The National tribune., 1901-05-16
ON MISSIONARY RIDGE.
The Capture of Lady Buckner" and Lady
Breckinridge" of Cobb's Battery

breckenridge" was n covert" attempt 10
rob the 41st Ohio. and especially Co. /,
of dearly-earned honor. There was moth
ing covert about my article, as every can
did reader of it well knows. / gave a
plain, straightforward account of what
had seen, and closed by poking a little
fun at the four brigades in general from
which had come claimants for the cap
ture of these two tOo) much-discussed
guns.
l do not question the incident that he
quotes from Hazen's report, but let it be
noticed that HaZen does not say that the
gun was called Lady Breekinridge"
To every old soldier who saw the two
guns Gordon gives himself away in his
statement that the Lady Buckner" was
an iron gun. As a matter of fact, both
guns belonged to Cobb's Kentucky Bat
terry, both were brass guns of the same
pattern, and both had the names painted
along the side of the trail. 1t may be
that the name was also engraved on the
body of the gun, but l did not see any en-
graved name.
l will now offer evidence as to where
these guns were posted, during the battle.
that must carry conviction to the mind of
every unprejIdiced reader.
In his Memoirs, Vol. /, pages 312-313,
Gen. Sheridan says: The right and right
center of my division gained the summit
hrst, they being partially sheltered by a
depression in the face of the ridge, the
Confederates in their immediate front
fleeing down the south face. When l
crossed the rifle-pits on the top the Con-
federates were still holding fast at
Bragg's headquarters, and a battery To-
Gated there opened fire along the crest,
making things uncomfortably hot. >
Wildly cheering, the men advanced along
the ridge toward Bragg's headquarters,
and soon drove the rebels from this last
position, capturing a number of prison
ers, among them Breckinridge's and
Bates's Adjutants-General and the battery
that had made such stout resistance on
the crest-two guns, which were named
Lady Breckinridge' and Lady Buck
ner'-Gen. Bragg himself having barely
time to escape before his headquarters
were taken. My whole division had now
reached the summit, and Wagner and
Harker-the latter slightly wounded
joined me as ! was standing in the battery
thus secured"
to rob the 41st Ohio, how about this state
Hent of Sheridan's? If / was a half
mile wide of the mark when | said that
the two guns were posted short dis
tance north of Bragg's headquarters, how
far does Sheridan fall short of hitting the
truth? When Sheridan's Division ad-
yanced to the assault the two guns were
directly in front of the left of Harker's
Brigade, as | stated in my former article
But before the guns were captured the
brigade lines had become badly mixed
The right of WagDer's Brigade Tapped
over on the left of Harkers, in front of
the guns. On the other flank the left of
Sherman's Brigade Tapped over Harker's
right.
1t was at the latter point, south Of
Bragg's headquarters, where Sheridan
hat Ii,-,ct
reached the summit, and when he turned
north along the crest he had with him
lot of men from Sherman's Brigade as
well as from Harker's. 1t thus happened
that as he stood by the captured guns
he was surrounded by a cheering, exult-
ant crowd composed of men from all of
his brigades. This is how it has come TO
pass that enthusiastic comrades from all
three of the brigades who were in that
crowd have since claimed that they cap
tured the guns. As u matter of fact, so
many assisted that no single organiza-
tion, brigade or regimental, can justly
claim the exclusive credit.
Here is another equally interesting ex-
tract from the Memoirs, page $50: My
division captured LISP prisoners and, in
all, IL pieces of artillery. Six of these
guns L turned over with caissons COM
plete; IL were hauled off the field and
Appropriated By an officer of high rank
Gen. Hazen. l have no disposition to
renew the controversy that grew ont of
he matter. | made the charge in a plain
official report, which was accepted as cor
rect by the corps and many army COM
nanders, from Gen. Granger up to Gen.
Grant. Gen. Hazen took no notice of
he report then, though well aware of its
existence. Nearly quarter of a century
ater, however, he endeavOred to Justify
lis retention of the guns by trying to
show that his brigade was the first to
each the crest of Missionary Ridge, and
hat he was therefore entitled to them.
This claim of being the first to mount the |
idge is made by other brigades than Ha- |
ems, with equal If not greater force, so |
he absurdity of his deduction is appar- |
mt" |
While the shades of night were falling |
md Sheridan was pursuing and fighting |
he enemy n mile beyond Missionary |
Ridge, Hazen and his brigade were en-
aged in hauling off the guns that Sheri- |
IAN had captured and had left behind |
n his eager pursuit of the rebels. l be- |
eve that in this extract from Sheridan's !
Iemoirs We have come to the very root |
( the matter. If Lady Buckner'' and |
Lady Breckinridge" were among the IL |
uns hauled off by Hazen, and were in |
he possession of Co. l, 41st Ohio, that |
light, as Gordon claims, l have no wish |
deprive tnem OF any OF tne dearly
armed honor that pertains TO the method
y which they got them.
Comrade Gordon has referred your
eaders to the maps and official reports
4 the War Department, where, he as
ures them, they will find undisputed au
hority, both Union and Confederate, to
ustain his claim. l have a copy of the
ficial map of Missionary Ridge in the
life of Gen. Thomas, and l knew there
,as nothing on that map that would help
i'm; but from his confident manner / sup
osed there must be something in the
larkers placed by the Chickamauga Park
that would be in his favor. 1
therefore, wrote to Gen. Boynton, tie
hartman of the Commission, and l quote
-om his reply: II saw the article in The
'ational Tribune to which you refer,
aiming that the 41st Ohio, in Hazen's
rigade, captured these guns. This, of
purse, is utterly absurd, as Wagner's
rigade and part of Harker's We're be-
veen them and the position occupied by
obbs Battery, to which these guns be-
Il. SHELLENBERGER, Fay
tavilln A RI |