The National tribune., 1901-01-03
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
AS To SOME LOSSES.

In nearly every issue of our paper / see
evidences of forgetfulness or lack OF in
formation on the part of correspondents.
John ID. Eantier, SSth Pa, in n commune
cation relative to the losses in battle of the
ITower-Uartsuff Brigade, falls into an error
which Is, L believe, common TO soldiers of
every State in the Union, viz. that the
State from which each man enlisted sus-
tanned the heaviest loss i'll battle. He
quotes Pennsylvania as standing at the
head among the States in this respect.
find that in the number of killed, per thou
sand, and number MORALLY wounded, per
thousand, as we'll as deaths, per thousand,
from all causes, Pennsylvania lacks Il good
deal of standing at the head The num-
Der of thousands, from all causes, show
but three States smaller than Pennsylva-
MIA, these being Rhode Island, New Jersey
and California, and of MORALLY wounded i'll
action Pennsylvania has Il record of 1915,
while Vermont has boz and New Hamp-
shire BIS. In number killed per 1000,
Pennsylvania has .2bjS and Vermont
.3259. In killed and mortally wounded the
casualties among Vermont soldiers exceed
That of every State, except New Hamp-
shire, which is a trifle larger The num-
Der of men killed in action among Vermont
soldiers exceeded the number killed in the
entire army by - men in every thousand.
The records further show that the Yer
mont Brigade was one of two brigadeS
which had the most men killed and mortal
ly wounded, and that of 81 regiments of
the army that had over 200 killed in battle
-four We're Vermont regiments. The
| Vermont Brigade also holds the record for
losses in one battle-the Wilderness
where one-half were killed or wounded.
State pride is very commendablc especial
| ly when its soldiers are under discussion,
but 1t does not warrant misquoting his
tory"
w. Il. Webster, LIST \. Y. Battery, Au-
| burn, y. y, writes: Il was n much-in-
| terested reader of the record of a brigade
the name of which was new TO me. Col.
Fox gives the old Vermont Brigade the
credit of the greatest loss in battle of
Killed of any brigade in the Union army
| LIZ. Comrade Nautier claims ,209 for
his many-named brigade. He gives TO-
tai enrolment of 1880 men. This NAV
| be true; yet it seems strange that the
Sixth Corps did not have that number in
August, 1864. The State of Pennsylvania
does not stand at the head of the States
IN number of killed during the war. The
official records give her loss 214,427. 1t
gives the killed of New York State 1884,
| iS4, or 12o,3JI more than PENNSYLVANIA.
comrade, don't get gay. We are watch
ing YOU"
Ezra f. Wetmore, Yorkville, \. Y, re-
ferIlng to the article on the Tower-Hart-
suff-BaXter Brigade, wishes to make n
statement regarding his regiment. The
10Th n. Y, after leaving the fortified
tons at Alexandria, March i. 1862. ioined
klcketts Brigade, of Ord's Division. First
Corps, with which it served until July,
lS62, when Ord was transferred to the
Western Department, and Ricketts, adj
vanced to the head of the division. and
Zen. Tower assumed command of the bri-
gade. AT that time the Goth Pa, 9th n.
l., l2th Mass and 10Th n. Y. composed
the brigade, which remained so composed
nntll after Antietam. AT the second Bull
run Tower was wounded and incaDaci-
tated for further field duty. Col. Christ
man, of the 10Th n. Y, by seniority of
rank, was in command of the brigade from
Aug. 30 to Sept. II, 1862; then Col. Peter
Lyle, Goth Pa, until about Anil. 1862.
then Col. Baxter took command. the bri
gade consisting of the Goth Pa. both Pa.
Eth Mass. and 26th n. Y, John G.. Rob
Inson AT Fredericksburg, Dec Is. 1862,
Robinson lost limb and Baxter his life
The 10Th had but 40 men and officers at
roi,cail that night after the battle. Up
to May ., 1868, the 18th Pa, SSth Pa,
18th Mass, and 9th N. Y. were not in
the brigade"
CELEBRATED THE FOURTH.
Allen Atkinson, Box III, Harrisonville:
MO, writes: I'm Picket Shots recently !
Comrade Crammer, Co. A, 9th Iowa Cav. |
Ports, Kan, wanted to know if anyone |
was now living who was at DevalTs Bluff. |
Ark, July 4, 1864. / was there. The |
commander of the post ordered n detail |
to hoist fagpOle, as it was July 4. Then |
the officer of the detail marched them TO |
me commissary to treat them. Then the |
boys concluded that they would make a |
RAD on the suffers liquids, and such n |
tiine as the boys had L shall never for |
get. They rolled out the barrels at n fear-
iul rate INTO che river, swan across TO |
the other side, and pulled the barrels ont |
ON the far side. and broke in the heads
= 4 ne way they drank hop-beer was terri |
bic to think Of. / think one or two of tho
boys got drowned that day on account Of |
trying to swim with too many canteens
around their necks, all filed with hon
Ecef. They had to make a second detail |
OF every able-bodied man in camp 10 re-
store order. L also helped do guard duty
a. niue place called Ashly Station, on |
the Little Rock Railroad, not far from
and beer" 'oSs
SCATTERING.
w. IL: Barnes, Co. III, ODD ILL.,, Mon
lccllo, ILL.,, writes: Il will saw ia Com
rade Wagner. of Tyler, Tex. If he was
as close to the steamer City of Madison
as was it is no wonder he remembers II
was on guard over a pile of musket-
cartridges on the levee about 100 feet
from the steamer, sitting upon the nile |
OF boxes OF cartridges, and was liked
; a Tour feet straight up and lit on my |
Ieet on the same box | had been sittinC
on. l saw those guards Comrade WaG,
ner speaks Of at the hold, and if nv mem
DRY Is correct they were from the 7tb
Iowa. l think the fragments from that
explosion are flying yet"
o. p. Pierce, Shoals, Ind. writes. az
belonged to the 18th Ind. Our regiment