The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-12-06
REMEMBERS IT ALL.
Comrade Webster Adds Some of His own Ex-
periences to "Battling with Bragg"

periences to Battling With Bragg"
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In an
issue of not very long ago appeared Bat
Ting with Bragg" by ]. ID. Myers, Co. |,
18th Ind. / read the article with deep in
terest, as it described familiar scenes.
never to be forgotten by me, because |
passed through them ut the very time the
comrade did. The places mentioned by
him ! recall. such as Winchester, Tenn,
where l was Provost Marshal, with my
company as Proyost-Guard and the court
house and yard as our headquG rters, with
the balance of our brigade in camp near
by.
/ wonder if he remembers the terrible
| thunder storm we encountered the night
we left Winchester, at Il railroad station
we reached about or soon after dark The
lightning flashed and ran along the tele-
graph wires, nearly binding us, while the
thunder rolled fearfully, reverberating
from hill to hill and the rain came down
in torrents.
The Tullahoma Campaign, the bivouac
| on Cumberland Mountain, camp in Swe-
den Cove, the crossing of the river, Rae
coon Mountain, McLemore Cove, | remem-
Der all; also Crawfish Springs, where we
stopped to get breakfast, but the boonlin
of cannon broke up our feast. | know
that | grabbed my coffee-boiler off the fire
and slipped the hot stuff as | ran with the
others towards the booming cannon. We
soon came up to the enemy, and the fight
| was on. The Major of my regiment rode
,, up to me and in low tone of voice said:
I'VE have information that brigade of
| rebels crossed over here, and our men have
burned the bridge behind them and are
now going to take them in"
The history of the battle of Chicka-
manga tells how near we came TO doing
what he said we were there for.
Not long after this we learned that
Longstreet was there with his whole army.
Oar front line was composed of the 10th
and 18th Ind. and 4th Ky, with the 10th
Ky. and 18th Ohio in the second line.
These regiments composed the Third Brig
ads, Third Division, Fourteenth Corps,
Army of the Cumberland. Within 80 min
utes the second line was ordered forward,
left-oblique, which brought us on n line
| with the other three regiments and on
| their left.
We had only fairly reached this position
when the enemy made heavy attack
upon our left, in which Cos. B and X OF
| our regiment lost heavily. About that time
J they attacked our right in the same man
| ner, and for time things were hot.
| have read and reread Comrade MyerS's ar
| ticle, and each time l am more interested
| in it, because the scenes, circumstances,
conditions and surroundings bring to my
mind experiences that cannot be effaced
| by time while this life lasts. But why he
separates the 10th Ky. and 18th Ohio
from the other regiments of this brigade
cannot understand.
The 18th and 10th KY, the 10th Ind. and
14th Ohio were brigaded together about
| Dec. /, 1861, at Lebanon, KY, and Gen.
George II. Thomas was placed in COM
mand.
The 18th Ind. joined this brigade early
in 1862. This was the Third Brigade,
| Third Division, Fourteenth Corps of the
Cumberland Army. We were known as
all the time until our time expired in No
vember, 1864. Where be was we were,
and vice versa. When Steedman's Division
came to our relief that Sunday afternoon,
| Sept. 20, 1863, we were doing our best to
| keep up bold front, upon rise of ground
running at right angles to the one on
which was Thomas directing the opera
| tons of our broken forces-broken by rea-
son of the gap found in our lines by the
enemy, as stated by Comrade Myers. We
were glad to receive and welcome Steed-
man and his command, and now say that
| Steedman and his forces did wonderful
| piece of work then and there.
/ Conditions may have separated the 10th
| Ky. and 18th Ohio from the other three
regiments of the Third Brigade on that
| field, but at no time were any of those
| five regiments part of the Second Brig
ade up to December, 1864.
As for the rebel yell so often mentioned
am free to say that heard it that day
upon that field, had heard it before, and
| have heard it since, but never considered
it startling or terrific or in any way differ.
/ ing from the yelling Of any other crowd
which can be heard almost any day in
crowded cities.-I. b. Webster, Captain
| Co. |, 10th Ky.