Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-23
i Defense of Major General Negley.

A Defense of Major General Negley.
A good many severe things concern
ing Major General Negley have appeared
in the public journals since the battle of
and H think it only fair
that what his frienda have to say for
him should have equas< publicity. The
Pittsburg Chronicle pul fishes defense
of him, saying editorialF:
"The writer is in no way related to
the General, but has long been with the
Army of the Cumberland, and has had
abundant opportunity of knowing some
thing of what he writes
The defender of General Negley says:
when General Negley entered Ken
tucky, his brigade was placed beside
those of Wood, Johnson, and Rousseau,
all Kentuckians, the two aforementioned
being avowed pro slavery. men. Gen
eral Alexander Mcdowell McCook, the
division commander, inclined to that
side of the question himself; but Gen
eral Wood, in particular, was violent in
his sentiments, stigmatizing the Penn
sylvania regiments as set OF wooden
headed Dutchmen, who had no business
there, and who would only ruin the
business The General at once con-
ceived violent hatred toward General
Negley, and the fact that Johnson and
McCook, like himself, had graduated at
West Point, rather deprived General
Negley of the very aid he had right to
g l., .,ef ,,oaOt.anoH anH which
in all fairness, should have been extend
ed between gentlemen and strang gers
a little later, when the spirited Mitchell
came within a few miles of McCook's
division, that Jealous and fearless Gen
eral fell under the displeasure OF the
three Generals mentioned. The Impair
tial and unprejudiced will naturally in
quire why either or both the unfortunate
Generals fell under the ban of their
brother officers; and, although | do not
pretend to answer when or 1chere the
feeling originated in General Mitchers
case (it may have dated back to the
time when they were classmates at West
Point, for aught l know, may state
that the notorious fact, patent to every
visiter, and especially open to the OBJ
servation of military men, that General
Negley's men were better Clad better fed,
better cared for, and better disciplined
than either Johnson's, Woods, or Rous
seau's brigades, might possibly account
for the petty jealousy and spleen display
ed covertly,' and, at times, openly, by
both johnson and Wood. General Wood,
who boasts that he wields the keenest
pen in the army, and who takes delight
in criticizing publicly his brother Off
GERS actions, alternating every true and
generous gentleman from his side by his
vindictive and scorpion-like nature, he,
the "chivalrous Kentuckian, scotfingly
designated General Negley as =" that
gentleman, James S. Negley," in his in
sane TRADE against General n. and his
command.
Without pretending to knowing any
thing about their private intercourse,
this is plain history of the relative po-
sitions the Generals occupied in the be-
ginning of the contest, as commented on
! by privates and officers of every grade,
, on the march and over the bivouac fire.
Later, the favors heaped upon General
Negley by Rosecrans, the latters COM
pliment in alluding to the very decided
and energetic government of Nashville
at critical period by General Negley,
and, still later, his success in the field
produced for Ganeral Negley more than
a fair share of ill-will on the part Of
other Generals, while adding to the bit
terness already betrayed by the waspy
Wood Brahnon, by his remarkably free
speeches and undisguised hostility tc
General Negley, affords ample grounds
for supposition boldly stated, to the eff
feet that he not only employed others tc
write letters defaming General Negley
but actually wrote letters himself, which
one day will tarnish his own reputation
Contrary to the opinion of many o
his own friends and townsmen, openly
expressed in some cases, in others tacit
ly admitted, General Negley, during thu
Western campaigns, exhibited remark
able aptitude for the profession. NJ
body questioned his courage; nobod,
questioned his edrnestneSS, while tn
fact, admitted even by his enemies, tina
his method of exhibiting, at any and al
times, even under the most distractinj
circumstances, the actual condition o
his command, and his perfect arrange
ment of details, commanded the admira
ton of every lover of order and system
Few Generals could boast as much, Gel
tainly not his accusers, Wood nor Brar
non;. the first, martinez though he aim
ed to be, in the matter of discipline, a
we'll as in the exhibit of the state of hi
command, was always slovenly, "dow
at the heels" A certain regiment 9Th
10th nlinois) bafied the skill and p'
tience of General Rosseau and otht
Generals, to bring it under necessal
: subjection; Negley too khold of it whe
it was on the point of being mustere
out of the service, and what a brillial
record that same 10Th Illinois has mac
for itself since This is one solitary i
stance out of many.