The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-06-05
Prison Reflections on the Chancel.
lorsville Fight.
LIBBY Prison, Richmond. Va. Nav H.


JOY is tringed with mourning to-day over the
funeral services Of their hero, Jackson
Doubtless great many reasons are given
for our most disgracetul and disastrous de-
feat. There is only one real reason, and
that is the simplest possible. Our army
didn't fight as we'll as that of our enemies
We had every possible advantage. Oui
numbers more than doubled theirs until
Longstreet come up, which didn't then bring
their forces UP to 100000 to oppose our
10000. Indeed, it would now seem tha,
Longstreet didn't come up at all. We had
the advantage Of position, and no inconsid-
ers plan was admirably arranged and excel
lently carried out, until the fighting took
place. He exposed himself in the hottest
places of danger, and set an eIectrifying ex-
amples Of heIoism to the whole army. The
terrible loss Of life among our generals shows
that on the whole they were not found want
ing at their posts Of duty. We had men
enough well enough equipped, and well
enough posted, to have devoured he ragged,
imperfectly armed and equipped host OF our
enemies from off the face OF the earth
Their artillery horses are poor, starved frames
of beasts, tied on to their carriages and cais-
sions with odds and ends of rope and strips
of rawhide. Their supply and ammunition
trains look like congregation OF all the
crippled California emigrant trains that ever
escaped off the desert cut of the clutches of
the rampaging Camanche Indians. The
men are addressed, ill-equipped and pro
vlded, a set Of lagamutfins that man is
ashamed to be seen among, even when he is
a prisoner and can't help it. And yet they
have beaten US fairly, beaten US al! to pieces,
beaten US so easily that We are objects OF
contempt even to their commonest private
soldiers, with no shirts to harg out of the
holes in their pantaloons, and cartridge
boxes tied round their waists with strands
of ropes. | say they beat US easily, for
there hasn't been much OF fight up here Oh
the bank Of the Rappahannock after ali, the
newspapers to the contrary notwith. an!ing
There was an awful noise, for | heard it..
There was tremendous amount Of powder
exploded, for saw tn esmoke OF i ascend up
to heaven. There was vast amount of run.
ming done faced by the rear rank" but |
cannot learn that their was III any par; Of TIE
field very much real fighting. | have sten
men from every part Of the ground fought
over, men from almost every division OF the
army, and have inquired diligently after ev-
cry vestige Of conflict, and not one of them
all had seen great deal of spirited fighting,
though good many aad heard vas; amount
of t. The particular brigade or regiment or
company Of each naa was captured because
the enemy appeared in vast numbers Oil
their flank or in their rear They didn I
/ fight much because they were so unfortunate-
ly situated or surrounded that there wasn't
any use in resisting. never heard Of so
much cross firing and enflading fire, and fire
IN the rear,l all the histories of battles with
which am acquainted. DO You point TO
the big lists of the killed and wounded. To-
600 or 10000 on our side, as evidence of the
desperateness of the encounter? tell YOU
that when men get up and run out of their
rifle pits and breastworks like a flock of
sheep, instead Of staying in and defending
them, not only they deserve to be shot but
as an actual matter of fact they do get hit
and killed about four-told what would be
hurt if they did their soldierly duty like
men.
Am saying thugs that oughn't 10 be
spoken out of school? That had better be
smoothed over and explained away I'm
not certain about that. | think people ought
to understand somewhere about where the
truth lies ard do not think soldiers ought
to be eulogized and told that men never
fought more gallantly on the face Of the
earth and the victory would have been theirs
it their officers hadn't mismanaged, when as
matter of fact their officers galantly did
their duty and were left to be killed or CAP
tured on the field because their men turned
tail and ran away from them-mind | dc
not mean to say that this was verv generally
the case in the late battle. But do mean
to say that according to my best information
and belief the llth corps of our army, at
tackled by an inferior force of the enemy
gave way with only shadow of resistance
and ran out of their entertainments like :
parcel OF frightened deer, thus making &
great gap in our grand line Of battle and
o disconcerting all our good arrangements, anG
p opening the way for the disasters that follow
. ed. And from ali can learn the 10Th corns
didn't DO much better, and though a YER,
large portion of the army did their duty yer,
fairly, | have vet to learn of any c0nsid
h cradle body Of troops that displayed that rea
, gallantry and determination to W, which
only can restore losing battle and atone fo
the disgracefal flight Of towards and paric
b. stricken. | know Of whole regiments an,
F.. bligades, long and heavy lines {: battle, tha
e gave way before lines of the enemy so :hi,
: and struggling as hardly TO be considered
: more than skirmishers. ! saw regimen
r after regiment and brigade after br gade c
@ those corps have mentioned come pourin!