The National tribune., 1907-02-28
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
That Brass "Pepper Box"

That Brass "Peppef Box"
Hiram s. Garst Saltwater, Okla, re-
plying to Samuel Kitchen, of Saginaw.
Mich, says he remembers well that
brass pepper box" and that he had
the pleasure of being along when that
queer piece of ordnance was captured.
In the last great cavalry raid of the
war from Knoxville into North Carolina
and Virginia, under Maj.-Gen. Geo. H.
Stoneman, the command reached Sails
bury. N. c.. April 12, 1868 The rebels
had some Of our men in prison ti.sTa,
and after sharp, spirited fight all the
rebs who could left in a hurry, while
we killed all we could and took 1,165
prisoners. The Union men were at
once set at liberty, and large stores of
army supplies were promptly destroyed.
Among the trophies were IA cannon,
to take away all, II pieces were kept
and the rest wrecked. That high-uheel-
ed, short-bodied pepper box" appeared
to be solid brass cylinder drilled full
of longitudinal holes large enough for
ounce balls. Comrade Garst did not
have the opportunity Of counting the
holes, but one of the boys said it had
IS. The barrel proper did not look to
be more than two feet long and the
breech seemed to be screwed on. If it
was operated by means of a crank the
latter was detached for the time beins.
The gun was said to be present from
Queen Victoria to Gov. Vance. If that
were true, it seems as If he would have
kept It at the Capital. Raleigh. Com
rade Garst does not know what ever
became of 1t; 1t may be stored away in
some arsenal. If Lieut.. Atkinson, of
Wilder's Battery, who returned to his
homo in Jonesboro, Tenn, after the
war, is still living he could give a good
account Of the gun as well as the other
13, and how they were captured. Com
rads Garst was very much interested In
CoInrade McElroy's account of the cap
ture of Mission Ridge, but would like
pIished that day? Had his army done
| as well as Thomas's, Chickamauga Sta
tiop should also have been captured
that same day.
franklin
P. James, Co. I. 26th Ohio, Cortland,
Neb., takes many papers. but reads none
as closely as The National Tribune, and
looks first to see il any of his comrades
have written anything. Saw something
recently about one of his company boys
carrying their flag to the top of Mission
Ridge. and also something which inter-
ested him about the battle of Franklin.
honor Of commanding a company OF
that grand old regiment, the 26th Ohio,
as First Sergeant. They were in front
Of the works at the extreme right of
the line, and when the rebs were ad.
vancing, four to six lines deep, the Col.
onel commanding the brigade was asked
what should be done. He answered,
Fight 'em! Fight 'smi" Tiey had
only time to fire one volley after the
pickets came in before the rebs were
upon them, and they went back to the
works in a jiffy, most of them staying
there till ordered back. Gen. Cox to the
contrary Notwithstanding. Gen. Grant
says in his Memoirs" that Franklin
was one of the hardest-fought battles of
the war for the number of Union troops
engaged. Comrade Rockefeller, of the
18th Pa, is little sensitive, and says
the Army of the Potomac was also do
ing things. Yes, after our Western Gem
erals. Grant and Sheridan, took hold of
it. But all the armies did well, and
any comparison Is foolish. Comrade
James would be pleased to hear from
any of his regiment.
The I'd Iowa at Donelson.
Silas Flourney. Sergeant. I'd Iowa,
Greenville, Tenn, wants it understood
that Gen. c. F. Smith did not lead the
I'd Iowa in person at Donelson. The
regiment was led by its Colonel, ]. NJ.
Turtle, who was absolutely the first
man inside the rebel works. Gen. Smith
was in plain view and engaged in his
proper work of overseeing the charge
and bringing up assistance. The 81
Iowa was well supported by Col. Veatch
with the 25th Ind. and a section of ar
tillery. Other troops were hurried up
as rapidly as possible. This correction
is due to the memory Of a brave man.
At no time did Col. Tuttie yield the
command Of his regiment to another.
There are claims that other regiments
entered with the I'd Iowa, but the only
one that is entitled to this credit Is
the 25th Ind. and the battery of ar
tillery.