New-York daily tribune., 1862-11-10
vwe suwwENyER @R nAHPI"'s'
HER8Y,
rnnllnped lrom F.rst ease.

But TINS cOlCiuk'SDt 70 MUCH ItiS~ efVh ~
lefense, forces the commission to consideration oi
he fac,-did Col. Pcc1, under The Discretionary
,ower thus vested IN PIN, Makes proper defense oi
he Hights, ard hold them, as nc eho0!d nave o'ne'
,util driven of ty tue enemy
The evidence -shows csn,lusiyeiy that the Iorce
upon the Hiests wVs not welimanSgedi 'us' 'ne
point most pressed was weakly defended as 10 mum
bers and. afer she wounding Of the Colonel oi the
l26,h Regiment Newyork Infantry, II was 'elt
withouts competent officer in command, Coi' ford
hiuselfno, appearing, nor designating any one who
NIGH, have restored order and encouraged the men,
thai ths abandonment Of the Hights was premature
10 clesrly proved Our forces were not driven from
the hill, as full time was given 10 spike the guns
and throw the heavier ones down the Cliff, snd re-
treat 10 good order 70 Hsrpers Ferry. The next
day force returning 20 the Hights tcJrd them un-
occupied, and brought away unmoested four aban
doned guns aud a quantity Of AMMUNITION.
In so grave a case as this, with such dissracefui
consequence the Cour cannot permit an oiiicer 10
shield hiReef behind the fact that he did as well
as he could, if in 80 doing be exhibits lack oi
military capacity. 1t is clear TO the COMMISSION
that CO.. Ford should not have been placed IN COM
maud on Maryland Higbtsi that he conducted the
defense without ability, and abandoned bis position
without sufficient cause, and has shown throughout
snch lack Of military capacity as to dsqnafy him,
in the opinion of the Commission, for command in
the service.
col. u. s. MILES.
The Commission has approached a consideration OF
this officers conduct in connection with the surren-
der Of Harpers Ferry with extreme reluctance. An
officer Sho cannot appear hefOre any earthly tribunal
20 auswer or explain charges gravely affecting his
charlcter who has met his death at the bands Of the
enemy, even upon the spOt be disgracefnly surren-
ders entitled the tenderest and most careful
investigation. This the Commission has accorded
Col. Miles, and in giving & decision only repeats
what runs through our 900 pages of testimony
strangely unanimous upon the fact, that COL Miese
inoapacity amounting 10 almost imoecty, led TO the
shameful surrender Of this important post.
Early as the 18th Of August he disobeys the orders
Of Msjor-Gen. Wool to fortify Maryland Hghis.
When it is surrounded and attacked by the enemy, its
naturally strong positions unimpIOved, and from
his criminal neglect TO use the mildes, term, the
large force Of the enemy ID almost upon an equality
with the email force under his command.
lie seems to have understood, and admitted TO his
officers, that Maryland Hgnts s the key 10 the posi-
ton, and yet he places Col. Ford in command, with
feeble foreemakes no effort TO strengthen them by
fortfcatoDs, although between tue 9TH aud Nth OF
September there was ample time 10 do so-and 10
Col. Fords repeated demands for means 10 intrench
and additional re5ufoicemenls he makes either an u-
sdeouade return, no response at all. lie gives
Col. Ford Discretionary pswer ss TO when he shall
abandon the Iights-the fact Of abandonment hay
ing il seems, been concluded in bis own mind
For when this unhappy event really occurs, bis only
exclamation was TO the etect that he feared Col
Ford had given up too soon-alhough be must have
known that the abandonment Of Marylaud Hign,s
was the surrender Of Harpers Ferry. This leaving
the key Of the position TO the keeping Of Col. Ford
with discretionary power afer the arrival OF that
capable and courageous officer who bad waived his
rank TO serve wherever ordered s one of the more
striking facts illustrating the iucapaciiy of Col. Miles
Immediately previous 10, and pending the siege of
Hsrper's Ferry, he paroles Rebel prisoners and per-
uits indeed, sends them to the eneny's headqu4r-
tsrs. This, too, when he should have known that
the lack Of amuntOn the bad conduct of some of our
troops the entire absence Of fortihcatons and the
abandonment Of Maryland Hights, were important
facts they could, and undoubtedly did communicate
10 the enemy. Sixteen Of these prisoners were par
writing of Col. Miles, while Il Rebel officer by lie
name Of Rouse, after escape is retaken, and sub
sequently has private interview with Col. Miles,
is psroled and after the urrenders appears at the
head Of bis men among the first to enter Harpcrs
Ferry.
Itis not necessary to accumulate evidence from the
mass that throughout scarcely ords one fact in con-
'-adiction TO what each one establishes, that Col
Miles was incapable Of conducting defense go im-
portant this of HarPer's Ferry. The Com
mission would not have dwellel upon this painful
nljecfwere it not for the fact that the officer who
placed this incapable in command should share in
the responsibility, and in the opinion Of the Comnis
sion Majors General Wool Is guilty 10 this extent oil
grave disaster aud should be censured for hs con-
duct.
TIE Commission has ne,naIked freely on Col
Miles, an old officer who has been killed in the SER
Siee Of his country and il cannot, from any motives
Of dolcacy, refrain fom censarng those in high com.
nand, when il thinks such cepsuie deserved. The
Gsneral-iD-Chief has testified that Gen. Mcclellan,
after having received orders TO Tepel the enemy n-
vsiing the State of Maryland, marched only Elk
miles per day, an average, when pursuing this iu.
vsding enemy. the GeneralnsClief also ,estiiies,
that in bis opinion Gen. Mcclellan could and should
have rsieved and protected Hapers Ferry, and ia !
his opinion the Commission fully concur
TIE evidence thus introduced eonArms the Com I
nisdon in the opinion that Iiarper's Ferry, as well
ss Maryland High,s, was IIematurely surrendered. ,
The garrison should have been satisfied That relief
however long delayed, would come at last, and that
uoasand men killed iD HarTer's Feny would have .
nisde srna loss had the post been saved, aud prob
ably sayed two thousand at An,ietam. How ip.
fortani was thit defense we can now appreciate
OF the 81 0Q0 men compoaipg az that time Nc Whole