The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1847-07-01

"heu " yhhOops regiment reached lis p'
q sluon II was TO form, and did form on III
q proper side of the path. When Haskell
regiment had formed II cleared the pat
. for Col. Cdupbell's regiment TO pass up /
!. Wynhoop's support. The passage # Camp
q bells regiment left the way clear for r.
berts 10 come forward 10 Ilaskcli's support
/ Thus It vii be seer thai the only order {
, march By which II was possible 10 hav
placed the regiments With their sIPportln.
! forces 10 proper position was adopted, al,
/! resulted 10 The proper Formation Of eaci
ossauIlng force, wthoG, the least confusion
or disorder, although here was no road bu
u marrow pathway.
Again CJl Haskell says ,ha, placed
hls regiment IN position by directing hu
4" 10 rest BIS night 90 the nght Of the path
extending his left squares of TO the Ic,t, So
as to form his line OF battle parallel with the
centre field work OF the enemy" He then
says that by this mar 1ivte II will be per.
celved that The ranks Of Col. Has kell'a
command we're reversed, the from, rauk be.
coming The rear, and the right Of the regl.
meui IT'S leli," Now, how IL is possible for
a regiment which Is marching by the hlnk
to reverse It's Tanks and change ITS wings
from night 10 left, by this order, i, vii te
1 d tilcuIi for auy military m9Ypa g t;r, yyas
bend II The il '9ithe path, and the left ex.
.e1FeiU6d squares of TO the left, as he says
vas ordered By me, II was impossible for
tie Wings 10 have been reversed by that
order as It would be for a man 10 reverse
the position Of his own arms-and equally
50 Tor The rauAs 10 have been reversed for
they could not possibly be reversed except
by the whole regiment beng ordered 10
face by the rear ranks, which would have
turHed The Jacks Of The men 10 the enemy
and yet Col. Haskell comes to the conclu.
SION lhai BY thls order his wings aud his
ranks were reversed. cannot account for
such lueypllcabe confusion Of mind 10 mil.
ilafy man. 10 suppose him SO gnoran, Of
the principles Of military science would
show him utterly unfit for the command Of
a regiment and vet We are forced 10 this
conclusion, or TO tho belief that he was so
he did not know his right wing from the
left, nor his rear rank from his front.
DEFY himself or ans of his friends 20 extri.
cate h,ln ft ON thts duemma. 1t would be
entirely lmmatefIal BY which aank he
marched the order which he saws did
give would, II executed, place the regiment
IN proper posltlcn for the assault upon the
cnemy's works.
FIRST, then, Col. Haskell misstates the
number Of works 10 the eaemy's hues, and
thetr positions. Secondlg-he misstates
'he work which IN fact | intended either
himself or NyukOop 10 assall aud the work
which Was actually assalcd. Thirdly
the order OF march, winch he regards as
bunJer Of niue, vas proper, and the only
one by which the as=aulung parties could
possibly reach their Posluons and the
regiments we're each placed IN the march,
with this express object. Fourthy my
order for The formation Of his command 10.
TO linc Of battle, which be says reversed
the wings and the ranks of hls regiment
was night and proper aud agreeaby to
that order, there was no possibility OF his
wings and his ranks beng reversed -aud
yet the pubic arc told, in the outset Of this
article, that the publication 10 TO be
simple statement Of facts" (which IS by
no means complimentary TO the generals
talents as military man" Is my military
reputation TO be affected before an lntelh
gent nation by such an assau as this In
TINS very effort 10 assall me he exposes
degree Of ,mbec,iily and ignorance as a
military man which eNclles IN my bosom
nothing but sense Of pity and contempt,
+ Again, he says | protested 10 have care
fully rsconnuitcfed these works, but the
truth is thu Generai was ignorant Of The
ground and OF the enemy's strength and
preparations o. defence did profess TO
have reconooitered these works and GROUND,
as carefully as, from the nature of the
ground and other obstacles, ! could but
deny thai either the engineers or myself
did or could carefully teconnolre them, or
ever sad we hal. Col. Johnson, engineer,
while eu.ag d N Reconnaissance Of these
works, was shot through the body twice.
Lieut.. Tower, engineer, aud myself deYo-
ted three other days TO the examination Of
these wo,ks-were repeatedly shot ct, aud
once holly pursued and narrowly escaped u
capture. Ca this last occasion Col, Hask
ell was along himself, Lieut.. Tower aud
myself had as carefully reconnci;ered these
works as 1. was possible to do under the
cunstan, fire to which we were exposed
from the enemy's plcke,s, | protested to
have examined them a, carefully as could
F but We did not know, and could not by any
+ possibility have known Ihe character Of the
works which We attacked for they were
completely masked by the stone wall anC
brush. 10 the strength Of this work VI
we're all deceived, II was not my duty
professionally TO examine or to know Ihes,
wolks--that belonged exclusively to III,
T Engineer Corps but took It upon my sci
10 recounollre them, that might have
personal acquaintance with the ground
which could only be acquired by person
, al reconnaissance. Col. Haskell was inv,
; ted to be present Of these reconnaissance,
: ADD ives along more than once, and was a
L 4 a..