Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-05
EARLY AND SHERIDAN.
Letter from General Early.
CITY OF MEXICO, Feb. 3, 1866.
II, the Editor of the Nelp York NetrS:

CITY OF MEXICO, Feb. 3, 1866.
To the Editor Of the NeiD York NeIrS:
have lust seen the letter of Maor-G General Sher-
ilan of the United States army, to the New
Orleans Crescent dated the Sth of January, 1866,
which was forwarded by Il friend from Havana,
shall not handy epithets with General Sheridan,
and nothing but the fact that he is an officer OF the
United states army, in high command, induces me
to notice his letter. HIS status aS gentleman can
be easily determined by glance at that letter,
when it is recOllected that am an exile in foreign
land and that if were to set my foot within the
limits over which his command extends, would, IN
all probability be Immediately arrested and con
signed To a military prison. My experience with
him in the Valley campaign had already satisfied
me that, as military commander, he was mere
pretender His statements Ot my losses IN the Val
lev ara simply prepOSterOus. The man wp q reported
that he defeated lIamptOn's cavalry ut TrcvllianS
Depot on the 18th of June 1864, and that his far
Their progress arrested by an infantry force near
GOrlOnSville too strongly entreuched to success
fully assault when there not an infantry sol
der in arms nearer that place than with General
Lees army ut Cold Harb0r-whO subsequently re-
ported that he drove my command through the gaps
of the Blue Ridge after the battles OF Winchester
and Fishers llill-that he captured iorty.eight
pieces of artillery from me at Cedar creek aud that
nurSuit was made to Mount Jackson is very capa
Ole of making or having made any statements To
suit his purpose. lie has Il fictitious reputation to
sustain and his letter affords criterion of the
means by which it gained
NV officers know the correctness of my statements
Of our strength IN the Valley, and it will be news
indeed to them 10 hear that $4,000 prisoners Were
captured from nv command, and that | lost, in
killed and wounded, over 1881 men, between the
18th of August, 1854 and the LIST OF March, 1867
IL will equally aStOnish all my artillery and ord
nance officers % learn that lOl pieces of artillery
were captured from me between the 10Th OF August,
S64 aud the lSt of January, 1865, especially when
il Is recOllscted that General Sherldans telegraphc
reports. made after each capture claimed only
seventySeyen pieces captured during the time specl-
! fed TO wit:
At Winchester the 10Th of September, 1861.
| At Fishers Hill the 23d " ......ll
At the cavalry tight below Edinburg, the 9th of
October, 1864 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. IL
At Cedar creek the 18th of October, 1864 Is
At CedarvilIe, in the cavalry fight between Powell
and McCausland, Nov. IL, 1864. ............... =
Of those claimed as captured at Cedar creek, the
| greater part consisted of guns which had been
abandoned on the field by his own troops, while my
real loss was twenty-three pieces making ffty-two
guns captured in the time specified, if all the other
! claims were correct The impartial reader will not
fail to notice the number of guns marked ~ S in
the list given by General Sheridan and the very few
marked &c. :"
His command may have captured 400 prisoners
at the time of the affair at WaynesbOrO as at that
| time there were at Stanton and elsewhere in the
Valley. u large number OF recently exchanged pris-
oners on leave OF absence from General Lees army,
who could not get transportation back, as the few
railroad trains we had were engaged in removing
| stores.
II my estimate of General Sheridan's strength
was incorrect, he had the means of giving it with
accuracy from his returns, and, as the official re-
| turns Of nv command were captured at Waynes
boro By his troops, he ought to have the means Ol
ascertanng my strength at each one of these bat
ties without resOrting TO a dubious certificate from
memory by his Provost Marshal General, or certi.
| cate of his killed and wounded by the Chief Signal
OFFICER of the Middle Division of the Gulf, or the
statement of an ordnance officer made in such form
las to preclude its publication in the columns of
newspaper
the proprety of my caution to all fair-minded mer
of Other nations TO withhold their judgments upon
the reports of our enemies, until the truth can be
placed before them.
Alas how sad must be the fate of my poor coun
: try when such man can have military sway ovel
any part Of il
Respectfully, J. A. early