The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-02-01

as q grand achievement, upon which
Grants still greater achievement de-
Captain, Co. /, 9Th III. Cav, Boscobel,
Wis.
JEFF Davis's Crimes.
Editor National Tribune: 1 notice
In recent issue of your very valua BILE
paper the question asked. Why was the
Confederate President permitted to es-
cape and not hung? When captured,
had the soldiers had their way, he
would have been lynched at once. But
as time passed the authorities grew
more lenient; but the heinous crimes of
that arch traitor should have been pun
ished. Poor, half-witted WlrZ, the will
ing tool of Davis, was hanged for his
treatment of Union prisoners, while the
true source and cause of the inhuman
treatment of good, true, loyal, patriotic
comrades of mine was permitted to go
free. l have always been of the opin-
ion that he should have been hanged
on the spot where he was captured.
have not only read McElroy's Life and
Death in Rebel Prison, Kellogs His
tory of Prison Life. Pittenger's Captur
ing a Locomotive, Browns Four Years
in Secessia, Richardson's Field, Dun
geon and Escape. but l have heard the
verbal testimony of living comrades,
and If these reports are true, and they
certainly are, as there are over $4,000
headstonas at Andersonville.. pointing
hoavenward, declaring to the unprcju-
diced mind that for cruelty, vengeance,
murder and assassination the Sepoys of
India and the sneaking, murderous
North American Indians are not in it
compared with the Southern leaders.
And their flags, the emblems of trea-
son and human slavery. captured by
the loyal boys to be returned after
years of possession, is a gross insult to
he defenders of Old Glory. / have
spoken plainly, perhaps bitterly; but,
being a native Of Virginia, and seeing
and knowing as / do the conditions as
they were under my own observation,
I am constrained to tell the facts. The
County in which / enlisted Barbour)
furnished four companies during the
civil war-two for the rebel army and
two for the Union army; so you see we
were pretty evenly divided. The Union
troops, under Gen. Kelley. on his way
passed my fathers cottage, and l
thought they were the prettiest people
/ ever saw And on the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1862. when but Il years Of age,
I put on the blue and finished up at
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Fl. Lock, Sergeant,
18th ". Va, Claude, w Va. ..,,..
Cavalry Fight. at EAIdie.
Editor National Tribune: see in
your issue OF Dec. %. 1905. a statement
from NJ V. Oviatt, Sergeant, Co. X, 9Th
Ohio Cav, in relation TO the cavalry
fight at Aldie. Va, ON June II, 1863, in
which he seems to inferHhat some one
has tried to take some shonor due his
regiment. Now let me quote from my
diary: s4i.s
June 17.-Clearo and warm. We
moved early this morning. going to AL
die. i'm the Little Bull. Run Mountains,
where we met strong; force of rebel
cavalry, and on driving them through
the town found them posted behind a
stone wall and some haystacks, the
stone fence being somewhat beyond the
haystack Our squadron, numbering So
men, was ordered to drive them from
the stacks. We charged as far as the
stacks. losing 10 officers and men, my
company (M) losing Lieut.. Martinson
and three men killed and had four
wounded in getting to the stacks or at
tempting to pass them. when we were
relieved by a charge of the 9Th Ohio
Cav, who took 50 prisoners from the
other side Of the stacks and a ditch
close by. 1t seemed reckless piece of
slaughter to send our small squadron
to do so big piece of work. l got to
the stacks. and it seemed as il the
rebel bullets would cut them down. /
think the 9Th Ohio lost quite number
of men also, but the rebels were driven
back and we buried our dead going
into camp for the night just east of the
town."
/ do not know where the balance of
our regiment was, but am positive our
squadron alone made the first charge,
and was saved from determination by
the 9Th Ohio Cav, as no other part of
our regiment came to our support. /
think the balance Of the regiment went
to support the two pieces of artillery
planted some 500 or 900 yards on the
hills in our rear, but I have no recol-
of h1s., =
am pleased to hear from COmrade
Oviatt, who came to our rescue, and
am ready to do all honor to his regi-
ment. All the honor l claim is obeying
orders. even to the death. The I'd n.
Y. Harris Light has honor enough to
give ALL other regiments all they are
entitled to, and then have some to
spare.-J. f. Firth. East Williston, n. Y.