The National tribune., 1904-07-28
PICKET SHOTS.
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
ROT AT GRAVELLY RUN.

reared on farm. l worked at blacksmith
ing few years. | enlisted June -. 1863.
in Co. {. Both Pa. and was discharged
Co. A. Dist Pa. Third Brigade. Third Divi-
sion. Fifth Corps. Our regiment left
Harrisburg Sept II, 1864, for Baltimore,
Md, AMI we went by steamboat to City
Point, and were hustled on board of box
cars and taken in front of Petersburg, Va,
breastworks. There was no stacking arms
and no sleep that n. ght, and raining-or
would better say it was pouring down wa
ter. and no shelter and no relief this night
and soaking wet. too: not so bad an mi
tiation for greenhorns. But we kept the
boys in gray at bay, all the same.
II was in the following engagements
Railroad. Hatcher's Run. Gravelly Run,
Fort Stedman, in front of Petersburg,
Five Forks. and Gen. Lees surrender 1T
AppomattOX Court House, April o, 1860.
| also participated in the grand parade in
Washington, ID C., and was mustered
out of service June !, 1865, at Arlington
Nights, Va. l will give you little of my
experience | had at the battle Of Gravelly
Run. My regiment halted in Il ravine at
> o'clock n. m, | supposed for Il rest. but
shortly came the orders: Fall in-fix bay
onets. doublequick up the slope, onto the
level, and bang, zip, whiZ, went the death
messengers past your humble servant; but
it cost us many brave boy. We tried
our best to hold them back, but the John
nieS were too many for us, and when our
gallant Colonel was wounded, gave the
orders to fall back so [ struck for the
woods to my right and ran about 100
yards. and to my surprise L was within
10 feet of rebel line. | had mistaken
them for our own boys. Halt. surrender,
YOU Yankee came the orders, but no sur
render for me this time Right-about face
nm off GIN l. Of li.v1,t ,;,
lines | went, but my knapsack was shot
off my back and | got two bullet holes
through my clothes. and they coming at
me 800 strong, while this poor greenhorn
was making for our lines the best he could.
He got there all the same, and lost no
man. They did not get ME for prisoner
for Richmond. but | got to Richmond I'M
der more favorable conditions"
THAT DISPUTED BRIGADE.
NJ. IIolbrook. Sergeant, Co. E, Cd Ber-
Ian S. S., writes:
Il repeat what have stated in former
letters. that the First Brigade. First Divi-
I'd L. S. $. s.. commonly known as Ber-
dams Sharpshooters: 18th Brooklyn Tor
S4th y. y. S. NJ. 22d and Oath and goth
\. y, commanded by Gen. Augur. and
later by Gen. Hatcll-killed at South
Monntain-untl after the battle of An
tlttdIl. DelhS severely WOUNDED III lnat
battle. | have no personal knowledge Of
what happened at the front thereafter.
until short time before the battle of
charlottesville. when | returned to my
regiment and found it in the Third Corps
-Scklcss.
1T does not follow that because n bri-
-ade was composed of certain regiments
at one time it must remain the same to
the end of the war. My company was in
five different corps and as many brigades
It different times during the war-viz.
First, Second. Fifth and Sixth. l, too,
was nearly four years in the army. ! en-
listed at the age of II, in the Fall of 1861.
and served till the close of the war. I was
severely wounded at the battles of Ante
tam and Gettysburg and was reduced to
mere skeleton, the effects of a chronic
disease. Am drawing So pension. Order
No. 7S may he a good thing for some On
the other hand. / think boy of 16 or II.
who enlisted and filled the bill for three
or four years is entitled to as much pen
sion, and just as soon, as an older man
who enlisted about the close of the war
and received a big bounty. and perhaps
saw no fighting. A per diem pension law.
| think, would be just-or a National
Tribune service pension law"
THAT DISPUTED BRIGADE
s. +. Chandler, Co. f, oath n. Y, writes
III lie ANallOlIdl May -, SOUl-
rade Kline. Co. b, 9th Wis, keeps harp
ing on the idea that the First Brigade was
composed of the I'd. 9th and It'll Wis.
10Th Ind. and the oath Mich. In August
1861, after the battle of Bull Run TIE
army was organized into brigades and
divisions. The First Brigade was 18th
Brooklyn. known officially as the S4th ~
Y; the 22d. oath and Both n. Y, and,
later, there was added the I'd Berdan
Sharpshooters. This organization was eff
fected before the 9th Wis was anywhere
near Washington. The brigade remained
TINS from August, 81. till soon after the
battle of Charlottesville, when it ceased
to exist because Of the expiration of the
term of service Of the 22d, 9th and Both
y. Y. What brigade took the name Of
First Brigade after that | do not know
IF Comrade Kline will look into Shines
History of the Army of the Potomac
written by member of his own regiment
he will thus see, OH page 27S. that the
First Brigade was commanded by Col.
Walter Phelps. of the 22d \. Y. Also
he will see, on page 3O4, where the First
Brigade was commanded by Col. Phelps
and the Fourth Brigade by Gen Meredith
and Col. Cutler. But why furnish Irore
proof? Comrade Kline has it up his sleeve
that he was a member of the First Rri-
sade and l expect he'll keep on thinking
so till he passes in his checks"
KILPATRICK'S FIRST BRIGADE
Leroy S. Falls, Co. A, 9Th Ind. Cav,
writes: "Comrade Mat Mills, Adjutant,
9Th Ind. Cav, seems to be worried about a
mistake in the commander of the First Bri-
gade, Third Cavalry (kilpatrick's) Divi-
sion, west. All of my memoranda show that
Col. Murray commanded, but when writing
the article l hurriedly referred to Sher-
mans Memoirs for verfication, not motto
ing that the makeup was the Carolina
Campaign instead of March to the Sea-
| accept your apology, Mat. Say, why
don't you give us some account Of the
services of the old 39th regiment, 9Th Ind.
Cav? Shiloh, Buelrs famous retreat,
Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga,
or any of the long lists of engagements of
this fighting regiment?
What is the matter with Comrade
Wanebaugh, Of Co. X, 9th Pa. Cav? Some
of the boys insist that we belonged to
Wilder's Brigade, but we never did Now
comes this comrade of the 9th Pa, in
Picket Shots, May 26, and insists that we
were in the Second Brigade of Fitzpatrick
Cavalry. He must be absent minded
to have forgotten who was in the
First Brigade. l will tell him. In Sher-
mans Memoirs. page 2G9, Cd volume. Is
the following: When we started from Sa-
vannah, Ga, in February, 1865, Col. L.
J. Jordan commanded the First Brigade,
of 9th Pa. Cav, ID and Sd XIV.
Cav, 9Th Ind. Cav, Sd battalion Sd Ind.