davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 51st Pa. ut Antictam.

Editor National Tribune: In accord
ance with instructions from our assO-
ciation at Annual Reunion held a ROX-
borough, Philadelphia, Sept. 80. 1909.
/ am forwarding to you the following
resolution after being Investigated Dy
a committee of three comrades relative
to who charged and -ook Antietam
Bridge, Sept. II, 1862:
Resolved, That we, the members OF
the 51st Pa. Association, in business
session assembled. do hereby most
earnestly protest against that part of
the history of the Army of the Potomac
written by the editor of The National
Tribune, in which the credit of making
the charge on the stone bridge at An
51st n. Y, and emphatically insist that
the credit should be given to the 51st
Pa. who led the brigade in the charge
and crossed the bridge frst.'-Mont-
gomery s. Smith, RoXborough, Phila-
delphia, Pa.
The claim of the comrades of the
51st Pa. is correct, as will be seen by
the following extract from the report
of Gen. Ferrero, commanding the bri-
gade which captured the bridge:
''On the morning of the nth. about
o'clock, by your order, / advanced
my forces toward the stone bridge
urally almost impregnable and very
strongly fortified by the enemy. We
formed line of battle in a cornfield near
the bridge, and awaited the result of
the attack of some of our other forces
that had preceded my brigade in the
attempt to cross the creek. The pas
sage of the bridge was, however, very
obstnately disputed, and at length /
received orders from you to move for
ward my brigade and carry the bridge
at all hazards. / accordingly moved
forward my command, and carried the
bridge at the point of the bayonet at
O'Clock, losing in doing so a large num-
ber of officers and men. The 51st Pa.
commanded by Col. ]. F. Hartranft, led
the charge. followed by the 51st n. Y,
Lieut.. Col. r. B. Potter; the 35th Mass,
Lieut.-Col. Carruth, and the 21st Mass,
Col w. S. Clark"
Our comrades did not give their reg
iment full credit, since they failed to
mention that they lost their Lieutenant
Colonel, Bell, who was killed at the
bridge by shell.-Editor National
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 1st Colo. Cav.

Editor National Tribune: I do not
like to trouble you too much about this
matter, but 1 should like very much to
have a short history of the 1st Colo
Cav.-John p. Martin, S17 S. 10th
street, st. Joseph, Mo.
The 1st Colo. Cav. or 10 companies
of it, We're organized at Denver City
and Camp Weld from Aug. 26 to Dec
IA, 1861, as the 1st Colo. and changed
to cavalry Nov. l, 1862. Cos. C and d
of the I'd Colo. were assigned to this
regiment as Cos. L and NJ in December,
1862, and April. 1868. After serving
out two enlistments the regiment was
finally mustered out at different dates
from Oct. &c to Nov. IS, 1865. 1t was
commanded by Col. John P, Slough.
who resigned April 9, 1862, succeeded
by Col. John NJ. Chivington, mustered
out on the expiration of his term, Sept
%, 1864. At the time of final muster
out Lieut.-Col. Samuel F. Tappan was
in command. 1t lost 80 killed and So
wounded, and took part in the battles
of Apache Canyon (March 26 and
March IS, 1862, Peralta, Cedar Bluffs,
Smoky Hill. Fremont's Orchard, At
kns's Ranch, Pawnee Forks, Big
Sandy, Valley Station and Little Ler-
mio.-EditOr National Tribune.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 9th Conn

Editor National Tribune: Please give
a short history of the 9th Conn. l be-
lieve 1 am the only surviving field Off
Ger left of the same.-Richard Fitzgib-
bons, Northumberland, Bridgeport,
Conn.
The 9th Conn. was organized at New
Haven Sept &c, 1861, and at the ex-
piration of it's term of service the vet
Grams and recruits consolidated into a
battalion of four companies "a. B. C
and d., and mustered out Aug. 5. 1865.
1t was commanded by Col. ThoS ".
Cahill, who was mustered out Oct &c.
1864. succeeded by Lieut.-COI John c..
Healy, in command at the time of final
muster-out. 1t belonged to Growers Di-
vision. Nineteenth Corps. and lost 10
killed and 243 from disease. etc.-Ed-
itor National Tribune
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
REPRESENTATIV JOHN A. T,
HULL.

