The National tribune., 1901-06-06
Battle OF Elua SnrinKs.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: One of
| the privileges granted to readers of The
! National Tribune is that we may show
| the error of those who write what pur-
ports to be history. w l.. Sanford, His
| toriGn of the 18th Ill. Cav. in his article
in reply to both George ID. Mosgrove and
| Capt. Allen, in issue of May 16, falls into
| grave error. He asserted that Wilcox S
| Division was ut Bulls Gap during the
| Blue Springs fight. Every member of
| WilcoXs Division now living knows this
| is untrue. WilcoN'S Division ut this
time included the 115th. 116th. 11Tth and
| 11Sth Ind, and 18th Mich, 2lst Ohio and
23d Ind. Batteries and some cavalry. We
| We're at MorriStOwn on Oct. 3. The Ninth
| Army Corps, or some part of it, passed
our camp on the railroad.
Our division followed early on Oct. 10,
passing through Bulls Gap early in the
day, and were very near the Ninth Corps
when the fight began, early in the after
noon; in fact, our division was acting as
Il reserve. At this time the division could
not have been more than mile from the
Ninth Corps, or Burnside's army, and
while in this position Haskinss Brigade
was going TO the front. | remember that
in Haskins's command was the old Sth
Tenn. and 18th Ky. Our brigade was
here formed in line of battle, and the
sl;irmishcrs had by this time become en-
gagged. We were advanced by slow
marches at different times until we came
so near to the fighting line that we could
see and hear how the fight progressed,
and when the Johnnies We're driven from
their first line by the Ninth Corps we
were near enough to see the retreat of the
rebels and hear the cheers and to have a
very fair idea of just how it was done;
and this is when Sanford says we were at
Bulls Gap, four or five miles away.
Sanford says: Burnside says nothing
about their being present" etc, etc. This
granted, does it prove that we were at
another point, as Sanford labors so hard
to have us believe? The fact is, Sanford
wants you to think because Burnside
didn't say we We're present that we were
absent-at Bulls Gap, five miles away.
Now for the next fact. / have never
seen an article in which it was claimed
that the enemy were driven from their
second or last position, which was down
in the woods about half-mile from the
first position on the ridge. Burnside does
not say so, Mosgrove does not say so,
and the fight was on until about sun
down, at which time WilcoX's Brigade of
Hoosiers was double-quicked into the front
line, near which the Johnnies appeared to
be still offering a bold front
OF course, Burnside didn't know of the
presence of such large body of troops
about 1900 muSkets-Or else he would
have mentioned it in his report Of the
battle. 1t looks like Burnside was just
holding WicOX's Division kind of in re-
serve like" to ''Shoo' the Johnnies until
the Ninth Corps, aided by Shackelford's
cavalry, could effect n capture and to
claim all the glory. 1t was generally be-
licved about that time by the rank and
file of the army that there were more than
enough of our army present on the field
to have captured all of the enemy; but no
doubt Burnside thought differently, and
sent Shackelford's cavalry to head them
off, so as to make a clear capture of old
CcrrO GOrdO, Giltner, Mudwall Jackson,
and the whole "passeI' of that command.
Sanford does not tell us how many men
Burnside had-not even how many were
in Gen. Ferrero's Division, which did
about all the fighting. | will guess that
Ferrero had some 5000, and with Car
ter's cavalry, say, ! 800 more, which was
certainly equal to the opposing Confed-
crates; and then there were Hasklnss
Brigade, say, some 1000, and WilcOx's in
fantry, some 5000, or a grand total of
$500; besides, there We're number OF
batteries; 10000 men, or approximately, is
no phantom estimate of Burnside's army
land we were all on or so near the battle
line that in 10 to 20 minutes the whole
could have been thrown on the enemy.
Do | mistake when | assert that at 3 or
4 o'clock p. III. the whole or, say, 5000
men, could have been hurled on Williams's
mixed forces and driven them like chaff
because of superior numbers, or have
struck them on both flanks with equal re-
suits? The men under Burnside, right on
the ground, were there and ready to take
n hand, and not at Bulls Gap, as San
ford wants you to think. What do you
say, you men of Wilcox's DiyisiOn?-
TILLFoRD DAGGER, Co. G., 10th Ind,
Nipomo, Cal.