The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-25

the hypcrbolo, tha, tho enemy was 'hurriodly
| thrown over tho moOnW the one boing quito aa
/ practicable NJ Rtho other, KEARNEY being on my
i right half mile from H0OKEB (who was on my
leftl and sin OF my regiments and three batteries,
Il COoPKR's KKRra' and RArBALL'a, in the interval
hotiy contestng the ground with part Of LoNa-
1 sTREEr's Division, which, proud 10 gay, aftor
hard fPhting, rocoied before the Pennsylvania Re-
/ servos Tho SIMPLE TACT is, the enemy was thrown
over bY SUMNER lior the meeting with SUMNER and
| HOoKER altogether unexpected by the enemy,
| and they wcrc disordeTed by their rencontro with
| SEYMoUR) ON 70 my centre, as established by tho
| testimony OF Colonel Roy STONE heretofore given,
/ aud ropulscd a. have just stated
In letter 10 me, dated Columbus Ohio, February
| "A, 1854, IN reply TO inquiries OF mino General
| HElNrTzLLMAN SAYS, "nbout five o'clock II was
| ported 20 nc that the Pennsylyania Reserves had
| given way. Knowing that II the enemy made much
progress in that direction kEAUNEr'p Division and
the troops on the right o him tSLooUM's Division
&c) would be cut OF rom the rost Of the army and
from our nno Of retreat TO the James River, | rode
forward" Hero is good prosumptve proof that
| the "stubJOrH resistance" Of the Reserves pre-
| vented MCCLELLAN's Army being cut In two
HEINT2ELMAN's temporary headquarters were
at the crossing Of Charles City road about ak
hundred yards in my rear. On reaching the further
edge Of the pine woods IN my rear. and seeing my
men emerging from the woods" and SUMNER ure-
pairing 70 losst the advance OF tho enemy he directed
his chici OF artillery TO shell tho woods in his front
h my ltblI anu MS CJer then goes on, 81 stopped,
myself at, suppose, haIi way across the open space
ION his return to his head-quarors to take another
look 70 be satisfied that the enemy would be checked
or dliven back tWhere was my division at this
timeO Whilst hating here 1 was struck on the
arm by ball from the enemy 3 sharp-shooters
presume In the woods in front; also ono Of my
stan was hit"
How the shdTp-shooters got into tho woods in
the rear OF the Penn, lvania Reserves, and
in part, ut that time, occupied by two req
monts OF my reserve brigade. II Is difficult TO see;
but as It appears, from his own report, that these
wounds wore cou'usious from spent balls u is pre-
gumnblo that The shots wcro fred over the heads of
my men when engaged nt close quarters with tho
enemy tH JroRt OF these woods.
in order 10 explain TO the reader what was going
on in my division at tins time I extract a passage
from my letter TO General HINTzELNAN dated
March 20, 1864 :-"NOw, my dear General had vou
after ostiug De BUssYs Battery, ridden through
the narrow strip O woods IN 'front.' OF you, httle 10
the right ofwhcre you saw my men emerging from
tie woods you would have found me in the open
field in front, with the centre OF my division; ana
General MEADE, with his Brigade on the night OF
the division; and six regiments Of the Ponnsyvania
Reserves and three batteries, at that very moment
blazing away at the enemy, who was advancing
with great stcadiuess TO clUsc quarters, but was
driven back with great Slaughter from every point
OF my right and contte. Before you started 10 re-
turn, you placed DE RUssYs Battery on tho night
Of SUnNER's Artillery, with orders TO she'll the
woods IN your front. soon ntter this shGllng COM
menced, General MEADE rode up to me and re-
ported that the shells from the batteries TALL
ing among his men, and requested me to
them 10 cease firing. 1 Immediately sent my Aid
de-camp. Captain SoHEETz 10 state the fact tD the
officer commanding the battery, and request him TO
cease firing, as my troops IN his front In the
meantime SHELLS began to fall about the centre OF
my division; there is no mistake about this, as
some Of them exploded over my own head. Cap
tain SCHEETz returned and reported that he had
delivered my message. but that the officer com-
manding the artillery refused TO stop firing without
orders from his oion General. then directed hi
to seek the General commanding the troops and re-
peat my request The horse OF my Aid was killed
on the way, and he did not find the General The
firing, however, ceased not long afterwards, the
enemy having been repuised by me-" II will be
seen by the foregoing extract that, while 1 was
steadily resisting heavy pressure from the enemy
in front, YVES subjected to "a fire in the rear" from
my trends.
