Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-10-04
From the Richmond Examiner of the 30th.
The Cheat Mountain AHaiF-.Letter
from Gen. Jackson.


We have received the following letter from
Gen. Jackson in relation to the alleged dis
con- cert of the lately reported movement of
Gen. Lee upon the Cheat Mountain frontier.
The explanation, if any is due on our part to
| Gen. jackson, is simply and obviously that
| the statements of the Examiner were derived
| from the official accounts of the affair, the
justice. impartiality or even truth of which,
were not subjects Of any interference or judg
formation of which was obtained under all
the usual circumstances of authenticity in
the news department of our paper:
CAMP BARLOW, GREENBRIER RIVER,
September 26th, 1861.
To the Editor Of the Examiner:
SIR: / have read with much pain the fol-
lowing paragraph in your issue of the 24th
inst:
The War Department has received the Off
cial report of Gen. Lee, giving a detailed ac-
count of his plan of operations on the Cheat
Mountain frontier, and of the recent failure
of the strategetic movements against the en-
emy's position. The details of the report,
which are very full, accompanied by maps
Ec., are, of course, not of a nature 10 be
communicated at this time to the public.
1t appears from the statements of the re-
port that the plan of operations was discon-
certed by the failure of the column, led by
Gen. jackson, to attack the enemy's position
on the Cheat Mountain. Gen. jackson had
made the reconnaissance himself, but, on
reaching the enemy's position, found him de-
Tended by a stockade fort. Large quantities
of timber had been felled, and were SO inter-
locked that, it is said, it would have taken
our men several hours to have climbed
through, even if there had been no enemy
on the other side to resist an attack. The
column of Gen Jackson was Withdrawn in
the face of the likelihood of much wholesale
slaughter of bis force, and the movements of
Gen. Lee, which were intended to be stimuli
taneous in their results with the attack, en-
tirely disconnected.
The plan of operation is given in the re-
port of Gen. Lee, fnlly, by the aid of maps,
and is said by military men to have been
one of the most perfect pieces of strategy in
the entire campaign. AS it has been disap-
pointed, it will be useless to canvass the
merits.
l deeply regret that while the "proper re-
ticence," to which you refer in the same
column of your paper, has not saved me
from figuring so prominently before the pub
lie, as having been mainly instrumental in
..disconcerting General Lees plan OF opera
lions" am prevented by an article in the
Army Regulations" (see clause ISL from
going into discussion of my personal rela-
ton to that plan of operations" How
exceedingly rejoiced should be to challenge,
and TO have, a full investigation of that re.
lation is well known to all who are officially
connected with me here, and who are there
by advised OF what have really done. As
sured, however, that it cannot be contempla-
ted that representations, false to history,
should go uncontradicted to the world; and,
therefore, claim place in your columns
for the following simple corrections as to
facts: