The National tribune., 1908-08-27
BERRY,s DIVISION.
A Corporal With the Ammunition n,
ChancellOryille.

4
Editor National Tribune: In youl
last number of The oNasenal Tribune
your account of Charlottesville is ac.
companied with 9l+fp entitled Posi-.
| ton of Troops at the End of Fight Sat
urday Night, ay q. There are errors
| in the positions of the corps as lai6
down on it which lead I,ie to believe
that with your general correctness in
such matters you never cuuid have eX-
| amined this sketch before using it,
will only speak of 1.-THE position laid
| down for Berry's Division. of the Third
! Corps, which you place ont on the left
of the Plank Road near nowdali's.
The facts are that when Berry's Di-
vision was double-quicking up the road
from their position near the Chancellor
House. to support the Eleventh Corps,
they met such a mass of men, camp
followers and other material of the
Eleventh Corps that it was difficult to
make much headway and Berry placed
his regiments on the right of the road
no further out than few hundred feet
beyond the small run just beyond Fair
view, about where you have the words
River Road" on your map: the 13d
\. Y. Cal, Burns, was placed on the
left of the road on a line with the 1st
Mass. Some accounts of this move
ment speak of the bayonet Charge of
Berry's Division and the volIeys they
fired into Jackson's advancing troops
but nothing of the sort took place. The
rebel front at that time was some 1,00S
feet further up the road, and in great
confusion. and while Berry had his di-
vision well in hand to make a stout re-
sistance to their further advance. the
truth is that even the skirmishers of
both sides never saw each other until
the next morning. when Hooker'S Old
Division gave good account of them
selves. on that campaign L held the
position of Ordnance Sergeant of Ber-
rvs Division. 1t was our first expert
ence with ammunition on pack mules
and we had strict orders to keep close
to the heels of the troops and having
the right of way over everything else,
so that we were in position in the rear
of the division not long after they had
taken their position. Gen. Berry. was
so sure of being able to hold his front
that he ordered the pack train to un-
load its ammunition and send the
mules across the river for an additional
supply. The Wagon Master took charge
of that and j was ordered TO remain
in charge of the ammunition. L was
sleeping behind the pile of boxes when
the StonewaIl Jackson affair took place
about $50 that evening and at day
light. on May 3, / got a detail from
the regiment in my Immediate front to
carry the ammunition back a little and
spread it out fiat near the run. This
was only very short time before
Stuart mad his advance. When the Sd
Nd. broke on the left of the road l
saw Gen. Berry get Of his horse and
draw his sword and run forward to
stem the break and few minutes later
saw him brought to the rear on a
stretched. / remained by my ammuni
ton until the Excelsior Brigade was
backing over it. fighting every step,
when seeing it was lost beyond hope /
my horse and hastened back
to the corps ammunition train at
United States Ford for new supply.
leaving very regretfu,E. l!Over $4,000
rounds of infantry anlmupition in the
enemy's hands. So you Will readily see
that ] was on the ground with Berry's
Division on the evening of May 2, and
know something of the situation at that
point When I got back To the front
with two strings of mules. Sloaded with |
5S caIiber ammunition. aen. Hooker
was on the balcony lof the Chancellor
House as we passed and Iireported to
the left of the road at Fairyiew and
Col. Sewells Jersey Brigade
with cartridges when they made their
last charge on the advancing enemy.
taking more prisoners than they them
selves numbered and several colors. ]
was mighty glad when 7 was not want
I'd further and got to the rear prompt |
y.-Isaac P. Greeg, Corporal, 1st Mass.