting the remnant of the 58th
Ohio with their flag near their starting
point, although they led Blair's Brigade.
The other is that while our brigade was in
the slashing of timber they were three
times crowded up almost en- mdsse, and if the
! enemy's guns had been aimed at US they
would have slaughtered our men by the
score at such short range; az it was, few were
! hit, the only good reason that can be given,
being that they were actively engaged at
that time repeiling troops vino We're much
nearer their works.
! ,at vii, % bo
charge He therefore had TO depend upon
others for his knowledge of it, which at the
first was about correct, and from which he
made ont his report to the War Department.
After he had sent his report to Washington
he heard a different report Of the assault
which caused him to change his mind with
regard to Morgan and DcCourccy's Brigade
BLAIR'S ADVANCE.
Frank Blair was personal friend of Sher
man, in whose word he would naturally
place confidence. In the charge, when
Blair got across the swamp into the field
he saw nothing of Dc Courcey's men, who
Were TO have been supporting him on his
right. His brigade swept across the field
his advance, getting almost 10 the enemy'i
guns, was cut 10 pieces, and fell back, ant
yet not seeing anything of DeComcey's
Brigade, and not knowing any cause fol-
delay, he would naturally conclude it had
failed purposely TO come to his support
That is one Of the things Sherman accuses
it of doing.
When Blair got back, or was coming back
to his original position, seeing troops (oul
regimenD under cover Of the bank, but no
seeing those beyond, in the field, he alsc
would naturally conclude that DeCorcey's
Brigade had stopped under cover of tht
bank and would not go farther. That alsc
is one Of the things that Gen. Sherman
accused DeComcey's Brigade of doing.
From those, or similar source, think
Sherman received his information, and IL
always believed it, and so published it il
his Memoirs.
(Tha and \
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
W. G. Miller and New Creek Station

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: | note
in your issue of last week communica,
ton from W. G.. Miller, of Marietta, O
Ia the communication he incidentally
states that he is Interested in the expert
ence Of the Union man in Richmond" es
pccially the description of the fight at New
Creek Station in August, 1864. He refers
Of course, 20 the story told in my "Rccol
lCctious of the Great Rebellion"
| am gratified 10 know that he was in
teTested in the article referred to, and
specially thank him for giving me the
name and address of the "rcd-hcaded'
Captain who led the spirited and brilliant
charge with his 300 up the rocky slope OF
| Piano Mountain on that red-hot day of
July, 1864. / have often told the story
OF the charge, and taxed my memory again
and again TO recall the name of the red
headed Captain. / have this day written
TO Capt. james l.. Simpson at Parkersburg,
w. Va, and trust Capt. Simpson has read
my rccollections in THE NATIONAL TRIB-
UNE, when | feel sure he will recall the
name appended TO this communication.
| think Brother Miller is correct in his
statement that only one of the regiments
that defended New Greek in July, 1864,
were To-day men. The regiment sta.
toned at Greenland Gap (Col. Stephenson)
was 100-days, and suppose that assumed,
enormously 1t seems, that Col. Hoy's regi.
ment at New Greek was the same. first
reached Greenland Gap, and from thence
TO New Creek, as told in my "Recollections'
I-PRoF. VIM. J. DEwS, Washington, D. c.
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
A BATTERYMAN'S RECOLLEcTEONS.
Tells OF the Red River Campaign and
Smiths Guerrillss."

