The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-06-26
Letter from General sherman to Lieut..
Governor Stanton.
CAMP IN THE FIELD. NEAR CHEwALLA, J
@ TENN, June 10. 1862.

--..r OOFOtuON Sthutuns
CAMP IN THE FIELD. NEAR CHEwALLA, J
M TENN june 10. 1862,
Lieut.. Coz. B. StGnten. Columbus, Ohio:
SIR:--l am not surprised when aaony-
nous scribblers write and publish false.
hoods, or make criticisms on matters of
which they know nothing or which they
are incapable of oomprshending. IL is
their trade. They live by it. SANDER
gives point and piquancy TO paragraph,
and the writer, being irresponsible or be
meath notice, escapes merited punish
ment@ 1t is different with men in high
official station who. like you, descend to
this dirty work. You had an opportuni.
" to learn the truth, for saw you my.
self at Shiloh soon after the battle, and
know that hundreds would have aided
you IN your work had you been in search
offacts. You never inquired of me con.
cernibg the truth OF events which you
must have Known transpired in my sight
and hearing. but seemed to have prefer.
red the "camp stories' 10 autheutic data
then within your reach. 'rs 5.
A friend, by mere accident. has shown
me slip of newspaper dated April 10th.
1869, styled "Extra.'' published at Belle.
fontaiue, Ohio, and signod B. Stanton. l
am further told you are tie man. If so,
and you be the Lieutenant Governor Of
Ohio, ! hold that you are my peer, and
that of Generals Grant, Hurlbut and Prem.
liss, all Of whom you directly charge with
conduct on the field OF Shiloh which de.
serves a court martial whose sentence, If
you have not borne false Witness would
be degradation or death. The accusatory
part ofyour statemeni is all false, false 81
general, false in every particular, and I
repeat you could not have failed 10 know
it false when YOU publish ihat statement.
To prove what say, | now quote the
concluding part of your paper.a' 1]5 ao5'
"Some complaints have Been made !.
bout the conduct of o few Of the new regi.
ments in this battle, including the .54th
and '57th. Il must be remembered that
these are new regimen,s--that not only
have they never seen any service, but
that they never received their guns until
they arrived oa the Tennessee river, two
or three weeks before the, battle. So
with Myers Battery. 1t has not been
more than six weeks since they have had
their horses. And yet these regiments
and this battery were put on the sxtreme
outside Of our camp, and we're consequent,
" first exposed TO the encmg's FIRE, Add
to this that our lines were, SO .carelessly
and negligently guarded that the enemy
were absolutely on US in our very tents
before the officers in command were aware
Of thtir approach. The wondertherefotO
is. not that these regiments were finally
broken and routed, bu, that they made
anJ stand at all. But the loss sustained
by those regiments. especially BY Capt.
STAIRS company 10 54th. shows that they
made a gallant aud noble stand. and that
their ultimate retreat was not the fault OF
the men. but of thu laundering stupidity
and negligence Of the General in com
m'nd. There is an intense feeling Of in
digation against Generals Grant and
Pfentiss. and the general feeling amongst
the most Intelligent men with whom !
conversed, is that they ought to be court
mattialed and shot. ,......- q.
(Signei) "Yours. 80,
80. ,,. "B. sTANToN.e
With Myers Battery have nothing tt
do, as it was IN General Hurlbut's Divis
ion, who has made his official repor,
which proves yours untrue:ior instead o
being kept ou the extreme outside uf oul
camp" ]. was, at tho beginning Of th,
battle. more than mile to the rear o
mine and McClernand's and Pfentissj
Divisions. The 54th, Colonel T. Kilb,
Smith, and 57tb, Colonel William Mus
Igen did form a.par. of my command. M
one that l ever heard has questioned th
courage and gallantry OF the 54tb,. uules
il be inferred from your own apology 70
them, and ! know, iha. l speak the miut
of tho officers of that regiment when
say they scorn TO have their merits bols
tered up by your lame, and inpotsnl con
lclusiOns. AS to their being on the cute
line, i was whore they wishsd 10 be-. anc
50 far from boing surprised, ,hey were, b.
Imy orders, under arms at daylight, AM
il was near 10 A., N. before the enem,
assailed their position. This position
was SO favorable iha. Colonel Stuart. will
his small brigade, of which the 54lh form
ed . part. held,a. bay for hours Hardce'
whole Division. composed of Infantry
| Artillery and Cavalry. ba a.cns -,
j The 57lh was posted on the lef. Of Shi
!. Ioh, which, I say, and in which Bsaure
i gard concurs with me, was the key Il
the whole position. Il was 10 the yer,
\ 'front.' the post Of honor. to which Colone
i Mppgen or his mon could not oljeci.--
i Their front was guarded by themselves
and il negligence is justly charged, il be
longs to the regiment itself. So fayorabl
j was the ground, that although the regi
ment lost but two officers and seven men
Col. Mungsn has more than once assured
me that ho counted fifty dead Secession
ists on the ground over which be was at
/ lacked. As to the enemy being in tSei
very camp before the officers in oomman'
were, aware of their approach. it is III
most wicked falsehood that was ever OF
J, tempted 10 be ,hrust upon apeople SO,
!, and hearlsore at the terrible but necessa
j ry casualties of war. That the coward
who deserted their comradrs 10 that hou
6f danger, should intheir desperate strai
!. to cover up their infamy, invent such
story was TO be expeoled butihat yo