Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1862-04-25
Personal Bravery not all that
is Required Of Military Lea
derS.
derS.

Tie operations u our armies thus f4r has
shown nyta tie instances where our officers
have been either calptb.y negligent. or en-
,ireiy destitute Of the necessary qualities o.
.ooi leaders. The Balls Bluff af4ir and
the more recent one at Pitts5urg Landing,
are the INST palpsb.e instances. We have
all weT' tears If anguish over the fall Of the
gallant Bsser, AMI the massacre a. Balls
Bluff, ani have been puzzled t. determine in
1ur own m.als from a want of the facts,
whether treason or iaeapacity had the In st
10 d. with the terrible af.ir But there
are some phases of the more recent.
case cited where the commonest Intellect.
and tie dallest student in military science
may fairly claim the right TO critieise and
call in question. Il is said our army had no
pickets oct. a precaation which even a
hunting party in a strange country never
falls 10 take; and consequently oar tr2ops
were surprised in tAsir camps anl while
eating breakfast, Such gross Negligence or
crimincl negli gence cannot be excused By
even deels Of bravery and daring which ex-
torts praise from all the land. Nothing can
excuse such renissness; and any ofie=r wao
evidences such unftness - command SHOULD
be dismissed
Carleton, the western army e9rrespon-
dent Of the Boston Journal, in a recent let-
Ter sums up the results and >. mistakes At
the Piitsturg battle in these words
MISTAKES.
When shall We learn wisl)n? When
shall We Understand that great events hang
IN little thinss? All hands concur that
. grave responsibility rests with tn - in CON-
lnant in not having ricksts posted as they
should have been la frJut Of Pre1tiss
eommand the pickets were no, half mile
distant Beauregari' : lvance slept within
twelve hundred yards Of Prentiss camp On
saturday night. | am informed alsl that
Gen Grant was in6rncd by the slieu:s
that Beauregard intended 70 attack hin. but
the report vas not believed W s,sts were
taken TO ascertain the c irEeetness If the re.
port. NJ "Reminiscences were made. Toe
enemy selected his time, ma lie his advance
with 1900 men, and the army Of G.n.
Grant rested unsuspeetingiy. It was sup
posed that BsAureg sri would obllgingiy
wait 10 be attacked
Another mistake was the position Of the
army Ii was on the west bank OF the river
without means of escape il attacked BY a
superior force. 1t is presumed that Gen.
Grant supposed bis force on the west bank
Wac sufficiently large, inasmuch as he had
no expedition Of an attack from Beaure-
CARL. Another admitted mistake was the
placing Of raw regiments IN the advance.-I
The troops composing Prentiss' division were
mainly raw. Warehouse . battery received
their guns and horses only the week preyi-
Gus. | am informed that several of the rer.
iments first attacked fed with precipitate
haste, carrying confusion to others IN the
relr. But the troops which had been lon
ger in the service marched boldly up 10 the
attack. Ii seems that there was no superb
ar othcer on the field in the forenoon of sun
day. The divisisnary commanders of course
gave orders to their several commands, but
there was no unity Of action, and of course
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