New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-24
GEN. VIZ. ". SMITH.


A resolution was adopted yesterday in the
United States Senate directing the Military
Committee TO inquire whether any General
:" in the army before Yorktown had exhibited
" himself drunk before the enemy" This
action was in consequence of the statement
made the day before by Mr. Morrill, Of Yer
mont, % that be had been informed by mort
" responsible gentlemen, who saw tho General
" lin the action at Warwick Greek. that be
" was grossly drunk" The General referred
TO i, understood to be Gen. WIN. +. Smith.
If thero bo any reasonable ground for so grave
a charge it should, OF course. be speedily ind
rigidly inquired into. Drunkenness is bad
enough ut any times in n General commanding
in the field it is a monstrous and unpardonsble
crime.
But tie greater the crime. the greater the
Injustice if the charge be untrue. The accusa-
ton, in this case, against Gen. Smith, We are
inclined to think, is without foundation.
One Of our correspondents, in letter dated
the 18th, the day Of the engagement, ssid
Abon, thi. tine Cen McClen,n sri,ed the ground
followed by Gen. koye who made eIsnrnr'ion OF tic
.iuai,eo .nd held protaeied ir-rri,s via Gen SAITH
,r.e, irucdcic az. under Gen. Mcclellan. he
opr,a.i 2, 81 ms day."
II ia 90. quite impossbe. but certainly very
improbable that Gen. Smith could have been
" grossly drunk" without its being observed by
Gen. Mcclellan; and Iad 10 observed It, i rs
rot to be supposed for u moment that he would
have held with Gen. Smith &" q protracted in
" terview," ard have permitted hhn TO con-
Time N command at ~ critical moment.
l'ut We baye even stronger testimony than that
Of Ouf own correspondent ~ 20 the esiiuaIioH
ia which Gof. Smith eSs leld on lnal day BY
ne Commanding Genefal-namely, that Of Gen.
Mcclellan himself In pirate teegrarGic
dispatch sent 10 .rend ia THIS city, or iao
lHb, and which we have sccn, he SAYS; "ilc
:" (Gen. ~wlth) Lns gained Lfeet eaSsntare
- Tor us ths ,aornins, s.ica'Iu. ;hr atr 4
" battery. Z was sp'otdaj don' and wi h
A" little loss oJ our side
That Gen. McCl,Ilan wa. on the bstt.e-
ground, OF the baoks Of Warwick Greek, Is
TACT repeatedly stated in the different ac-
conuts Of the battle What his opinion OF
Gen. Smith's conduct wa, wo have hero under
ms own hand. 1t is very hard to reconcile
this with a snpposiou that Gen. Smith was
&" grossly drunk OF in oSy degree Of intC1i-
catIon.
What then could have given rise TO such
story The only evidences NO have heard Of
as showing that Gen. Smith was drunk is that
he wa, thrown from his horse and was covered
with mud. No other than these involuntary
acts, that we know Of have been sdduced TO
mbstsntints the charge. Drunken men are
often thrown from horses, il is true, but it is
equally true that all men who are thrown
from horses are not drunk.
We have seen private letter from Gen. Smith
to bis family, written on ths 18th. in which,
among other incidents of the previous day, he
says: - had severe fall from my horse,
90 going at very fast gait, and was stunned
- and jarred 20 that am still lame. A second
a. fall size gave me. while Ayres was playing on
% the works with Is pieces Of artillery. With
90 out any warning, she reared with me, md
81 the girth breaking, of course, went down"
II is casy to understand that this une1i ected
conduct Of hOrse, faVorte Of the General
Dnd his iaipily, should naturally enough be men.
toned, rather Oh the animals account than his
own. aud wittont though. Of how grave Il
charge VAS TO grow out Of these repeated acci.
ieots. A letter from one OF the Generals aids
Das aiso been shown as, n which tho writer says