The National tribune., 1908-09-17
DFSlHt
HATNIYSTERIOUS VOLLEY."
4 Member OF the ;e(h l&d. Apparently
Clears Up fhel Mfstery.

4 Member OF the ;0Sh IAN. Apparently
Clears Up sheA Mfstery.
Editor National fy4buHt: My article
of the above capitol. was answered by
Comrade T. B. Moft6f. 35th Ohio, who
annihilated the writer's regiment with
the sentence, The I9thoInd. was not
there" AS my only object in writing
the article was to ,iipd out. if possible.
how it came that tWp Gqlonels of two
different regiments f9lne, TO report prac-
tically the same incife4to as happening
to each regiment. l. did H9t answer Com
rade Morton's article. asoI did not wish
to engage in any Goptreyersy. altho' he
was in error, not only innregard to my
own regiment but, also the 21st Ohio.
Happily in The National Tribune of
Sept 5, Maj. Isaac Cusac, of the 21st
Ohio. makes plain the part that gallant
regiment bore in the battle No regi-
ment on the bloody field of Chicka-
mauga did nobler work than the 35th
Ohio, and far be 1t from me to try to
take from it single laurel. Neither do
L believe Comrade Morton Intentionally
made single misstatement; he belongs
to too good a regiment for that.
How, then, did he come to fall into
errer? From the simple fact he con-
foundra ,he 9th Ind. with the 21st Ohio.
He lot know that in the dark the
9th Il had come up and stood as a.
barrier between the 35th and the 21st.
His statement that the Colonel of the
21st Ohio reported the loss of his regi-
ment is easily explained When Lieut..
Thompson. Of the 9Th Ind. escaped and
reported the close proximity of the Con-
federates and the surrender of the 2Ist
Ohio, Col. Suman thought it wise to
draw back the right of the 9Th Ind.
Hardly had the movement commenced
when a mounted officer rode up to Col.
Suman,- demanding to- know. the cause
of the noise and confusion on the right;
and why he was drawing back his regi-
rnent. E
The Colonel told him of the close
proximity of the enemy and the sur
render of the 21st Ohio. The officer
ridiculed the idea that a regiment would
surrender without firing single shot.
and intimated that it was for other rea-
sops. that Col. Suman wanted to with
draw his men. This nettled Col Su-
man, and he hotly told the officer If he
didn't believe him to ride a few PAGES
to the right. In his report Col. Suman
says, HE did not go" We always
thought. but did not know for certain.
that this officer was Col Boynton, of
the 35th Ohio, until a few years before
his death, when the writer met Gen.
Boynton, and he admitted that he was
the officer.
Now, Comrade Morton either heard
this conversation between the two Colo
nels or was told of it, and confounds
col. Suman with the Colonel of the 21st
Ohio, SO his mistake is easily accounted
for.
The articles Of Cornrade Morton and
Maj. Cusac make all plain with the ex-
ception of the shooting of the Confed-
crate or Confederates who demanded
the surrender. That the 9th Ind. and
35th Ohio were close together, il not
commingled, is evident. 1t is not be-
yond belief that two Confederates. in
stead of one, rode forward and demand
ed the surrender, and that both met
their death. one from the 9th Ind. and
the other from the 35th Ohio.
That the regiments were somewhat
mingled L know from the fact that in
taking our position on the 7hill we passed
little beyond some of the 35th Ohio
probably the right, WHICH was some-
"iAt 1 have ase"fai heard CAPT, Braden. of my
company. relate little Incident which
illustrates the temper of the 35th Ohio
at that time. He passed "a soldier. who
was lying, behind a small rock with his
gun, across it. The soldier, looked up
and the Captain says1it was the face oi
mere boy, but with the soul of hero
Captain" he exGlaimad, Eve have
knocked hi out OF thomr every time
lthey came. 1 have ;enly; tiais one shot ir
my gun hnt. if thassS, c.err,e- again L will
give them that and them the bayonet.'
OF such were the heroes who held Snod-
grass Hiil.-B. A: Dunn, Co. c, 9th Ind.
Waukegan, ILL., ~