The National tribune., 1902-07-31
Charles City Crossroads.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your
issue of July 10, first page, column four,
you comment on Mr.. Berwick's statement
referring to passing over an old battle
ground" probably at the junction of the
New Market and Charles City roads,
called in history, according to the report
of Gen. George A. Mccall, commanding
who fought that battle, "New Market
Crossroads" June 30, 1862 mot July 2,
1867. There was no battle fought there
after the terrible engagement of June 30
until Gen. Hooker arrived there in max
ing reconnaissance toward Richmond.
Va, about Aug. 5, when he had a skir-
mish there, and quite a sharp engagement
with Lees outposts at Malvern Hill the
same day.
As to the evidences of dreadful bat
tie having been fought there on the date
| mention l do not think they were lack
ing at the period named by Mr.. Berwick,
June, 1864.
The veterans and recruits of the Sd
and 4th Pa. Reserves were consolidated
with the gallant 54th Pa, Army of West
Virginia, after Gen. George Crooks first
raid to west of Lynchburg, Va. april or
May, 1864. The two skeleton regiments
were ordered to Pennsylvania for muster
out starting homeward from Millville,
Greenbriar Co., w. Va, May 80, 1864,
via Meadow Bluff, Gauley Bridge, the
Kanawha and Ohio Rivers to Pittsburg,
Pa. The detachment of the 4th Pa. was
in command of First Lieut.. Nathan Da-
Wis, Co. + (our company, who later be-
came Major of the 54th Pa, and who was
killed in the assault on Fort Gregg, Pc
tersburg, Va, April 2, 1865.
When the Shenandoah Valley had been
somewhat quieted, the 54th Pa. with
N IN fbn
sula, being assigned to the Army of the
James, Gen. Ord. The command to which
our veterans of Co. +, 4th Reserves, be-
| lOnged, was encamped in the immediate
vicinity of the battlefield of New Market
Crossroads, on Frazier's farm, and We
were Mortified to find that all of our dead
comrades were still unburied, their bones
lying Just where they fell on Jnne 30,
1867. There was no. opportunity at that
time to bury our dead, nor to remove the
guns of Randal's Battery, u. s. Art,
every horse of which had been killed, and
we started about midnight for Malvern
| Hill, on James River; where the last en-
gagemcnt of the so-dalled "seven days
battles" in front Of Richmond was fought,
July l, 1862. Our Veterans inferred the
neglected remains of our heroic comrades,
and 1t is probable that all were reinterred
later in the small National cemetery near
where they laid down their lives. 1t is
probable that there ~ere very numerous
evidences of battles at that point when
Mr.. Berwick passed over 1t in June, 1864
The enemy made desperate efforts "to cut
the Army of the Potomac in two at that
point and whip the wings in detail,' as
Gen. Longstreet feelingly remarked to
Gen. Mccall, our division commander, who
was captured at the close of the battle,
June 80, 1862, and who also told Gen.
Mccall that 10000 Confederate troops
were bearing on that point to accomplish
that object" But they did not arrive in
time to do so.
The two serials written by Mr. Ber-
wick are to me fascinatingly accurate and
SO commingled with much of our own his
tory as to be part of us, even when in
the Confederate army when it started to
do up" Gen. Pope's little Army of Vir-
ginia. Our division was the first to reach
Gen. Pope from HarrisOn's Landing, and
from Rappahannock Station to the close
of his campaign, at Chantilly we did our
duty as National soldiers, regardless of
leaders. Our lines were so closely inter-
woven with localities and details, as mi
nutely described by Mr.. Berwick, that, in