The National tribune., 1901-07-11
The 7.h Ind. and Its Gallant Commander.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The Ma
tional Tribune deserves credit for clear
ing up controversies between comrades
over matters of history. The old COM
rades' memories become dingy with lapse
of time. 1t is only by taking the pre-
pOnderance of testimony that we are able
to draw just conclusions. Thus far the COM
rades of the 1th Ind. have the best of it..
as to who killed Garnett the first General
killed in the civil war. A host of the 9TH
Ind. boys who were eye-witnesses, at the
Cheat River Ford, of the death of the
General are ready to swear they saw
Sergt Burlingame fire the fatal shot. a
number have already spoken through
your paper. The credit, if it was
a credit, belongs to that Indiana soldier
| understand he has long since died But
the honor of overhauling and routing the
fleeing rebel army at Carrick's Ford be
longs TO Dumont, the cOck-eycd Colonel of
the 1th Ind.
Dumont Oh what marcher and
scrapper that little Colonel was We who
followed him through the laurel bushes,
and across the rocky glens and PERCEPTIONS
bridle-paths of the West Virginia Noun
tains, know what lions heart dwclt in
that little sickly, diminutive body. ] see
him now just as he looked then 40 years
ago, waiting at some mountain stream for
his mcn to get Il drink. Hat and coat
off, maybe riding womanfashion; both
feet on one side, leering and laughing at
you like his Satanic Majesty, out of his
one good eyc-his other eye, like Ber But
ler's, gone to the windward.
Dumont and his regiment the 9TH Ind.)
led the fray and fought the first bat
tie of the civil war, at Philippi, Va. 1t is
true there had been Il riot in Baltimore
when the 9th Mass. undertook to march
from one depot to another, and the first
blood was spilled there by the death of
some of the Massachusetts boys; but that
affray does not come under the title of a
battle, any more than John Browns raid
into Virginia.
The battle of Philippi belongs to his
tory as the Lexington of our civil war
epoch, and Dumont was its nero. His
regiment arrived at the bridge northwest
of the town shortly after midnight, hav-
ing made a forced march from Grafton.
kelly's West Virginia Union troops were
to come up on the south on another road.
DumOnt arrived at the bridge ahead of
time. Shall we wait until daylight"
said AdJt Gavin, "Or until we see kelly's
rocket We'll, no. said Dumont. Tell
the boys to get ready to cross" And cross
they did. They rushed the bridge with
picked body of men and scooped the bridge
guards and pickets before the Johnnies
knew there was Il Yankee within three
miles; and then, after gaining the rebel
side and deployiDg on the river bank, the
Ith Ind, led by its intrepid Colonel, had
the satisfaction of assisting in taking the
hrst rebel fortified camp of the war. They
were not all of it, however. Kelly's and
NlilrOy's and Crittendcn's commands were
doing their whole duty on the other side
Df town. But the capture of the Philippi
bridge was the key to the situation. Por-
+nrtiniI ho ,b,J a. haI
cred the position impregnab!e on that
side of town, and doubtless it was if he
had properly guarded or burned the
,ridge.
Later in the war Dumont made n
great scoop in Kentucky, which was moth
ng more than breaking up the seccsh
Legislature at Frankfort, Ky. His belov-
Ie was brigade commander of some West [
,rn troops equally as good. He made Il
orced march on Frankfort ahead of sched- !
lie time and arrived just i'll time to pre- /
'ent the rebel Governor, Beriah MagOfiin, /
md the Legislature from passing the |
ordinance of secession, that was booked |
or that day. DumOnt came like a cy |
lone, and scattered them to the four cor
lcrs Of the earth. Magoffin became a |
lomeless fugitive, and the Stars and |
stripes floated forever over Kentucky
!. j. SMITH, indianapolis, Ind.
IGen. Ebenezer Dumont was a distfn-
,uished soldier of the Mexican War. He |
ought with Taylor at Buena Vista and |
ther sanguinary battles. On the breaking /
ut of the civil war he helped Gov. Morton |
o raise the first two regiments-the 9th !
nd 7th Ind. The regiments kept num-
cring where Indiana left off at the Mex
Fan War. After serving in Western Viz
,inia until December, 1861, he became
'rigadierGeneral, serving in Kentucky
ntl 1863, when he was elected to Con
ress. His health had failed. and military
eryice was no longer possible. He was
several times to Congress from
lie Indianapolis District, and died some
ime in the '10s.-Ed.l