Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-03-25
More Abou. that AGalr at stra.bure
WINcuEgrER, March 20. is

WINCHESTER, March 20, 1863.
Editors InteIiigencsr: -
The account l gave you Immediately at
ter ITS occurrence, of the disgraceful affair
ut Strasb6fg has eliciIed several counter
statements and explanations from parties
epgRgeh IN IL asf 41s.s$ 4
should have permitted all these to go
unnoticed as Twas willing that the parties
should have the benefit of any
gloss they couldPut upon the affair even at
the expense of the truth, had not a recent
correspondent belonging to the 18th Pa.
Cavalry seen proper to make it q personal
matter with me insisting that / ought to
have corrected my statements and calling
for my name in q certain contingency.
cannot therefore with proper regard
for my reputation for verncity let these
statements pass any longer unnoticed.
The statement / sent you of the affair
was carefully collected ftom an eye witness,
man of great courage, GOODNESS, candor
and judgement; and the facts given by me
do not vary in any important particular
from the official report of the affair. 1t is
true ny a misprintryou made me to say that
our cavalry was chased by ttpo thousand in
stead of three thousand (as it was in my
mauuscript,) rebel cavalry.
"A III AOlSO no 4hI no
Strasburg shortly after that affair disCov-
cred about three thousand rebel cavalry in
that vicinity and uo troops belonging to
any other arm of the service and from the
concurrent statements of the citizens oi
that place aud vicinity as well as all along
the route we were led to the conclusion
that these were the same troops that had
chased our cavalry that they were all that
had at any recent date been iu that vi
cinity and that their number did moi
exceed three hundred. The man from
whom derived the information given you
in the first statement OF the affair, and
whose character and experience were suct
AS to claim my entire credence, having il
the onset and during the progress of tht
affair enjoyed ample opportunities of in.
forming himself correctly, by an occulal
inspection the assailiug force, puts thu
number at three hundred cavalry. HI
says there was neither infantry nor artille
ry seen, neither does be think there wal
any present. / have therefore not correct
ed my first statement, because all the sub
sequent information and development
have tended to convince me that it needed
no correction. It is true, as one of you
correspondents remarks, that soldier
honor is his all, but he should remembe
this in the hour of conflict, and not par
with it lightly by running away. | woul
suggest to your correspondents in regar
to this affair, that if the officers of the reg
iments implicated feel themselves Aggrieye
by my statements, it would be much NOR
military and soldier like to call for an in
yestigatiou of the facts of the case, by th
proper authorities, than to call on you 70
the name of your correspondent.
II WAS with great pain and not wit
; pleasure that communicated to the public
through your valuable paper, the histor
of that transaction, and put the facts o
record, from a belief, that seasonable Ger
:, sure like seazonable praise, has t.udenc
to secure future improvement.
The 18th Pennsylvania cavalry is a me-
regiment, and unfortunately was overtake
with panic in its & ct encounter with th
foe. Itis composed of good material, an
it is to be hoped, Will yet retrieve its char
acter. Many of its officers, already, hay
the reputation of acting nobIy on this ur
fortunate occasion.
! AS for the Ist New York, according I
D your correspondent from that branch
the detachment, 1t got quietly out of th
: scrdpe aud came to town 6y a back wa
0 leaving the 18th Pennsylvania to bear th
o brhnf of the attack as best it could.
would here offer few remarks on th
cavalry arm of the service, inasmuch as
!, seems to have fallen into disrepute both
our own and the rebel service, with the e
e etceptiou of a company, regiment or brigad
!. here and there, few and far between I'll
? campanies, regiments and brigades thi
]. have achieved q good reputation in Il
o service owe that reputation 20 the coursg
IS industry and disciplinary ability of the
officers; and those that have failed