Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-10
COL. HAsKELLs REPLY TO GEN PILLOW.
TO THE PUBLIC.

Oh way from my residence IN Jackson 10 this
city, which was visiting private business met Hunt
ngdon with the reply of Gen. PIL1ow the communication
of myself and officers, published in the New Orleans Pic
ayune OF the 29h Of May last, in relation the operations
Gen. Pillows brigade the recent action Of Ceo Gordo
In reoning to the reply of Gen Pillow, shall endearor
to do 50 with that dignity of and temperatures
tone BETTING the columns Of public journal for however
provoking the language of Gen. Pillow may be me- and
however much might be justified in the employment OF harsh
er terms than shall USE STILL in the absence Of Gen. Pillow
should suffer in my esteem If i'll temper betrayed
the use OF stronger words than such necessary simply
to convey my meaning Besides, have high public duty
to perform and although Gen Pillow processes the
communication myself and officers coming alone from me-
and endeavos to divert the public mind from contemplation
OF his misconduct by making this controversy purely per-
sona between us, still bring myself believe that
the pages OF newspaper while the parties separated from
each other by the distance Of thousand miles, the pro-
per places Tor the Of personalities the settlement of per-
| sonal affairs
Following the order in which the General has arranged his
reply, notice, first his attempt special pleading and mys
caon IN reference to the enemys position and number Of
batteries In the communication of myself and officers the
enemys line OF works described in the following language
right OF the enemy extended from the left of the Jaapa
road to the gorge in the mountains through which the
iows Along this line the enemy had established himself
three different heights divided from each other BY almost i'm
passabe ayines. Each of these heights strengthened
by admirably constructed works, known to engineers
as NOS. I, ana commencing at the his de-
scrpion the General denies be correct and says that n
stead OF three works in this line of works. these gentlemen
there known be four before the battle battery
No. l. situated the river bluff and No. 2, the extreme
OF the enemys line Of beaStC0rk, and not the point
assaulted than from four hundred six hundred yards and
batteries Nos and still further towards the National
road the place assaulted made the fifth battery" This
gular description of the enemys work opposed by General
Pillow without particle OF proof to the combined testmo-
OF myself and sixteen of my officers. These state
ments make direct issue of fact between myself General
Pillow. How is it to be determined So far the weight of
testimony with me, and if Gen. Pillow desires relieve
himself from the appearance of having endeavoed mead
the public mind by wrongly describing these works. let him
produce map drawn by any intelligent officer of the eng
neer corps who examined the ground and he does will
prove that he not only Ignorant of the ground before the
battle, but that he has learned nothing about and that
if he had his work to do second time, be would do it
bunderingly he did it before. The truth is that there
but four distinct eldworks the whole battlefield Of
Cerro Gordo Commencing the enemys right they stand
IN the following order: No. l. situated the bluff mme-
dateiy above the gorge through which the river flows and
totally disconnected from No. by deep and almost impas
sable ravineeavng space Of hundred yards more
where there wall works of any kind. This work
mounted some five six guns. No. 2 the left of
No. divided from No. by still deeper ravine and
disconnected from by still greater spacesay hun
ded yards moreeach elevation having separate battery
and ortfcaton This work had guns its front line
three four its redoubt and two what General
Pillow calls retired line" No. 3 contained about six or
guns. This work extended from the top the height
where the guns placed along the side the mountain
and nearly parallel with the National road to the point
struck the road nearly opposite the height Of Ceo Goro
At this point in the road where this hedwork terminated
there battery of six large brass guns enfadng the
road. The and last fedork that which encircled
the height of Cero Gordo which the right of the
road. On this height there six guns all mounted on
carriages Higher up the Jalapa road, the head
quarters OF Santa Anna, there five
guns but ed-woks. It the second of these works
(No. y which regiment ordered to attack; and
the strangeSt and reckless declarations which General
Pillow has made is, that was ordered assault bate
ny No. p that battery assated In the
paragraph which contains this extraordinary mssatemen
Gen. Pillow declares that it intended that Colonel
Wynkoop should assault No. l. How does this subsequent
statement with the language OF his official the
18th April, 1877 In that paper he says: II therefore d.
yected COL HASKELL mho commanded the assauhing torce
intended for the attack Of bGtery No :, to assault at ,cork
lcih rigor, and carry al the point of the bdgo,et His
And in subsequent paragraph Of the report, he
"Ea The mean time, CoL Wynkoop, ,cho commanded The
storng party designed 70 aack bey No. |, succeeded
in gaming the position Where The assault to hare been
made &c. How fatty the official report and his reply con-
tradc each other But the General for the purpose of re-
eving himself from the rdcule which necessarily follows him
for having ordered the attack No ?, while the attacking
party exposed its dreadful fire in front and the ak
ing fire of the batteries either flank, that the adj
jacen angles of Nos. and the intended points of
assault Why what sort OF qubbing is this Is not the
angle Of the work part of the work itself, How attack the
angle OF a work and leave the work itself unattached Rd
cuous!
But the truth is there such angles he describes
there, and Gen. Pillow unwitngy coniesses the fact In
portion of his reply he . The position intended
be attacked ,ca Jeerd by both the engineers and
myself be the angle of those batteries" &c. in another
pant he says At this supposed angle guns could be
seen, &C. and that he deceived in the supposion if
he supposed any such thing, fully admitted by him in
the following language: "1he assault made the place
previously determined and made known to these officers
and, though this point turned strong icor mount
ing eight pieces of artillery Immediately in front, and two
retired line all of which were, the of
attack entirely concealed and completely masked by the
wall and Brush net up to that time beecd 4, be an
Nos and =. Such the position intended to be and
actually assaulted" Yet General Pillow says No. "nerer
tcas assaulted"
AS "thc beastwork connecting the batteries Nos.
and g. Gen. Pillow knew well enough when he said that
there such stone bieaswork there. Nos. and .
again say, separated from each other by deep rayne
Why did not Gen. Pillow acknowledge this once The
evident He is unwilling that the world should know
the TRUTH and is endeavoring msead it and will just
remark in this connection, that Gen Pillow contrary all
courtesy and military etiquette failed 10 call upon his colonies
for reports Of that days work. Why did he do so The
easy. These reports would have elc ed the TRUTH
and description of the ground. This failure his part
call for reports, and his Misrepresentation in his official
report among the which mpecd my officers and
myself TO give the whole affair to the public Il
Reviewing the reply Of Gen Pillow in its proper order,
notice his defence Of the in which the regiments
moved to the OF action As stated in the
nicacn Of my officers and myself, and denied by him.
Col. Wynkoop supported nv Col CamIbeIl assail