Il is earnestly hoped that there will
be no trouble about returning to Con-
gress that splendid soldier and valuable
public servant, Capt. John A. T. Hull,
Representative of the Seventh District
of Iowa Capt Hull is now the only
veteran in the House of Representa-
tives to represent the magnificent body
of fighting men which the young State
There was no better man nor soldier
among them than the boyish Hull, who
enlisted in the 23d Iowa in 1862, and
rose by good soldiership to be a Lieu
tenant and Captain. He was so severe
ly wounded in the desperate charge on
the intrenchments at Black River as
to compel his retirement from the
army. He is now serving his tenth
term in Congress, and his long exper-
ience in prominent work in the House
of Representatives makes him not only
influential and valuable to Iowa, but
also to the whole country. He is one
of the safe, sure, efficient men, who can
always be relied upon to do in any
emergency the right thing, and he has
done the right thing conspicuously
many times as Chairman of the i'm
portant Committee on Military Af-
fairs He is a constant and faithful
friend of the veterans and their de-
pendent ones; is ready at all times for
anything which may be proposed for
their benefit, and it is strongly to the
interest of the comrades all over the
country that he should be retained in
his present place.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 29th ILL

Editor National Tribune: Will you
please publish a short history of the
39th Ill. and its losses during the war :?
%. 7. Lee, Greenville, Ill.
The 39th ILL.,, one of the fighting reg
iments, was organized at Chicago and
Springfield Oct. II, 1861, and March
"a. 1862, and after serving out two en-
listments finally mustered out Dec 6,
1865. 1t was commanded by Coils. Thos
o. Osburn and Orrin L. Mann in sue
cession. The 39th was also called
"Yates's Phalanx,' and spent the first
eight months of its service in West Vir-
sinia, guarding railroads most of the
time. 1t was present at Kernstown,
but not actively engaged. Arrived on
the Peninsula just after Malvern Hill.
and was afterwards sent to Suffolk
Part of 1863 was passed at Charles
ton Harbor. where it engaged in the
siege operations on Morris Island and
Fort Wagner. The regiment encoun-
tered very hard fighting at Deep Bot
tom, where it captured an earthwork,
losing 20 killed, 76 wounded and seven
missing. In the assault on Fort Gregg
and at the fall of Petersburg the gal
lantry of the 39th was specially ac-
knowledged by Gen. Gibbon. 1t lost in
that fight 16 killed and As wounded out
of only $50 engaged. OF the nine men
in the color guard seven were shot
down. 1t belonged to Terry's Division,
Tenth Corps, and lost 141 killed and
1872 from disease, etc. Its total of killed
and wounded was 522, and 80 of its
members died in Confederate prisons
Editor National Tribune.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The Auditor of Indiana writes:

Editor National Tribune: In the
year 1908 the State spent for the State
Soldiers Home $221.697.32, and for
the Soldiers and Sailors Orphans
Home S117,639.12. We have not COM
piled the expenses for 1909.-John G.
Billheimer, Auditor.
This, it will be perceived. does not
include the County expenses for the
relief of veterans and their dependent
Jones.
The Auditor-Gen of Michigan
writes:
Editor National Tribune: Replying
to your favor will say that the only
appropriation the State of Michigan
makes on account of the veterans Of
the civil war is an appropriation Of
$4,000 n year for the support of the
Michigan Soldiers Home, located at
Grand Rapids. In addition to this,
there is a law whereby the Counties
pay the expenses Of the burial of the
veteran or his widow at a sum not to
exceed $40 in each case. The last Ses-
sion of the Legislature also passed a
law czempting from taxation the home
stead of veteran or his widow that
does not exceed in assessed valuation
$1,000. b. Fuller, Auditor-General
The Auditor of Iowa writes:
Editor National Tribune. Comply
ing with your request Will say that
the disbursement for the relief Of SOL
Idiers Of the civil war and their widows
and orphans in 1908 was $144,7G9.69,
which was a little less than the aver
age for the past six years. In fact
the amount has been on the decrease
since 1904, but I presume fair aver
age would be about $l5O,O00 annually
John l.. Bleakly, Auditor of State.
The Auditor of Illinois says that his
office does not receive accounts from
the various Counties as to the amount
that they eXpend for the relief of vet
Grams. He says: The State annually
expends for the maintenance of the
Soldiers and Sailors Home the sum
of 100000; of the Soldiers Widows
Home the sum of s22, 500 and in the
Soldiers Orphans Home s67.5OO."
The Auditor of Ohio writes: There
has been levied by the County Com
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The Oath of Allegiance

Editor National Tribune: Will you
kindly publish the oath that volunteers
took during the civil war when mus
tered into the United States service >
K. w. Musgrove, Bristol, \. H.
The Army Regulations for 1861 con-
tain. in paragraph 935, the following
regulation:
As soon as practicable, and at least
within six days after his enlistment, the
following oath will be administered to
the recruit:
"I, A B., do solemnly swear or af-
firm Gas the case may be- that 1 will
bear true allegiance to the United States
of America. and that 1 will serve them
honestly and faithfully against all their
enemies or OppOsers whatsoever. and
observe and obey the orders of the
President of the United States and the
orders OF the officers appointed over
me, according to the rules and articles
for the government of the armies of the
United States.'"
Our remembrance is that there was
inserted after whatsoever the words
either foreign or domestic.'-Editor
National Tribune
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
LEES UNIFORM.

