The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-17
Letters to the Editor.
Battle of Ringold Gap.

Editor The Advertiser:
 The Atlanta Constitution reprints ar | article from The Dalton Press under the l apoVe caption, which so completely mis- | states the facts, that having peen an eye witness and participant 1 am impeled to l give another version to the story Or ] General Bragg's retreat from Mission | Ridge" General Pat CIeburne's Division l brought up the rear, covering said re- treat treat. Passing through the town of Rim I goid our infantry Was deployed on each l sioe of the Gap Semple's Battery, then | under command of Lieutenant Dick God l thWaite. by order of General Cleburne in the town, the guns covered with brusn being in the woods partly cleared the I erals.
 remember distinctly General Cleburne ! telling Lieutenant Goldthwaite that 1t was cavalry, to wait till they got into the open ground between us and the town. and then We would have some fun. A rev cavalry videttes were in sight. watching the enemys advance l saw a column of infantry marching through the street or the little town and turning to tell "Old Pat as the boys called him, saw him, afoot, dashng through the gap. His ever watchful eye had seen the situ- ation and he was hastening to reinforce our right on the mountain, and as l now remember he sent the 45th Alabama and 90 Confederate. who getting to the top only slightly in advance of the Federals became engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. aIter nring one volley, using tsN breaches of their guns and stones to repel the foe lew prisoners were captured and as we retired through the Gap I remember one of these prisoners Ca Yankee cap tain) who were drawn up on one side of me road, saying There is the little Lieu tenant who after emptying his pistol, threw 1t at me, knocked me down and captured me-" This brought a broad smile to General Cleburnes face, for the little Lieutenant was his nephew.
 make these slight digressions to in- dlcate my full recollection of the affair.
 Semples Battery was then composed of Iour Napoleon guns, having been origin when Breckinridge was defeated at Stone River. the other sent somewhere else be- cause our ranks were so thinned that we nag not enough men to man it, engaged in this fight do not now recall 1t, nor do recall any accessible hill upon which they could have been placed. the hill on our left at least being so steep that infantry had sometimes to crawl to reach the top of the mountain
 Nor do I remember seeing or hearing Howell's guns on this occasion, though have time to watch anything but the en- emy and my own gun. Possibly the roar Of SemPle's -pounders may have Battery was there all the while" but this I do know or recall, Semple's Bat tery was there, and therefore I object to The I, Dalton Press giving all the credit to
 
 orable mention" to semple's. I do not know as to casualties on either side, but If General Sherman's report of the loss on the Federal side is correct it was cer- tainly "a hot time in old town for the Tanks" during the short time the fight lasted
 Now this is not written to in any way detract from Howells Battery, for I can not recall any occasion when Hotchkiss Battalion in any part failed to do its whole duty; one ever memorable occasion being when this artillery enfiladed Thom- ass Corps at Chickamauga and after General Cheatham's Division had been re- pulsed several times during the day, turned the tide of battle" under Gle burne's Division, driving the Federal Ar my in disorderly retreat hack into Chat tanooga and in part beyond the Tennes- see.
 But, like many "old .confederates" I have gotten off to fighting "old battles again, and 1 close by saying that noth- ing herein Is to be construed as envy, but simply that honor may be done to whom honor Is due without traducing or de- tracting from any.
 Respectfully,
 W. s. Thomas,
 Gunner Semple's Battery. Alexander City, June 15, 1905