Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-07-24
LETTER FROM 1T. GOV. STANTON
TO MAI. GEN. W. T. SHERMAN.

W. Il OHeTUtuHs 4nOJoF 0ehsefk "
Holxnteers:--
SIR: Your letter Of the 10th, dated
scamp in the Field, near Chemalla,
Tennessee" in manuscript, with du.
plicate in the Cincinnati Commercial,
was received on Saturday, the 9lst inst.
1 congratulate you on having at last
found one whom you are willing to re-
cognize as your "peer," and hold re-
sponsible for the charge that our army
was "surprised" on the field Of Shiloh,
on Sunday morning, the 9Th OF April
last.
You do me altogether too much hon
or, however, in assigning to me high
s,er position than thousands of others.
both in and out of the army, who have
made the same charge in much more
direct and offensive terms than were
used in the letter to which you refer.
The country in which l reside had
ak companies of Infantry and battery
OF Artillery in the battle of Shiloh. l
avaiIed myself of the opportunity af-
forded by my visit to the battle field for
the purpose Of removing our wounded
soldiers. to inquire into the fate OF my
neighbors and fellow citizens who were
engaged in the battle.
The letter to which you refer, was
written to weekly newspaper, pub
lished at the county seat, for the pur-
pose of informing the people of the
county how their friends had Jared IN
that terrible conflict.
1t reached the publisher the day after
the publication of the paper, and was
published in an extra for the purpose Of
disseminating the intelligence it con-
tanned in advance OF the regular publl-
cation of the paper.
This explains its publication in an
extra of an obscure country paper.
After giving the information, which
was the main object of the letter, con-
-cluded with the remarks which you
quote, as TO the causes of the disasters
which befel our army in that battle
The same charges, in every form of ex-
preston, were made in all the leading
newspapers of the country, published
by gentlemen of the first standing in
society, and repeated orally in every
seut on ::he battle field, BY men of all
ranks, from Major Generals command
iug Divisions, to privates in the ranks.
That you must have seen and heard
these charges thousands Of times. is
matter that cannot admit of a doubt
And vet you seem to have submitted to
it all with a spirit of christian forbear-
auce and resignation which is worthy OF
allpraise, for more than sixty days; but
now, for reasons which are doubtless
satisfactory to you, and which have
no disposition to call in question, you
propose to hold me responsible for
their publication in an obscure country
paper.
/ accept the responsibility, and pro-
pose to sustain the charge-that the Of
fcers in command of the army were
guilty of gross negligence, and that the
army was taken by surprise on the
morning of the 9Th of April last. In
the letter to which you refer. you were
not named as one Of the officers who
we're responsible for that surprise. My
reason for not naming you was that you
were not the Commander-in- Chief, and
that your gallantry and courage in the
battle, to great extent, reclaimed your
error in neglecting the precautions nee
essary to guard against surprise. l
will now say, however, that, after Gen.
Grant, upon whom the responsibility
mainly rests. no man is chargeable with
a larger share of that responsibility than
yourself.
You complain that 1 did not inquire
of YOU as to the facts, instead Of rely
ing upon camp rumors for my informa-
tion. You will doubtless recollect that
1 had never had the honor of your ac-
1uaintance until l met you at Gen. Nc
Cooks quarters on the Sunday alter
the battle, and have never seen you
since. You did not then do me the
honor to invite me to your quarters, OF
offer me any facilities for procuring
such information as you might be in
possession Of. 1t also so happened that
I had many acquaintances on the
ground. whose opportunities for know
ing the true history of that battle were
fully equal to yours, and in whose in
aelIigence, integrity and disinterested'
ness, / had quite as much confidence as
Ihad in yours.
To give you an idea Of the class o.
men with whom / conversed, on the
subject, will say to you that l visited
the quarters of Gems. Buell., McCler.
nand and McCook, that l met Gems
Boyle, Garfield and Crittenden, Col
Smith, of the 1st Ohio; Parrott. Fyffe
of the goth; Gibson, Mason, Mungree
Smith, of the 84th; Hawkins, Of th'
18th Ohio; Leggett, Connell and 9th
ers, that do not now recollect. alst
saw and conversed with many company
officers and privstes with whom wa'
well acquainted, many Of whom were
gentlemen of intelligence and character
whose statements are entitled to quite
as much confidence, as the statement:
of gentlemen who wear shoulder-strap:
and stars.
Ispent two days upon the battlefield
in constant intercourse with men o
every grade and rank, from the Gener'
al commanding to the men in the ranks
and saw but one man who said the at