The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-01

Nuunt. nI. o.. ulw DO. mllle field
And g.. iua.Llucc ,rrai. with their
slrclrlrr-. rburcd sli lIc mint long
guh.l..e iti ihclI. DiliH ua.Ac.l
1u.tic.r..yI morning i.tr second Corps
t.,lnc un and believed iac .dtiacci line.
I ~i,th tnru- concentrated lu thc right
.ld ,,r soon learned that preparations
Nc...0,kinc 10 rpncw iiir assault al day
I,r,. uuou .Iuur 3. and. If nussibie.
l... LIct the enemy across the
The ARRANGEMENTS
CA ,nl. occasion. at first. placed tie Yer
n,on luaaIc In the fourth line. The adj
vance tDn, plncc ns ordered. but was spirit
los. nu., wholly unsuccessful. At its CON
,.iu,,.p fine Vermont BRIGADE wag ordered
M tn the trout line. and a new charging
par,v was uigunizcd rs II fnrlorn hope. The
sc,ti.. al TINS moment. W.. most dishearten
ing. The open woods were full OF troops
living closely on t.4c uiutud at the edge
OF The forest i'm front. strong skirmish
line. including the Third and Fourth Yer
mont. was losing heavily. with the cnemy's
rifle pits in sight, and artillery and muskct-
nv ON both sides tu fuii and eager play
In regard IN the conduct Of our troops at
This point. Greeley in hi. American Con
0ct Ivol. >. page $50 makes a statement
which | am glad of anopporiunity to deny.
He writes ms follows ''Nnd when, some
"hours later orders were sent to each corps
'commander To renew the assault at once
''without refused to any other. the men sim
''ply and unanimously REGARD 10 obey it.
'"They knew that success was hopeless. and
'the attempt 10 gain ii murdcrous hence
'they refused to he sacrificed % no pur-
''pose.' If Mr. Greeley had known the ac-
tual facts he would have himself denounc-
ed the statement as a wicked, atrocious,
vllairous lie. 1t is true that arrangements
for renewing the attack had been made by
the division and corps commanders, and
the men were momeniarily expecting or
ders to advance. But Just then, and not
later than am. am confident m orderly
came dashng up with slip of the yellow
manifold tissue paper on which such hastv
orders were distributed. 1t was most eager
" scanned. 1t was from Gen Meade him
self. and its purport. as your speaker re-
l-colects wildly and distinctly, for he had
good reason to he anxious and
alert. was as follows: This army will
make no further assault here; let the posi-
tons already gained be intrenched.' |
! further remember an immediate debate
which arose then and there as to whether
the order indicated siege by regular adj
vanccs or Il new thanking movement to the
south and If the historians, Greeley and
many others in his train, who have repre-
sented our noble army as settling back that
morning into cool and unrebuked disobe-
dience. could have been by any conceiva-
bic accident within those battle lines, and
could have witnessed the hearty and re-
lieved enthusiasm and the willing and ca
ger effort with which the order that was
actually Issued was received and responded
to, they and their lying tale would have
been slammed forever
The next ten days were Of the strangest
possible description If my historian
could then have made his imaginary visit
to the army limos. his stay would have
been most startlingly brief. The ground
was soft and the active soldiers huTowcd
it. The sand was light and the constant
bullets furrowed it. The forests furnished
lors for orr rpVctmcuts: tools were plenty