Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-01-09
Gen. Milroy on the Charges Against
Ohio and VirQinin Troopa


The indianapolis journal recently pub
lished an article stating that at General
Nlilroy's battle on Allegheny Summit, on
the 18th ult., "thc Ohio aud Virginia troops
ran like scared dogs" 0cn Milroy, better
known as the iorincr gall mt Colonel Of the
Ninth Indiana, has written "A letter to the
.lourna', saying that such statements do the
grossest injustice to his troops. lie says
| have been much pained by having my
attention called TO some articles in your pa
per relative to the battle Of the 18th inst,
at Allegheny Summit, which do the most
gross injustice 20 portion OF the troops Of
But it is more particularly an article in
your issue of the 23d inst, under the head of
military Items" of which would com
plata, and which so greatly outrages and
gives such just cause of complaint to the
Ohio and Virginia troops of my command
In that article you employ this language
''There is no Disgusting the fact that the
Ohio Regiments in the recent battle in
Western Virginia ran like scared dogs. The
Twenty-fifth Ohio ran oyor the Thirteenth
Indiana while the latter was in line of bat
tic" &c. | had no whoic regiment with me
in the battle referred to, but merely dctoch-
n,ents from five different regiments The
detachment from the Ninth Indiana was
little less than 700 strong, and that from the
Second Virginia a little less than 300; from
the Twenty-tifth Ohio about 4O0 from the
Thirteenth Indiana about $50.
You see that but detachmcnts of the
Twenty O. V. aud Second Virginia were
in the battle but you blacken the reputation
ofthese two whole regiments by your whole
sale charge Of disgraceful conduct upon
them. Even suppoSing these two detach-
meuts hai acted as disgraceiully as you say
they did, should the entire regiments to
which they belcng be disgraced by it?
But these detachments were very far from
acting the unmanly part thus charged upon
them. No truer or braver troops ever trod
the field Of battle than nearly all the officers
and the greater portion of the men Of those
two detachments.
The General gives a very clear description
of the engagement, for which we regret that
with the pressure on our columns, we can
not find room. He says:
A portion of the 25th Ohio, probably one
third Oft the detachment, together with small
nortinnS Of tho I2th Indiana onl pol Db;o
III o"t ',,ast ~. so aaE,W, a" bnnat anu 30 Ouu
rJ ond ioar;m no, m"S' ".Sg;ac2a'g, p,eaAlIs away
not @ he c indgced to rot II, 10 Vo iho .aaot t
V1 ~ NJ awomso tS S .e" .La ~ 'tI a..aoe'
of officers. Every officer of regiment and
company are greatly and imparatvely need
cd in battle to rally the men and keep them
to their places. .
OnioTtunatelys an OF Col Jones ueld OIL
absent % On % leaye " ans nnd tha T Tn,oOal % baa "I, the
herculean task of watching and rallvinp nil
parts OF the line himself, but most nobly did
he perform this arduous task, everywhere
moving through the sorm OF bullets, and re-
storing order, with the coolness OF veteran;
and most no6ly was he assisted by the great
er portion OF his company officers present,
~. ~
A portion OF the Second Virginia, also
,o ts"d mduI "a u na o'JlS ao'tu oay proDapy
attack was made on their side, but became
confused, stanpeded and ran away, few of
the Ninth Indiana running with them. But