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: | en-
listed at Cincinnati, o., May %, 1861; was
member of Lieut.. Dubouse's battery at
Bonneville, Osaga, Dug Springs, Wilson's
Creek, Shiloh, New Madrid Island No. 10,
Iuka, Corinth, campaigns of Vicksburg
and Meridian, and was one OF Smith s
Guerrillas" in the Red River campaign
served as a regular recruit on detached
service in Battery G at New Madrid SIEGE
and in Battery NJ, LIST Mo. l.. A, in all their
engagements, closing with the Res. River
campaign. | was the last man of the last
battery to go across that wonderful pom
toon-bridge formed by the many transports
over Atchafalaya Bayou after the battle of
Bayou de Glaze.
Our battery played no small part in cover
ing Banks's retreat from Grand Ecore
down to the end, and helped administer
aggressiVeness under the impetuous on
slaughts of fighting Joe Mower, of whom
every man in our battery had the most
intense admiration. | heartily indorse
Comrade Frank Burners assertion that too
much cannot be said i'll praise of the gal
lantry of Gen. Joe Mower, and that "Smith's s
Guerrillas" as body of troops rendered
more service, as such, than any Others
| saw Gen. Banks at Grand Ecore ride up
to Gen. a. j. Smith and taking off his hat
| thank him for saving his army in therebel
onslaught on the Nineteenth Corps at
Mansfield or Sabine Crossroads. The
rebel Gen. Green, who bravely led his men
to within so yards of the Monitors near
Shreveport and demanded their surrender
'in the name of the Confederate States of
America" lost his head, clean cut from his
shoulders by a well-directed shot from one
of our 10-pound Rodmans which we had
lashed to the hurricane deck of the trans
port Emerald. This was the last straw
with the Johnnies that day.
We lost Ia men and II horses in the %
days in which we were engaged covering
the retreat i'll our battery alone, having at
Bayou de Glaze two caissons shot to pieces,
and, running out of ammunition, were
obliged to haul our battery from the field
for the first time during the war while
under fire.
While on duty with one section of our
battery guarding a bridge over a bayou a
few miles south from Alexandria, we
entered into many humorous discussions
with the Johnny pickets just across the
narrow stream, III regard to trading coffee
for some OF Gen. Banks's collars, of which
they said they had captured wagon-load,
and to wear which they were unable to find
man in their army, on account of their
large size.
rads As fh to the 9Seson sq py9Poqrded by Com
gested the name Smiths Guerrillas," can
only answer from a very faulty memory,
which is about as follows:
Gen. A. j. Smiths idea, or at least that
Of his troops, was that Of Gen. Sherman's,
!. e., War is hell" and he proceeded in the
line OF march from landing at Atchafalaya
Banks being informed, he said that he mad
asked for a division Of soldiers and had
been sent band Of guerrillas.
Our battery boys also Witnessed the test
made by the gunboat Essex with 100
pound Parrotts on the famous ir6nclad
The National tribune., 1899-10-26

| in line. | was lying on the ground resting
| my head on my hand" etc The same
! writer continues: Our orders were to charge
Immediately after the explosion, but the
effect produced by the falling Of earth and
the fragments sent heavenward, that ap-
pearcd to be coming right down upon us,
caused the first line TO Waver and fall back,
and the situation was one TO demoraliZe
most troops. | gave the command, For
ward! but at the outset a serious difficulty
| had II be Surmounted. Our own works,
which were very high at this point, had not
been prepared for scaling. But scale them
We must, and ladders were improvised by
the men placing their bayonets between the
logs in the works and holding the other end
at their hip or shoulders, thus forming
steps over which men climbed" Here was
more delay, l think about Is minutes
would be the correct time.
Comrade Wilson also charges me with
| failing to state that the fuse went ont, caus-
ing delay of nearly two hours. OF course
l know now the cause of the delay, but
didn't know then; the story was written
| from my point Of view" at that time, not as
a treatise on the battle.
He further says: at was the white troops
| who barricaded a portion of the Crater's
walls, using dead bodies of both Union and
Confederate soldiers" So they did a
portion" Of the Crater, but it was the black
soldiers who built the big, solid breastwork
of dead across the open traverse on the
| Union right of the Crater, down which a
terrible fire was coming. and the writer of
| this article directed and helped them.
| have made the battle of the Crater a
study and all OF my statistics have been
! from the best authorities obtiinable. Many
other comrades have written me concerning
my story of this battle, as have also Con-
! feIerate soldiers VINO took part in it. But
am glad to hear from You just the same,
| COnrade Wilson, and as we both live in the
same Golden State. trust that may meet
you some day.-FREE S. BOwLEY, 2135
Howard street, San Francisco, Cal.
The National tribune., 1899-10-26

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The National tribune., 1899-10-26
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
THE 61sT ILL. AT SHILOH.