The Washington Post makes a lame
effort to defend Lee in Confederate uni
form in the Capitol by saying that it
would be anomaly" to have Lee put
In citizens clothes, since he was a SOL
der all his life. 1t goes on to say:
1T is true that he served valiantly in
the American army in Mexico. and as
Chief OF Staff planned every battle be-
tween Vera Cruz and Mexico City
Scott so reported, and that is why
Scott was so insistent that Lee be made
Chief in the field Of the
Federal armies in 1861"
If this be true. and Lees statue was
put in there to recognize his service
An the liexican war, why was it not
clothed in the uniform that he wore
when he was fighting for his country?
The Confederate uniform on him
means that his highest honor in the
eyes Of the men who put the statue in
the Capitol was that he fought against
the Government of the United States
and the uniform was intended to for
ever memOrialize this fact That is. il
can have no other meaning than glor-
ifiration of a man who left the service
of the United States TO head a rebellion
against its authority and life, and gave
all of his great ability and energy to
the destruction Of the Nation which
had educated him and whose trusted
servant he had been.
Lees case differs absolutely from the
other historical illustrations Of forgive
ness which are cited In England the
men who led Instructions and civil
wars did not intend the destruction of
the country or the kingdom. but fought
for what they conceived would be the
greater glory and happiness of their
country. They may have been mis-
taken, and therefore it is proper for
those who were rebels at the time TO be
honored later. The case is wholly diff
ferent with Gen. Lee and those asso-
ciated with him, since they fought to
destroy the country, to wreck the
Union and erect an independent Ma
tion which would have no part in il.
Therefore, there is the most glaring
logical absurdity in having the statue
OF such a man in the Capitol of the
.Tnted States.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
Tie lst MT-s Cav

Editor National Tribune: Please give
a history of the 1st Mass. Cav-B. T.
Lane, IS Summer street, Middleboro,
Mass.
Cos. A to II, inclusive. of this regi-
ment were organized at Readville from
September to November. 1861. Cos. /.
X, l. and NJ of the original organization
were detached Aug. 4, 1863. to form an
Independent battalion, to which eight
new companies were added Feb. Il,
1864, to form the 4th Mass. Cav. with
four new companies raised from Dec.
3. 1868, to Jan. IA, 1864. to take the
places of the transferred companies.
The original members were mustered
out Oct. "A. 1864, and the veterans and
recruits consolidated into eight compa-
nies and mustered out June 20, 1865.
It was commanded by Col. Robert Will
liams, a West Point graduate. who re-
signed Oct. 80. 1852, succeeded by Col.
Horace p. Sargent. discharged Sept. 90.
1864. succeeded by Lieut.-Col. Samuel
E. Chamberiin. in command at the
time of final muster-Out. 1t belonged
to Gregg's Division. Cavalry Corps, and
lost SO killed and 40 from disease, etc.
Editor National Tribune
The National tribune., 1910-01-20

BE enacted by the Senate and House Of Representatives of the
United States OF Anserica IN Congress assembled:
SECTION That any who served 80 days in the mil
ary of the United during late civil war or
90 days the with Mexico and who has honorab dis
charged he1efrom and who has reached the of years over
SHALL making proof of such according such rules and
regulations the Secretary of the Interior provide be placed
upon the pension roll and be entitled receive pension as follows
such person has reached the of 62 years. SIS per month
G5 $40 month"; 20 $50 month IS $40
month"; and such pension shall date of be
filing the application in the Bureau of after the passage
approval of this Act Pordd that pensioners 81
and who receiving pensions under xno
laws whose claims pending the Bureau Pensions may by
application the Commissioner of form as he NAV
prescribe the benefits of this Act nothing herein con-
tanned shall prevent entitled pension
prosecuting his and receiving anv other
general special act Progdd that shall pen
under other law at the time the that
he receiving pension under the provisions of this Pyo0
FURTHER that who receiving shall receive
under other general special than he
would be entitled to under the provisions herein shall be pen
sionable under this Act.
Seq That rank the service shall not be in appca
tions filed hereunder.
SEC That the clauses in the Acts o June 81 $780, May
and April 49, 1908 denying widows of soldiers sailors
and Marines who married their husbands subsequent June
are hereby repealed
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 3Sth Ohio,