l trust that this plain and unYarnished explana-
ton OF the rather crude passage in General
LAE's report, above quoted, will be sufficiently in
telgible TO the public and all concerned. Refer
ence NAV at any time be made to General MEADE
and the officers OF both his and my own staf.
l must still refer to another passage in General
MoCLELLAE's report. On the same page (l37 he
says;-"Lae in the day, at the call of General KEAR
EEY, General IAYLoR's First New Jersey Brigade,
sLoCUMs Division, was sent TO occupy portion OF
/
| companying the brigade They soon drove back the
| enemy, who shortly alter rave mp the attack" Had
this been true 1t would have been tho most ungene-
rous and ungrOteiul eXprOssion-thc deserted posi-
honl-eyer used by commanding General towards
q general officer, who had fought his division for
four hours, against superior numbers even If over
come. But the check given to LEE by my dvisOl
on the New Market Dad, having, IN the Judgment
OF more than one Federal, and at least one COntede
rate Gene ni, Saved MoCLEILAHs army, &" It makes
the stigma attempted to be cast on the division the
| more glaGng ana unpIrdOna0le.
have within a short time been unoGiciallY in.
formed that General MCCLELLAN, do irOus OF
smoothing over the unmannerod epithet, has writ
ten to the AdiutantG Genera at Washington, request
ing leave to change his phraseoogy TO the following
| yz:-"A portion OF General MoCALLs position,
from which be had been driven by superior mum.
bers."
Previously to this, however, / had, on receiving
the official copy OF General hoCLELLAN's report
written TO General HFINTzELMAN, to nsk whethe
this term "dcseTted," had also been derived from h
report. HEINTZELMAN disclaimcd the authorship
and sont me printed copy of his report OF the bat
; tie,
In this report he says :-"Sceing that the enemy
were giving way (tis refers to their sudden repulse
by SUMNER and HOOKER, upon whom thoy unex.
pectedy came while following SEYMoUK) returned
10 the forks OF the (Chares City) road where / ro-
ceiyed call from General KEAENEY Tor aid. Know
ing that ell General SEDGwICK's troops were un.
available was glad to avail myself Of the kind o5r
OF General SLooUM 10 send the New Jersey Brigade
Of lis division to General hEARNEY's aid | rode out
Tar enough on the Charles City road 70 see that we
had nothing to foar from that direction and re.
turned to see the New Jersey Brigade enter the
WOODS 10 GeueraI %ARNEY's roHef A basts---y ae.
conpahioa 'ul brigade. They soon drQye back tho
enemy II was nov growing dark" On comparing
nLlNIzELhAN's statement just Eiyen with that OF
D'C, LILLIAN Gwen above, il . evident that the latter
u'N'o- -'pt OF the Ionn"r IN part Iwould that
."S"'s for General nloCLrLLAN's credit say
.snscrpt entire 9'ld correct. But l am constrained
to say that 1t ), mcomwohousibie how General Mo
GILLIAN could have happened to substitute Genera
| AiCCALL's position for General EEAuSRY' 8 position
! Having written toGeneml HUIAr2ELMAE on TIN
subject, he replied 10 IN otter dated Columbus
e OHIO, March "a 1864 as follows 81 had some di'
= cussion with General kEARNEY, some time alter b
Q saying that he never asked for rein orcemcnt
3 | though when l recalled what had occurred, ho a.
70 knowedged that the message he had sent virtual
d amounted to that. Whether KEARSEY's Division
OF any part, was driven back, or il go, how far,
cannot now remember From tho foregoing It is sec
al that the Fist New Jeraoy Brigade, under Gener
ps TAYLOR tKEARNEy's old Bngadc) offered 1
N SLoCUM for KEAREEY's support, and reported |
m | HFlNTzELMAH 90 have eut rod The woods TO REA