The Hartford herald., 1875-04-28

though it we're doyetalled TOR the oc-
ca.ibn. EAs Il 2 ID
His assertion that he was arrested by
order Of General BRAGG is equally
worthless, from the fact that BRAGG had
no command at the time, that officer
having been relieved by General j.
E. JOHNSTON, who in turn had been
superseded by@Generaf HooD. But
fGeneral- WHEELER, WILLIAMS imme>
diate superior, was the officer who
preferred charges and placed him UNI
der arrest for "disobedience Of orders"
And reader, that disobedience did not
consist in WILLIAMS running off to
Saltville '',citho,a orders" to meet Bur-
BRIDGE, for he did no such thing.
WHEELER had ordered WILLIAMS to
march to certain point in Middle
Tennessee, and he failed to obey the
order, and for this he was put under
; arrest. aGA,d he did not ritsb to SaltUilIe
until hehad been ordered there Riee serer7
al times BY Gen. JOHN G. ,BRRcKIS-
RIDGE, who commanded the Depart
ment of Southwest Virginia, in which
the fight, at Saltville occurred. And in
this connection, We will state this his
toric fact: o After WILLIAMS tarrly ar
rival for if" he had obeyed Gen.
BREcKISRIDGE's first order he would
have arrived at'ileast a day sooner,
GIITNER's little force having checked
the advance of the enemy for three
days ss--he was sayed from disaster bSS
the timely arrlvalnof Gen. BREeNIN-
RIDGE tfpon the. field, ,,cho raIsoee dnoh5
; tie men and rallied qpl led item wnen
they on the point of being routed.
The gallant boys, re-heartened by this
glorious chieftains ,exampleg turned
upon the enemy and converted threat.
! ened disaster into. victory. 1t .was
J J while endeavoring to restrain. the rash
inpetuoEiittyyf r. ~ ,of' ofs General BBREckEs.s- b
! RIDGE, ,thatLieut. Gus. .MAGEE, of Gym
| thiana, and other gallant souls. threw
themselves between their idolized lead
Grand the enemy's bullets, and thu;
died the death ofheroes to save him. ~
Immediately after the battle VII
! LIAMs was placed under arrest his de
! nial to the contrary notwithstanding,
and it was at his solicitation, and an
, act. of supreme good-nature,l that Gen
I BRRcKNRDGE wrote the letter to the
! Richmond paper, WILKINS is nov
, parading as a tribute to himself The
e letter published in the Richmond Sen
; tillel, which failed to make. WILLIAM:
the hero of the fight, was written by
, the late CHAs.. d. Kirk, Csc d.
: Kay'), andput the credit of the fight
exactly where it belonged. And i
q was after WILLIAMS was relieved o
: his command, and sent to Georgia
!, that he got up the Indignation" pa
pers he is now paradmg, by representa-!
: that he ,cas the rictim Of a conspiracy IN
tigated by BREcKINRIDGE, rhO ,ra
! jealous of him!! Could impudenc
!, further go? Read the t'indignatiol
! papers, read them carefully, and thel
: point out where they disproye a singl
= charge Col. JOHNSTON made agains
their author-for the most unrefect
ing reader can distinguish WMLIAD
. hand them in ALL But Gen. GIETNEl
j. has been forced to the front again, anC
: this time he makes an exhaustive state
g ment. 1t is backed up by Maj. HENR,
: T. STANTON, the gallant soldier am
a distinguished poet. ,Weszoonelude on
Z article by reproducing their statements
which We find appended to- Colone
= JoHNsToN's rejoindero to WILLIAMS
: "Vindication," that appeared in tn
: Comier7Jolu1sal of last Friday. n
u one who knows GILTNER and Wn
! LANE. will hesitate a moment in aC
!, cording credit to the statements of tn
Q former over those of the latter, and tn
n testimony of Major STANTON, who wa
II WILLIAMS chief-ofstaf, is. certainl
y of more value than that of hundre
. men who only write, 81 did not see yo
y drunk" Here are the statements
! ! They but confirm the opinion we hav
e frequently expressed of "The Hero,
,e an opinion based upon persona
!. knowledge of the man running bac
r for the. of half an ordinary lifetime
lie Read them: ." ! E"
n ITO the Editor Of the Courier j Ournal.
y .., LOUISVILLE, KY, April q, 1875.
Gen. John s. Williams, through care
and by an exhibit of certificates in th
. Cjuier-,JownaL of April IL, has under
n- taken to relieve himself-of the odiuI
;e which attached to bad actions by contra
- dieting some statements made by me in