Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-11-14
col. D. ;. NILES

The Commission has approach ID a confederation
of this offcsrs cUnduct IN eohneetivn with the
Surrender OF Harpsr's Ferry with extreme reluc-
talce. An officer wno cannot Ep ear before any
EARTHLY tn uuAl % answer or explain charges
graveIy affecting his character; who has met his
dea b at the hands Of the enemy, even upon the
spot he dsgrseefully surreuders entitled to the
teudere care and most careful investgAtiou--
This the commission has accorded Col. Miles, and
in giving decision only repeats what runs
through our 800 pages of testimony strangely
unanimous upon the TACT, that Col. Miless ines pa
city, amounting to almost imbecii'y, led to the
shameful surrender OF THIS important post.
harry the Ioth OF August be di,obeys the or
deTs OF MSJcr Tea Wool 10 fortify Mary land
Heights. When 1t is surrounded ana attacked
by the enemy, its naturally strong positions are
IN improved and from hi. criminal neglect, TO use
tne mIdest term, tie large force Of the enemy is
almost upon an equality with the small force IN
der his command.
lie seems TO have understood, and admitted TO
hi. Ulcers, that Mary land Heights is the key 10
Il posiiion, and yet be plsoes Col. Ford in COM
mand, with feeble f0rcs-mskes 10 effort 10
strengthen them by ioItIfeAtioEt. although be-
tween the 9Th and lsth VI september there was
p,tn'y OF tine TO do so-Aad to Col. F0rds re-
psatsd demands Tor mrsus g. Intreneh and sddi-
tiva9I re,ni. Elements ne N kes either an inade-
qIa-e uIn, r ~ Response az all. lie gives
shall abandon Tue LeikLts- De act Of abandon
me-. hayIus, l. s,tIu-, U,en Concluded on IN hIs
UNl Ulud. EJs, Unen TIE unhappy ovent really
vueaIs, BIS only Exclamation the effect that
he ie4r,d .oi. Fvid u.d gIven up too soon-al-
tough lie IL 4st Lave k4owa that the abandon
meng OF MarS land hvights was the surrender Of
HAIpeT's Ferry. IhIs lesyIng the key Of the po-
siion 10 tae keeping VI Col Ford, with discretion
ary power, after the arrival Of hat capable and
Courageous officer who bad waived his rank 10
serve wAeIever ordered, Is one of the more strks
ins iacts Iliuststug toe iLcAp4c.ty Of Col. Mles.
Immediately previous q, AID pending the siege
o. AArpeI's Ferry, he pA'otcs rebel prisoners, and
pvImi--, in1eed, -eud- them 90 tie enemy's head
quarters. Inis, too, ELea lie seOuld have known
LAT the isck OF EumuuitlJu, he bad con-
duct II s0ase OF or troops the entire absence Of
ivttdc .ticns, aAd thS asAn1Uument Of Maryland
eigu 2, gur1 HFot "a. iscts they could. and IN
Iy1 leaiY Iii, c-l.lnCEieA.s L TIE euemy. SIX
-s-a u L e. 90. ouefs Nyfv p,-oied the l3th,
,4r o g., gwen ,hvll toe uaaJSrIlng Of Col.
ni.-s, Will. reoei a 5vr o. t-v name Of Rouse,
q; &C pc, Is r1.aAsn, and ~ as. qaently has
a private interview s.tu tui- Mir-, IS pAroled
I'D -it-l To ear. dc. Hu.'u.t- the head Of
-.e t-s- 80 - 80. 40. B. er..i ..- pers ferry.
IL Il not -..,.zai. 81. ac-atn dee .dence from
-. u-Szs thAt i-I-us ~ s,.4u,l II .ds fact
IN eontr sdietoa 10 WLt- utch vu .r-Llishes Il st
'5oi. miles ile-ra Ie vf eSta ct.u, defence
Soian.IssIoa w.u;I n. have ascie up,u this pain
iuI 'utj CT we've l. not iOr fact tas officer who
placed tHi, Incs iaOie In 'nm,u1 SHOULD share 10
tue Responsibility, AID Ia tie OpiaIoa u the Com
mission NJ jor ten. WOOL i u 10y to this extent
II grave disaster snd sL0uid be ensured for his
,JniGct.
Inc commission has remarked freely Oh Colonel
VI lies, an OLD ofieer ~ho has been killed in the
ervice Of his cUuhtry, and IL cannot, from any
motives Of csicscy, Tefra IN from crnsuring those
n high cVmmsno, when 1t thinks suca censure
deserved The Genersl-in-Chief has testified that
zen. Mcclellan, after having received orders 10
spei the enemy invading the state of Maryland
narehsd only siI niIes per day, on an average,
'nsn pursuing this invading enemy. Toe Gen.
n-Chiei also tesIihes that his opinion General
Mcclellan could aud should have relieved and pro-
eetet Harpers Ferry, and in this opinion the |
commission fuil concur.
The evidence thus introduced eouhrm. the /
10 the opinion that Harper's Ferry, as
Tell as Maryland heights, was premaJarely sur
The garrison should have been satisfied /
hat relief, however long delayed, would come at
ist, and that thousand men killed in Harpers /
cry would have lns1e q small loss had the post /
cen saved, and probably saved two thousand a.
How important was this defence We
IN nov appreciate. OF the nin-ty-seyen thou
md men composing at that time the whole Of
ees army, more than one third were attackip ny
arper's Ferry, and of his the main body was in
irginis. By reference to the evidences, 1t will be
en that At the very moment Col Ford abandoned
arylsnd Heights his little army wa. il re,Iity
'lieved by Gems. Frsnkli and summers corps AZ
rsmptons gap, within seven miles Of his position.
Id that after the surrender Of Harper's Ferry no
me was given to parole prisoners before twenty
ou and troops were hurritd from Virginia and
IL entire force went Of on the dJubIe ouick 10
lieve Lse, who was being attacked at Aniietau.
ad the garrison been slower to surrender or thu