Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1863-06-05

battle Of Charlottesville, much has beei
said OF the iuef6ciency to say coward
ice-of the Eleventh Corps. on that occa
sion. Delaware county is represented il
this corps by at least one company 0
infantry; We, as a component part Of the corps
must share in its honors and its dishonors; if
glories and its disgrace. Thinking that tbs
press has not generally done us full Justice
and that it might not be entirely uninierestine
TO many of your readers having friends here
to know something Of their behavior from q
felloW-townsman and eyewitness, send yoU
this communication for publication If you
think proper. / have seen this corps carry
with honor its blood-staiued banner through a
dozen ensanguined fields under its hoDOred
leader, the Flying DsteLman." and I, for one
am 10th to surrender its once fair fame unless,
indeed, the facts make it imperative.
On the 9th of April the Army Of the Po-
tOmac broke up its winter encampment and
moved by various routes to the different fords,
the llth and 18th taking the longer and more
circuitous route via Kelly's Ford aud Ger
mamma Crossing. No formidable opposition
was me. until after we had passed through
the wilderness ian immense forest covering
several square miles of uninhabited territory J
and here. twelve miles from Fredericksburg,
the sound of skirmishing in the direction OF
Charlottesville, evidenced that all @1uqs not
quiet on the RapPahannock." This day and
night were spent by the enemy in reecounoi-
teriDg our entire line, endeavoring to ascertain
our strength and the most favorable point for
attack. The right wing of our army was Sc
b--f
as the most vulnerable point, for the reason
that the confguration Of the ground and the
conceaiment afforded by the heavy and exten-
sive woods would allow him to concentrate bis
entire army very near US unperceived, or if not
entirely unperceived. at least that we could
make no estimate of his numbers, and the in
tention was undou btedly by sudden vigorous
and overwhelming assault, to destroy the right
wing before it could be reinforced from the
center and left. The l1th occupied the ex-
treme .rightsof the army, some of its brigades
lying in the adjacent fields along the edge OF
the woods, and upon them the attack was
made, agreeably to the above programme.
The grey backed legions suddenly emerged in
solid columns from those voc ds at the same
time delivering a most destructive fire of both
muskeTry and artillery at very short range,
and here, by lhe way. correspondents who say
that the I1th at this juncture disgracefulIy
fed, say what is simply false and ridiculous
They returned the fire spiritedly. and did not
leave the ield until those who weresleft were
showed off it at the point of the bayonet. or
course this conflict did not last long 1t could
not last long; bat it lasted until the alterna-
of fftrIa f.I 1aCtrr
mediate retreat were forcbly presented 10 US,
and even the last few moments later would
have been cut of, for this gigantic army to
which we were opposed were sufficiently nu
merous to swing their wings around us to the
right and left, thus securing fire upon US not
only upon the flank ont front and rear, and
thus leaving US but single avenue of escape.
and that m0mentarily in danger Of being
blocked upon US. Under these circumstances
confess the 1lth corps commenced husty
retreat, which through the unwhoesOme stimu-
lus afforded by rebel hayonets. was soon con-
verIed into total rout The llth corps was
not piited against an equal pumber. nor even
number SO small as four times its size, but
against fully ten times its number of men. II
was not at thistime the two armies in opposition
but il was the Tlth corps in opposition to the
rebel army. The result is known. Il was of
course retreat. Any other corps would have
done likewise. In all countries and in all
wars retreat or something worse has been
natural consequence of such unequal contests,
is now, and ever win be. As an evidence
that it was not more scared than hurt, its
casualty lists show that although the smallest
corps in the-army, its loss was considerably
heavier than any other, The rebel army kept
advancing, receiving only temporary checks
until within half mile of Chancellorsviie,
where ouz main army was drawn up to receive
them, and from this time on until the co7cIu-
sion of the battle and the final withdrawal OF
our troops, the rebel loss was to ours as two to
one. This they themselves reluctantly ac-
knowledge, and complain bitterly of the great
mischief wrought by our artillery particularly,
which was thicky and very advautageously
disposed upon all commanding eminences, ad-
miHistering wholesale destruction and repulse
TO the rebels, who frequently at different
points, in compact columns, made furious ef-
forts to break our lines; which, however, were
always unsuccessful and severely punished
After the first days fighting have but little
personal knowledge of the infantry Of the IIth
corps, but am told that they were again soon
rallied and did excellent service subsequently,
But do know that no battery of artillery
belonging to the lIth corps was called upon
aud did not promptly respond, aud no battery
left its post unless its ammunition was expend-
ed, it was disabled. or by order retired. 1t is
unnecessary to account for defeat by the
flight of the llth corps-much less happily to
account for defeat at ALL 1t was truly a
fiercety contested battle, and for many hours
seemed evenly balanced; and although we were
not really defeated, but were compelled to re-
cross on account Of the storm which by rails
ing the RappahaHnock, would cut off our
supplies, yet we were at the same time unable
TO successfully contend withithem. Therefore,
so much the more foolish and inconsistent is
the story that the lIth disgracefully. fed when
it was assailed singly by the entire rebel
army, and. so soon after the whole Army of
the Potomac, including the llth. found great
difficulty in doing precisely what newspaper
correspondents seemed to expect of the llth
corps. Further it may be noticed that regu-
lar correspondents are seldom near enough to
know much about what is going on, but report
from what they hear, not from what they
know. There may have been and probably
were individual cases of cowardice, as there
always are, but the corps as a body are not
subject to that imputation.
a VOICE FROM THE 11TH CoRPs
The City Councils of Baltimore, at their