The National tribune., 1902-03-20
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
TAKIyG OF FORT GREGG

TAKING OF FORT GREGG.
Comrade d. Alverson, Co, X, 15Sth n
Y, First Brigade, First Division, Twen
ty-fourth Corps, 10 Fifth St, Fernan
dina, Fla, writes: The 10th, 11th anC
assisted; our brigade supported them. Ou
Adjutant was killed; we lost one Ser
geant and two CorpOrals and our Stat
flag. Old Glory was shot from our Ser
seant's fingers; he had only three feet o
staff left
When 1 reached the ditch l trippe,
and fell forward on my right side; m,
gun stuck in the mud and was useless
Regaining my feet, | looked up, and
seemed to me that not another man coul,
stand where our regiment was, so | fol
lowed the ditch until L reached position
where the line was less dense; this Wa
the position of the 18th w. Va. l Sc
cured a gun from a wounded soldier ant
cartridge box from a 18th w. Va color
bearer, a bOyish-looking young fellow.
had just placed his cartridges in my bO!
when | saw an officer coming along th
ditch, who called to the color-bearer
Charlie, place the first colors on tn
works and l will get you promotion al
tight, Major was the answer. Come on
boys and over we went. | saw the color
bearer fall; L think he was killed"
HOMES FOR CoNFEDERATEs.
J. S. Belknap, Colonel, S5th \. Y.
Weston's Mills, n. Y, opposes COmrad
). J. Fox's proposition to erect separate
Homes for C6nfederates. He writes
The majority of those who wore tn,
gray thought they were fighting for tn,
right land, in fact they were, for the!
were obeying the laws of their Statesj
but the blue OyerpOwered them and they
surrendered, and since have been as tru'
to the old flag as those who wore thu
blue; they have stood shoulder to shOul
der with those who wore the blue to keeI
the old flag floating over an undivided
country. l am not in favor of erecting
separate Homes. l say, open the Sol
diers' Homes to those who wore the gray
equally with those who wore the blue.
think an act of that kind would heal thC
old wound so sound as to leave no trace
of the old scar. Our Government is ricf
enough to care for all the old soldiers, re
gardless of the color they wore, and tC
help smooth their downward road to tht
dark river. | know by letters | have re
ceived and from talks l have had witt
those who wore the gray that they woulG
do and suffer as much for the old flag as
those who wore the blue. There is nc
North, no South, no East, no West; we
are all one Nation; it is time to forget
and forgive, and all unite to help each
other"
ENROLLING A BOY SOLDIER.
Comrade E. T. Marshall, Major of the
18th Iowa (CrOckers Iowa Brigade), has
been very much interested in an item in
The National Tribune of Feb. q, "a
Very Young Soldier" signed by Robert
Denbow, Albion, Iowa. Maj. Marshall
says: Il was the officer who enlisted
John ID. Fraley, and his age and the date
of enlistment are correct as given by
Comrade Denbow. There were two Fra.
ley boys, Samuel and John D., and, il
my recollection is not at fault. they were
orphans, and lived with n Mr. Brown
who was their uncle, and perhaps guard
ian. Samuel was two or three years the
senior of John d., and, with the consent
of Mr.. Brown, | enlisted him q short time
before the enlistment of John D.. 4 short
time after the enlistment of the elder
brother, the younger one presented him.
self for enlistment, at my office in the
Court House, Marshaltown, Iowa. 1t is
needless to say that | refused to receive
him, mere child in stature and age. He
took the refusal very hard, and finally
said that he would run off and enlist at
fer to go with me and be with his brother.
sent him home and told him to return
in company with Mr.. Brown when con-
venient to the latter. In day or two
thereafter Mr.. Brown. with the boy, came
to the office, and said that he gave his
consent to the enlistment. | then point
ed out to him Brown that the boy was
away below the U. S. standard of age
and hight, but | would receive him os-
tensibly as musician, and that after he
Joined the company he could choose
either gun or drum. This proposition the
boy eagerly accepted. l then enlisted
reached his company (H, 18th Iowa.
chose the gum"
FORT GREGG.
II. R. Shaw, Corporal. Co. X. 62d Ohio.
Coin, Iowa, writes: My regiment be-
longed to the First Brigade First Divi-
sion, Twentyfourth Corps. Our badge
was red heart. On the morning of
April 2, 1865. we were double-auicked
from our position near Five Forks, or
Hatcher's Run, and crossed from our
works just to the right of the Sixth
Corps. We stacked our knapsacks and
were deployed as skirmishers, driving
everything before us until we came to the
old road mentioned by Comrade G. X.
Campbell, Co. B, 10th Ohio. There was
a hollow between us and the fort; no one
crossed this hollow until the charge was
made; there was no halting until we
reached the ditch, where our troops were
held back until a force, composed of men
Aom all the regiments forced their way
into the fort at the southwest angle
Some Of the 62d Ohio were there carry
ing the regimental colors. The First Bri-
gade was composed of the 62d and 9th
Ohio and the 39th ILL.,, the brigade being
by Gen. Osborn, formerly of
the 39th Ill. l do not claim that we
alone took the fort, but we were there
in the thickest of the fight"
SCATTERING.
Jasper Packard Post, $50, State Sol
diers' Home, Lafayette, Ind, has Just
adopted resolutions indorsing the pension
bill introduced by Congressman Robert