Editor National Tribune: Please give
a short sketch of the 3Sth Ohio, and
was it one of the fighting regiments p
William Lent, r. L. d. 2, Edgerton, o.
The 3Sth Ohio, one of the fighting
regiments, was organized at Defiance
from July, 1861, to April, 1862, and
after serving out two enlistments final
ly mustered out July II, 1865. 1t was
commanded by Coils. Edwin Bradley,
Edward Ii. Phelps, VIM. a. Choat and
VIM. Irving in succession. During the
Summer of 1862 the regiment took part
in the campaigns of the Army of the
Ohio, joining in the retrograde move
ment from Chattanooga to Louisville.
At Missionary Ridge, where Col. Phelps
was killed, it lost nine killed and 81
wounded. 1t was in Estes Brigade in
the Atlanta campaign, and at Utoy
Creek, Aug. ., 1864, three companies of
the 3Sth, numbering 120 men, made a
successful charge on the enemy's skir-
mish line with the small loss of nine
killed and AZ wounded. At Jonesboro
the regiment lost AZ killed and 10S
wounded out of 800 engaged, Col. Choat
and two color-bearers being killed in
this battle. 1t belonged to Baird's Divi-
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS.

Senator Scott, of West Virginia, has
put UP to the Secretary of War the
question which, if the Honorable Sec
retary attempts to answer. will take
his mind for some time of the con-
temptation of his Confederate flags and
the pictures of Jeff Davis, Lee and
Stonewall Jackson.
Senator Scott's resolution reads:
.sThat the Secretary of War be. and
he is hereby, directed to inform the Sen
ate the number of Federal State troops
engaged in the war between the States
who are not on the pension roll.
In order to answer this question the
Secretary of War will have to find
out just how many individuals served
in the Union army and how many were
killed or died of disease and how many
have died since the close of the war.
No man can make more than a guess
as to how many individuals were in the
Union army. In 1866, Provost-Marshal
Gen. Frye, who knew more about the
matter than any other official of the
Government, said that the aggregate of
quotas charged against the States under
all the various calls was 2.759,04 In
1890 this estimate was changed by the
Record and Pension Bureau to a total
of 2,77S.304. From these were de-
Quoted enough sailors and marines to
reduce the total to 2,672,341 Nothing
satisfactory was ever done toward find
ing out how many individuals were en-
bodied in this great mass of enlist
ments. Gen Frye himself says in his
report:
NO official compilation has ever
been made of the total number of re-
enlistments, but various estimates have
been made by. different authorities
ranging from $4,000 to 716,7S7 The
mean between these two numbers,
543,393, is believed to be a fair ap-
Proclamation. Deducting this from the
total credited to the army leaves 2.12S,-
19S as the number of individual soldiers
serving in the war. The number of
deaths for the army is 359.52S, and the
number of actual deserters at large at
the close of the war (making due al
lowance for those incorrectly reported
as deserters) has been estimated at
117.247. Deducting the deaths and de-
serters leaves 1.652173 as the proba-
bic number of individual soldiers who
were alive at the termination of SER
vice and were not deserters."
Unless the Secretary contents him
self with pointing to this statement and
saying, as the little girl did who had
the Lords Prayer hung up in her room,
''Them's my sentiments" he will have
a pleasing time in furnishing the in
formation which the Senator from West
Virginia desires.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20
ANDERSONVILLE PRISON PARK.

