Washington telegraph., 1847-06-30
v OIL. a..

NeIV oplgea 10 mafch, pierced lho enemy
line OF works just at the point selected l1r
the assault. by my order OF attack. Wyn.
koop's Ossaulihg column was 10 form on the
LEFT path, fronting the right side OF the angle,
aud llaskel's assauling force was 10 larm
on the right side of the path, and was to
attack the works on the lell side Of the an.
gle. Wyhkaop's position was further al,
Fauccd on the road lhan Ilaskell's, and
therefore he Was placed in the ADVANCE
When Wyukoop's regiment reached its pn.
sition, il was 10 form, aud did form the prop.
er side ofihe path. When IlaskelIis re.
giment had formed, II cleared the path ior
Col. Campbell regiment 10 pass up 10 Col.
Nlnkoop's support. The passage OF Col.
GampbeIi's regiment LEFT the way clear Tor
Roberts 10 eome forward 10 llaskelIis sup.
port. This II Nill be seen that the only
prde Of march by which il was possible
10 have plaeed the regiments, with their
supporting lasees, Ia the proper formation
ofeach assaufing ioree, without the least
confusion af disorder although there va
no road hnl narrow pathway.
Again Col. Haskell says that placed
his regiment in position by directing him
10 rest his righ on the righ Of the palh
attending his ief square II 70 the lei. 50
as 10 form his liae of baIie parallel Rih
ite centre Md uorA of M eaemg.h lie
then LAY lhal "by this mannuyre. Il will
he perceived that the ranks Of Col. LA.
kell 5 con nand were Hsrtfsed, tie tr0Bf
rink becoming the rear aud the figkf OF
the regiment H. letl." Now. how il Is pos.
SHE ior a regiment which is marching hy
The flank 10 reverse lis ranks aud change
i. wing. from right 10 len. BY his order. il
Vii ba difficult ior any military man 10
comprehend. Il The riga Of tho regiment
was upon the right Of the path, aud the ieti
extended sqnfe of 10 he len, as he says
vas ordcIr.l By me, i Was a impossible l1r
the fiags 10 have been rsuHfsed by iha' or.
der, as i would b. Tor a nan to rerefo Iia
position Of ts 1log arms, aud equally 50 ilr
the ranks 10 have been fefersed Tor They
could not possibly be reversed except the
whole regiment being ordered 10 face by the
rear ranks, which would have turned the
backs Of tie mel to tho enemy; and vet
Col. Haskell comes TO the conclusion that
by this order his rings and his raals were
rcrtrsei, ! cannot account for such ine,
piicablc confusion of mind in a military
man. To suppose him so ignorant OF the
principles Of military science, would show
him utterly unlii Tor the command ola rrsi.
mcn'; aud yet we are forced 10 his conclu.
slou, or To the belief that he was so much
periH,J'd by aofrlus seasibiihy. that he did
not know bis righ, wing from bis lett nor
his rear rank from bis 'front.' defy him.
self or any OF bis friends 10 eSiricatc bn
from this dilemma. Il would be entirely
immaicria by which flank he marched
the order which he says did give, would,
II executed, place the regiment in proper
position lot the assault upon tho cneny's
works.
First, then, Col. Haskell mlssiaics the
number of works in the encmy's line aud
lheir positions. Sccnndiy-hc misstalo.
the work which in fact, intended, either
hmselfor Wynkoop 10 assail, aud the work
which was actually assailcd. Thirdly
the oulcr Of march, which he regards as a
b,under OF mine, was proper, aud tn, only
one by which tho assauling parties could
possibly reach their posilions-and the re.
gimcnts were each placed in tho march,
with this express object. FouHh-my or.
der for the formation Of his command into
a line Of battle which he says rcrcrStd the
wings aud the ranks Of his regiment, was
right and proper and agreeably to that
order there was no possibility Of his wings
and his ranks being reycrsed-and ycl tho
public arc told, In tho very outset Of this
article, that the publication is TO bo "a sim
pie statement of the facts, "which is by
no means complimentary TO the Generals
talents as a military man. Is my military
reputation 10 be affected before an inicli.
gent nation. by such as an assault as thisl
In the very effort 10 assail me he exposes a
degree Of mbecilHy aud ignorance as
military man, which cxcites in my bosom
nothing but n sense Of pity and contempt
Again, ho says, prolessed TO have care.
fully reconnoiiored these works, "but the
truth is the General was ignorant of tho
ground and oil the encmy's strength and pre-.
paraiions Of Defence" did profess to
have reconnoiierod these works and ground,
as carefully as, from the nature of tho
ground, and other obstacles, | could; but
deny that either the engineers or myself
did or could carefully rcconnoitre them, or
ever said we had. Col. Johnson, engineer
while engaged in reconnaissance of these
works, was shot through the bG6y twice.
Lieut.. Tower, engineer and myself dcyo.
ted three other days to the examination of
those works were repeatedly shot at aud
once holly pursued, and narrowly escaped
capture. On this last occasion Col. Has.
kell was along, himself Lieut.. Tower
and myself had as carefully reconnoilered
these works as it was possible to do under
the constant fire to which we were exposed
from the enemy's picqueis. lprolessed to
"A l..ll 1