New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-29
rvv erxGE OF yORMToWH'
y,om Our Special Correspondent
C,gox r.R pe.tSSUIh

;,onot th,, Inc General Immediately IN oommand u
.,r forces here, on the 10th int, was grossly
S,upk and tbe accompanying ieiegraphic statement
t,as the officer referred 10 is Gen. VIM. +. Smith
have filed the camp with emotions of surpnse and
main. Mr. Morrill, processes TO make Lis statement
ON the authority Of " most responsible gentlemen"
h cannot be supposed that he was aetuated by mo-
syes Of malice or Twill toward Gen. Smith. New
ertbeless, he has made statement as groundiess as
II ia injurious ] was near Gen. Smith during mort
Of the day. Early in the morning, saw him on the
edge of the woods where Motifs Battery wss posted
and where in the space of fifteen minutes, seven on'
Of ten men at one piece were either killed OF
wounded, sharing all the dangers of the position
tempering, by cool words, the impetuosity oil lue
artillerists, and by his good judgment eonihDulne
Dot little TO the work of silenciDg the enemy oa'-
terry, which was done in less than two hours fro''
that time-about lOl @. m.-till about p m', no
was wit, Gen. Mcclellan aud Gen. Reyes lsu8
res, N Mr.. Morrill, that they would be compe-
Ton, u;tuesses ss 10 the truth or tslsity
Of the cruel accusation he has prougnt
against Gen. Smith. At the end of the prouacIed
interview with the Commanding g-Generd OF the
Army of the Potomac and the General IN command
Of this corps--duripg which time operations were
almost wholly suspen6ed-Gen. Smith rode directly
10 the advanced position of 800 yards four bat
feres of artillery had Just been ordered to take up
He was accompanied by several Of his stah. In
riding rapidly over plowed field, and where, az 10
the cate generally here the soil, water-soaked, IS
f,eacherous quicksand, his horse plunged and threw
his rider to the ground. The fall must have given
him shock saw the fall and remarked al the
,lot tba G.Oaral have be0n injured.
In response to some such remark, lie said the fall
good deal Jared him, but that it was no tine to stop
or rub the dirt off. Hastily remounting, he went
directly 10 "the chimneys," where the batteries
were engaging the enemy's sworks al 80 close range
that musbet balls fell in showers, and where every
mau was in peril. The noise made Gen. Smiths
horse frsctious and With less expert horfeman be
would have been quite unmansgeabe. The
anmal, rearing on his hind legs for a moment
poised himself, and broke the saddle-girth.
To save himself from being crashed, Gen.
Smith dexterously slid or partly fell from
the saddle 1t is possible that these circumstances
may have given rise to the charge Of n,oXicstion.
Up 10 that tine had seen Gen. Smith every hail
hour ain the day, except some portion Of the time
when with Gen. Mcclellan, and 90 know that the
charge has no foundation and is entirely groundess
10 truth / saw him ss frequently afier that time
up to late hour in the evening, and an entirely
certain that the accusation is equally uniounded
a. 10 his condition during that part OF the day Ii
the sccusation true, it would be easy 10 pro.
cure thousands Of witnesses, commencing with Gen
Mcclellan and large part OF his staff, Cor 10 man
WAS more active, and few exposed that day
than Gen. Smith.
Mr. Morrill, has been deceived and nsled into al
sct OF almost irrepsrable injustice to brave
~ ever lived and one Of the most meritorious officers
M the army. The responsible gentlemen" on
whose information the accusation is brought, may
have been deceived; and they may have other mo-
tiyes less ereditable to their natures-moyes peou-
Lar 10 a class of which tho army is not exempt who
are playing their parts continually, and whcse
weapons are not such as any legitimate enemy
need lear, bnt sander, cowardly calunny.
Gen. Smith is not an officer who has been known
10 be habitualy intoxicated, nor .yen occasionally
Therefore, if Nh. Mors resolution is aimed at him.
and if he expects TO see his name stricken from ths
rolls be has shot wide the lark.
have said this much under a cOnEtientOus sense
of what is due to an officer wrongiuIy ald cruelty
accused / would in some sort share the cuilt Of
uttsriDg the falseLood should fail 10 hear testimony
false-I Sil no; say malicious
hIr. Morrill, makes another statement not les desti-
tute Of TRUTH when he says that two Vermont con-
te,nies were ordered TO take certain battery, did
take and hold it for fifty ninutes in the face Of ;hree
Rebel regiments. Now honor the brave volunteers
and especially those brave men who passed the War
wick On the 16.h. But they neither received pol
executed any such order as Mr. Morrill, SAYS / do
not doubt that every man who lived 10 return has
love Of truth enough TO dispute NJ ..s state
IneDt The enemy's battery was moi entered at I'll.
A few men, with great daring, entered rite pit but
almost in the next moment retired IN the face Ci Z
vaaly superior force. Everybody, the enemy in-
ciuded gives them credit for extraordinary bravery
OF the occasion, and / believe they will
pcorn to accept the false glory Which Mr. Morrill,
would win for them by false statement Were the
statement, false as il is, made simply TO goriiy men
who have no occasion for any such thing instead Of
as part @ the gen'lemens purpose TO inAict
al injury on Gen. Sniil, would pass it unnoticed.
] do not suppose That the Vermonters remained on
the other side Of the Warwick over ten minutes.
They who attempted to 60 over were few in number
end then more on their responsibility and in q
spt Of daring hat does them credit, than IN obedi-
enoe 10 orders. Wide of TIC truth Is is tls state
Inent Of Mr. Morrill, it mas nevertheless more ground
FOR il than the iirst statement concerning Gen.
Smith; for snail party Of Vernonters dd Cross
over, ars for few moments engage the enemy in
the rifle pit. This, with man 30 magma
tive and prone 10 make injurious statements with
out iec;s 70 tack them 30 Mr.. Mouill, may have
bean ground e7J1gh Tor saying that they t0oh tue
Lofiery eud had IL 1ffv uuinuteS. The iact tla;