Comrade Thomas W. Bradley, Rep
resentative from the Goth District of
New York, is one of the few comrades
still remaining in the House of Repre-
sentatives, and one whom the veterans
of the United States should know bet
ter He was born in 1874, enlisted as
a private, and received a medal of
honor for gallantry. He was brevetted
Major for gallant service; was wounded
at Gettysburg, at the Wilderness, and
of the New York Chattanooga-G Gettys-
burg Battlefield Commission, and is
now serving his fourth term in Con-
gress. BY his efforts the long pending
bill to transfer the Andersonville Prison
Park to the Government was last week
passed unanimously by the House of
Representatives. 1t viii be remem-
bered- that the site of the infamous
prison pen was first taken care of by
the Department of Georgia and South
Carolina G.. A. r., which bought a
tract of land 1874 acres in extent and
improved it considerably. This proved
too heavy burden for the little De-
partment, even with the assistance of
the noble women of the Relief Corps.
In 1893 the National Organization of
the Woman's Relief Corps accepted the
property as a gift from the Department
of Georgia, G.. A. r., and completed
| the park by the purchase of some ad-
I; lNnroan'c ;af
Corps have spent great deal of money
on the lands, enclosing the lands with
| a wire fence, building a 10-room cot
ttage, and planting trees, shrubbery and
flowers, and many States have erected
monuments inside the original stock
ade grounds to comrades who died
there The old stockade was further
beautified by the Ex-Prisoners of War
Association by the erection over Provi-
dence Spring of fine stone canopy
1.-The Womans Relief Corps thought
that the park, for various reasons,
lshould BIZ transferred to the Govern
ment, which could exercise proper care
over it, and therefore in 1908 Mrs.
Kate f. = Jones, National President of
the w. +. c., made formal offer of
/ it to the Government. Mrs Kate B.
Sherwood Past National President;
Mrs. Mary NJ. North and Mrs. Isabel
Worrell Ball, as resident of Washing
ton, worked indefatigably to bring
about the transfer. The Committees
of both Houses reported favorably on
its acceptance blythe Government and
Feb. Is, 1909, the Senate passed bill
accepting it, but it failed to pass the
House. f4Col. Bradley. from the Com
mittee on Military Affairs of the House,
made a favorable report and pressed
Tor the passage of the bill, which was
done unanimously. Undoubtedly the
ISenate will at once concur with the
House in this, and the park grounds
| will thenceforth be under the2 direct
care of the Government, which can
protect it the same as it does the Ma
tional Cemeteries. Heretofore the only
protection that it has had has been the
laws of Georgia, which Of course was
very slender guard against depreda-
tions All those who suffered in that
lawful pen of torture will be glad that
the sacred place is where it belongs,
under the protecting aesis of the
United States.
The National tribune., 1910-01-20

mis;ioners of the various Counties for
the relief of, civil war veterans and
their wabws hid orphans for the year
I1969-10,. $4S4,462.s2.-A. W. Beatty.
Deputy lJAudioa of State. Columbus,
Ohio.
The Auditor of Accounts of New Jer-
sey writek: :
Editor National Tribune: Replying
to your favor will say that the State of
New Jersey disbursed during the fiscal
year ended oct. 81. 1909. for the sup
port of ihe Soldiers Home at Kearny.
less the amount received from the
United States Government. $44,692.6S.
For theSFSoldiers' Home at Vineland.
(which also furnishes n home for
widows. less the amount received from
the. United States Government, s62,
S77.2S. or n total of s107, 07,570.91.-Wil-
liam E. Drake, Auditor of Accounts,
Trenton, n. j.
These confirm abundantly what we
have said as to the necessity of a more
liberal pension legislation to lift these
burdens from the States We do not
expect, for various strong reasons. that
the 20 State Homes Will be abolished,
and therefore the expense for maintain
ing them may be eliminated from the
sum total. The State and National
Homes have merits and are necessarily
outside of any pension system. Thou
sands of old men are suffering from
diseases which require institutional
treatment and institutional care for the
sufferers. They cannot be properly
taken care of in their own homes or in
the homes of their sons and daughters,
and can be made much more com
Portable and their years prolonged by
going to large, well managed institu-
tions where they will have the best
of medical care and nursing. Even
with the expense of the State Homes
eliminated the remaining sum is suf-
iciently great in the aggregate to form
la convincing reason for the passa ge Of
a more liberal pension bill which will
raise tens'of thousands of veterans and
their widows beyond the need of as
sistance and give them sufficient to
maintain themselves during their last
Years without the sharp, singing pres
sure of absolute need of the necessares
Of life. We hope for such n LIBERAL
iZation of pension laws as will obviate
The necessity of the States and Coun-
ties giving any outdoor relief whatever.
There is a manifest unfairness about
the State laws, since it will be seen, as
We publish these replies that while
many of the States are quite liberal,
others are not so. In the Eastern
States, where the population is dense,
the country has been built up and there
is sufficient money in the treasury for
the usual public expenses, the States
can appropriate more literally than
can the newer States in the West, where
there is little accumulation of prop
erty and every dollar raised by taxa
ton is urgently needed for road, pub
lie buildings and other absolutely neces-
sary public expenses The veterans
and their widows in these States are
at a great disadvantage compared with
those in such States as New York, Ohio,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
William Spencer, Secretary of the
State Board of Soldiers Relief for
Rhode Island writes: The State an
nually disburses FOR the relief of vet
Grams of, The civil war and their widows
and orphans $40, 900. Last year there
was disbursed $9,19444."