J. B. Mutton, 61st H., Carrollton, nl.,
writes: Your issue Of Sept Ia contains an
article from II. w. Holman, Co. ID, DIST
Mo, in which he names the regiments that
composed the Sixth Division, Army of
West Tennessee, commanded by Brig
Gen. B. NJ. Prentiss, at the battle Of Shi-
loh. In referring to the Second Brigade
Of said DIVISION he states that it was com
posed Of two regiments only-the 18th
Wis. and the 18th Mo. Now, while | do
not believe that Comrade Holman omitted
any regiment Intentionally, yet / desire to
call his attention to the fact that the 61st
Ill. belonged 10 that brigade, and was in
line of battle on the left of the 18th Mo.
when the battle opened, and was ono of the
very last regiments to fall back beyond our
color-line, and then only under direct order
from Gen. Prcntiss. If Comrade Holman
will take the trouble to examine the list of
killed and wounded III the 61st Ill. during
that bloody engagement, no will admit that
VIC belonged TO Prentiss's 8 (Second) Brigade "
CREDIT TO TERRY'S MEN.
Wallace Kelsey, Co. A, 18th Wis, Cottage
"a Drummer Boy and His Dog" and de-
nies that the boy drummed at Fort Fisher,
where the writer of the article says "he
drummed as never before" Sherman's
army did not get nearer Fort Fisher than
Cox's Crossroads, some 10 miles from
Goldsboro. Give Terry's colored men the
credit, says Comrade Kelsey. Henry
Monroe might have drummed at Fort
Fisher, but, if so, he was not with Gen.
Sherman.
THE LINE OF TWO RAILROADS.
f. =. Barnett, Murfreesboro, Tenn,
notes that in the issue of Aug. 81 a com
munlcation from james II. Hathaway,
entitled "43d Ohio" and says that COM
rade's map and statement as to the loca-
ton of the NJ. 81 o. Il. r. and NJ. & G.. r. r.
are different from what they are to-day.
Il spent six months in 1888 at Corinth,
Miss, and unless some mighty convulsion
OF nature has occurred, the NJ. 81 o. runs
nearly north and south and the NJ 81 c..
nearly east and west at Corinth and vi
cinity. The remains of Fort Robinett
lie northwest of Corinth in the angle formed
by the two different railroads"
SCATTERING.
A comradc, who omitted to sign his
name, of Rockford, Wash, asks for the
names Of the different corps commanders
during the civil war, when they took COM
mand, etc. This information is too vol
luminous to publish in the columns Of THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE, or embrace in a
letter, but it may be found in book entitled
when and Where We Met Each Other" I"
published by Lippincott Co., Philadelphia,
Pa.
A. Frost, r., Cortland, N. Y, would like
to know what was done with the thousands
Of Southern prisoners held by the North
during the civil war.
The best blood-giving banker Is Hoods Sarsaps,
Ialla 1t lends and gives interest, too.
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
A BATTLE In THE BAYOUS.
De Courceys Brigade at the Great Chickasaw Bluffs Conflict
By W. H. II. MONROE.

the head of it is at tho Yazoo River, where
the water, when high. flows down the
bayou and out into this swamp. The
place where De Courcey's Brigade struck
the second bayou (as we call it) and crossed
the corduroy bridge is the outlet or channel
through which the water Of the swamp
flows, or in all probability a part of the old
rivcr-bcd of the Yazoo, which formerly
flowed along the foot Of Chickasaw Bluffs.
emptying into the Mississippi near Vicks-
burg.
With the above explanations perhaps
the reader can form better idea of tho lay
of tho land and distractions on the limo Of
Blair's charge, which was from the mouth
of Chickasaw Bayou along the edge of and
across the point of the swampy ground.
This was nearly dry when l was there in
June, but studded hero and there with stubs,
stumps, clumps of swamp-bushes, and now
and then tree-top. But l saw no OBJ
struction which would necessitate changing
the formation Of the charging column to a
flank movement to get by the obstruction,
then back again into column of divisions,
as twice occurred with De Courcey's Bri-
gade. At the time of the assault the swamp
The National tribune., 1899-10-26

give the signal for the assault; that we will
lose 5000 men in taking Vicksburg, and
may as well lose them now
To which Morgan replied: 1--WE will lose
the men, but from this position will not take
Vicksburg." Nevertheless there was but
one thing to do, obey orders.
1t is also equally impossible to harmonic
Sherman's statement in his Memoirs that
De Courcey's Brigade took to cover behind
the bank, and could not be moved forward,
with the actual facts as witnessed by
hundreds Of our regiment and participated
in by nearly 1000 men of that brigade,
who entered that field, fought, and many
of whom fell dying within so to 100 PAGES
of the enemys guns. How did it occur
that De Courcey lostm men in the assault
than Blair (whose loss he places at 500,
If De Courcey's men hid under the bank
and refused to go forward, as Sherman ac.
cused them of doing?
GOING OVER THE FIELD.
Not willing to attribute to Gen. Sher-
man willful falsehood, after much study
over the matter give this solution as the
most reasonable from the circumstances
involved in the case. In June of '63, after
all the country about Vicksburg had come
into possession of the Union army,l Went
over that portion Of the battlefield along
Chickasaw Bayou, following the course
taken by De Courcey's Brigade and our regi.
ment over the battle-ground of Saturdays
and Sundays fighting and Mondays
charge, crossing the bayous through the
fallen timber and into the field. Our earth
works were partly green with grass and
weeds. The strip of woods had beer
cut down. Through the fallen timber be
tween the bayous the high waters of Sprine
had washed, mixing mud, leaves, and chips
together, and in the field one could almos
walk on cannon-balls, pieces of shells
and other fragments OF iron that had beer
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
afoRGAN's UNDERSTANDING.

That your numerous readers, especially
those who have and those who will read
Gen. Shermans Memoirs, may understand
Morgan's views that morning previous tc
the charge as then understood by his
officers and men, add an account of it as
given in the history of the regiment:
"a Acareful,examinationo the ground con,
WINGED Gen. Morgan that any assault at
that point must end in disastrous failure
The only chance had been lost by oul
three or four days delay since reaching
the mouth of the Yazoo, during which time
the enemy had been reinforced till he out
numbered the attacking force.
"All this Gen. Morgan and his brigade
commanders saw, and early in the day he
sent Lieut.. Dent, staff officer, with q
request that Gen. Sherman should come
10 the field. Together the two Generals
rode up and down in front of the line, Nor.
gan pointing out the difficulties of the ad'
vance, the fresh earthworks thrown ur
by the enemy during the night, and ad'
vised against what he and his officers con,
sidered reckless and unavailing sacrifice
of life.
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
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The National tribune., 1899-10-26

Gen. Sherman, disap-
pointed and morose, looked
at the ground, and then
turning his horse, rode
back, without saying a
word, to his former posi-
ton a mile and a half to
the right and rear of Nor
gan's line.
"This was about9 o'clock
in the morning. The alb
rupt departure Of Gen.
Sherman from the front Of
attack left Gen. Morgan in
doubt whether the assault
would be made or aban-
doned. At all events, he
determined not to take the
responsibility of what he
felt sure would be a costly
and fruitless experiment,
without direct and positive
orders, and therefore wait
ed. in the hope that some
other course would be
adopted. But at noon an
officer from Sherman's staff
came to Morgan and said:
81 come from Gen. Sker-
man, and will give you his
words: He said: Tell Nor
IL IL. L..
The National tribune., 1899-10-26
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The National tribune., 1899-10-26

battery the next morning after its capture.
And many of the infantry boys felt, if they
did not see, the blowing up of the magazine
at the earthworks back OF the river, and it
was there doubtless that Comrade Frank
Bruner Witnessed the characteristics which
distinguished the "Guerrillas" as no blind
hero-worshipers.-O.A A. BUSSARD, Battery
NJ, 1st Mo. l.. A., Marion, o.