The National tribune., 1900-12-27
WRITTEN ON THE FIELD.
Some Interesting Things the sith Ind.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: have
been reader Of your valuable paper for
many years, and would like to claim title
| TO small patch in one corner to say
cannot call TO mind now a single instance
of ever seeing the name of cOmrade who
was Il member of the same regiment that
| was, Or even of the gallant 10th Ohio.
l know they were not all killed. though
we had hard marching and much harder
| fighting to do. Well, where are they? 1t
would do me good TO see the name even
of n Fourth Corps man.
In looking over some old papers very
| recently / found a letter written by DIR.
Ii. Kirby. our old regimental physician,
and published in one of our home papers
in which he said in regard to the S4th
Ind:
ION the morning of May s. 1864.
marching orders were received, and at II
o'clock the S4th, with the vast Army of
the Cumberland, was on the move under
command Of Gen. Sherman. All were
buOyant, happy and full Of expectations.
No other idea was entertained but that
we should engage the enemy at Tunnel
Hill, whip him at that place, and, in all
probability, close our Summers cam
paign. But in that we were mistaken. IS
the sequel will show.
The first engagement in which the reg
iment took part was at Tunnel Hill, on
the 9th Of May. The main strength of
the regiment (the number of guns was
32O. and ID commissioned officers, in line,
field and staff, under the immediate com
Inand Of Col. A. ]. Neff. To show that
this little band has ever been mindful of
the obligations they owe TO their homes
and their country | will state on statis-
teal authority that the regiment has up
to the present time constructed 81 diff
ferent lines Of works and intrenchments,
making distance of three and One-h half
miles i'll extent; they have captured of
the enemy in prisoners 354, taken 60 lines
OF their works, 400 stands of small arms
and one brass cannon; they have also
made four assaults upon the enemy's
works, carrying them successfully each
time. The enemy have assaulted their
works twice, but were repulsed each time
with heavy loss. The regiment has
marched on foot 100 miles, had Transport
tatiOn by railroad 1873 miles, making the
distance travelled 923 miles. 1t has been
engaged in II different battles, in which
they have consumed 100000 rounds of
cartridges, and it will be nothing but rea-
sonable to suppose that they have infict-
ed serious injury to the enemy. At rea-
sonable calculations the SIth regiment has
killed, wounded and captured two to one
OF their force, and in the accomplishment
of all this our casualties have been light
There have been killed outright during the
present campaign -, and wounded, re-
quiring hospital treatment, %; captured
by the enemy, II, making in the aggrc-
gate the entire loss of the regiment 30.
There are now in the command go guns,
showing a loss of only 20 guns at this
time from our strength on leaving camp
May 3, 1864. The loss is mcager, consid-
ering the hardships, privations and dan
gers encountered"
The above is that part of the Doctors
letter only which pertains to the S4th Ind
But / think that Henry has failed to give
the regiment full justice, for before me is
letter written by myself to my brother
in Indiana just 30 days prior to the Doe
tors letter, in which l stated that our
regiment Ghe S4th) had received credit for
the capture Of 252 prisoners and two
pieces of artillery, whilst he gave us
credit for only one. His letter is dated
at Huntsville, Ala, Jan. 20, 1864 SHOULD
be 1860; mine 80 days before, or imme-
diatey after the battle at Nashville. /
may have been misinformed, for never
looked to see what was behind; that in
front interested me most-WM. NJ. BECK
TELL, Sergeant, Co. G, S4th Ind; 601 s.
Wilson St, Ft Scott, Kan.