The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-03-28
Early and Sheridan
LETTER FROM GENERAL. EARLY.
Cry OF MEXICO Feb. 9Th. 1866.

CRY OF Mexico Feb. Jth, 1866.
To tie Editor ofthe Mem York Neus;--
Ihave just seen the letter of Major General
Sheridan, of the United States Army, to
the New Orleans Crescent, dated the 9Th
of January 1866, which was forwarded by
friend from Havana. u.s., i.r III s.o.
/ shall not handy epithets with General
Sheridan, and nothing but the fact that he
is on officer of the United States Army, in
high command, induces me to notice his
letter. His status as a gentlemen can be
easily determined by glance at that letter
when it is remember that am an exile in
foreign land, and that if l were to set nv
foot within the limits over which his COM
maDd extends, / would, in all probability
be Immediately arrested and consigned to
military prison. My experience with him
in the Valley campaign had already salts
fed me that, as military commander, he
was mere pretender. a..# a.,a. .a,
His statements ofmy losses in the Val
ley are simply preposterous, The man who
reported that he defeated Hamptons caval-
ry at Trevillian's depot on the 18th of June
1854, and that his progress was arrested by
an infantry force near Gordonsville, too
strongly intrenched to successfully assault ;"
when there was not an infantry soldier in
arms nearer that place than with General
Lees army at Cold Harbor-who subse-
quently reported that he drove my command
through the gaps of the Blue Ridge, after
the battles Of Winchester and Fishers Hill
that he captured forty eight pieces of
artillery from me at Cedar Creek, and that
pursuit was made to Mount Jackson. is
very capable of making or having made any
statements to suit his purpose. He has
a fictitious reputation to sustain, his letter
afford criterion of the means by which it
it was gained. ...t... r.
My officers know the correctness of my
statement, our strength in the Valley, and
1T will be news, indeed, to them to hear that
10000 prisoners were captured from my
command, and that | lost, in killed and
wounded, over 1881 men, between the
4th of August, 1864, and the lst of March
1865. 1t will equally astonish all my ar
tillery and ordinance officers to learn that
lOl pieces of artillery were captured from
me between the Goth Of August, 1864, and
the lst of January 1865, especially when it
is recollected that General Sheridans tele-
graphic reports made after each captured
during the time specified, to wit:
At Winchester, 10Th of Sept 1864. .......5
At Fishers Hill, Odd of Sept, 1864. ..-..u
At the cavalry fight below Edinburg,
e IA
At Cedar Creek, 10Th of Oct 1854. .....A
At Cedarville in the cavalry fight
between Powell and McCaus-
land, Nov. IL 1864. 26
Aggregate. $685.. .......77
OF those claimed as captared 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 "U. S. in the list given by
General Sheridan, and the very few marked
&C. s." ft.s. - t.. s.rt:
His command may have captured 400
prisoners at the time of the affair at Way
nesboro, as at that time there were at
Staunton and elsewhere in the valley, a
large number of recently exchanged priso-
ners on leave of absence from General Lee 8
army, who could not get transportion back
as the few railroad trains we had were en-
gagged in removing stores.
If my estimate of Gen. Sheridan s
strength was incorrect, he had the means
ofgiving it with accuracy from his returns,
and, as the official returns or my command
were captured at Waynesboro by his
he ought to have the means of ascertaining
my strength at each one of these battles,
without restoring to dubious certificate
from memory by his Provost Marshall Cen
eral, or a certificate of his killed and woun-
ded by the Chef Signal Officer Of the Mid.
die Division of the Gulf, or the statement
of an officer made in such form "as to pre-
clude its publication in the columns of a
newspaper.
Sheridan's letter has furnished another
evidence of the propriety of my caution to
all fair-minded men ofother nations, to with.
hold their judgements upon the reports Of
our enemies, until the truth be placed be.
fore Them
Alas how sad must be the fate ofmy
poor country when such man can have
military. sway over any part Of it.
Respectfully, J. A. EARLY.