The National tribune., 1907-08-01
STONE RIVER.
4 Veteran Who Captured the CoIors OF
the 26th Tenn.

Editor National Tribune: 1 have jus
been reading your account of the battl,
of Stone River on Jan. 2, 1863. ant
having participated in that battle
know your account is far from correct
At that time i was a Sergeant of Co
+, 69th Ohio, First Brigade. Second d.
vision. Fourteenth Corps. Col. Stanley
of the 18th Ohio, commanding.
After the battle of the 31st we were
camped along the Nashville pike until
about O'Clock on the I'd. when we
were ordered TO hurry to the support OF
the left. On arriving opposite the hill
above the ford where Drury's Battery
was posted, we were halted for few
minutes. Just then Drurys Battery
ceased firing and were lmbering up
their guns when Gen. Rosecrans rode
up to the battery and got off his horse.
He had the guns wheeled into position
and sighted one of them. When they
commenced firing the General rode
down to where our brigade was and or
dered Col Stanley to move farther to
the left. Just as we got about oppo-
site the ford the enemy drove Miller's
Brigade across the river. He reformed
them and they fired one volley, then
broke and ran right thru our brigade.
When they reformed we were ordered
to lie down and were ordered up after
they passed us. We charged to the
bend of the river. Some of the enemy
were already at the river on the oppo-
site side. We skirmished with them
for few minutes, when the gallant
Col. Scott, of the 18th Ill, jumped off
the bank into the river, waved his
hand above his head and said Come
on, boys" but before he got out of the
river he was wounded in the groin,
which caused his death. We charged
across the river and soon had the enc
my going up thru the woods. When
about 200 or 900 yards from the river
| got pretty close to the 36th Tenn.
color bearer. He dropped the colors
and ran. and ! went and picked them
up, looked at them, then put them
down again. When quite a distance
from them ! saw a soldier pick them up.
Soon after that i, with several others
of the G9th Ohio, captured the battery
that you say Miller'S Brigade captured
Ii was composed of two large brass
guns, said 10 be a part of the old WASH
ington Battery of New Orleans. Now,
the reason why / did not carry off the
colors of the 26th Tenn. was that while
we were skirmishing with the enemy on
the evening of the 30th, over on the
right, we had crossed the Wilkinson
pike. In getting over the fence. and
while on the top of it, the rail turned
and rolled Off AS it fell j had my gun
in my right hand and my left arm went
under the rail and ! fell across the rail
The bone in my left wrist was badly
fractured, and as all the Surgeons were
busy at the field hospital they wanted
me to go to the hospital, but preferred
staying with my company. and kept
wet handkerchief wrapped around 1t.
On the morning of the 31st my arm
was badly swollen and the boys assisted
me to get on my accoutrements. Our
guns were the Springfield rifle, and
when we marched out and formed a
line Of battle / could not handle my
long gun with one hand, but Sergt
Winser, of Co. c, seth. had breech-
leading carbine and j changed with
him, as l could manage that very well.
When / captured the coiors L had to
go to the rear or abandon the colors.
and as / didn't want to go to the rear
went on until We drove the enemy into
their works about sundown. 1t then
began to rain and the battle ended. 1t
rained all night. After the battle of
Stone River ! was commissioned, and
during the Winter of SO and "a 1 was
on court-martial all Winter at Chatta-
nooga The Orderly of the court was
a Corporal of the 18th Pa. and he and
] talked this flag business over. He
said the man who picked the colors
up claimed to have had almost hand
TO hand fight over them. These are the
facts with regard To Stone River as
have stated them and j ask you as a
favor and in the interest of justice 10
publish them. i arp almost II years
old. and served in the Mexican War in
Co. II of the 4th Ohio. There are
MANY things j did during the civil war
for which I received no credit. At the
battle of Mission Ridge, Nov. "a. 1863,
] took the first stand of colors into the
enemyrs works, Gen. Johnston's DiviS-
ion.-Lieut Frederick E. Wilson, Co.
r, 69th Ohio, Aurora. Ind.