The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1875-04-30


stances under which it Wa given ware known
10 me personally, md were not com plimsnta.
~. Amer the battle OF ealtvtlls Geo. Breck.
inrdee autographed the result 70 Gen. Lee,
w,m s:. a.. gree, r:s .a' due s e Gen
Preston, Of the Virginia Reserves, and the
officers and men under their respective CON
mands. When this dispatch wss punished
In the Richmond papers Gen. Williams vas
greatly incensed q General sckin-
ridss Tor not giving % him lwhlisns)
Breckinridse did not conadsr hin entitled
10 while he did not clam n for himself, a.
though he directed the disposition OF troops
By which the bastle VS. won, the commands
Of Gems. 6iltnsr and Preston being actually
q position and engaged before Gen. Williams,
under orders from Gen. Breckinridge, By
courier from Abingdon, came 10 their sup
port. Gen. Williams went In few days 70
Georgia under arrest, and tried TO fomeut bad
feeling against Breckenridge, the action of
the troops at Athens, Georgia, being in part
attributable TO Williams assertion that Brock
He even wrote one or more ill-nstured
letters OF this tenor 10 the Savannah
papers But before the knowledge Of them
reached Gen. breckinndge. he, seeing the ar
ucie in Richmond paper giving him more
praise than he thought due him, and know
effectually put . stop 70 Williams foolish &C
ton, wrote the letter given TO the Sentinel,
In which II will Be scen that while with CHAR
acteristic modesty he disclaims for himself
the credit Of the Dattle, he goes no farther
towards ascrbing the sole credit 10 0sa.
Williams than TO refer TO him - the senior
ofhcer on the field. II ere 10 the letter which
reiutes effectively the nippent assertions Of
some psrroty Witnesses who certify that
General Williams had planned the whole
night, and deserved the whole credit Of 10;
LKrrrR oF CENTRAL .. Q. saEcxrNRiDoa
CONFEDERATE BKADouARrrRs &C. Oct % 1854.
To The Eduovsof the sentinel. Richmond. Va;
GksrLENKN-1n your paper OF the sob tnse..
observe . friendly alluston 10 myself IN connec-
too with the recent RAID on tho virRinis Salt
WORKS which gfvrs 10 me credit due 10 large part
Itis true that had relieved General Echols whose
management Of the department was Married By
energy and ability Il 10 also true that hastsaed
proper 10 add that Brix.dier General j. 9 VII
liam-, who. with bis command, had bsen ordersd
bs iofced marches 70 rrenforce the place, vas the
the troops engaged. General Echols and nyssif
on.y reaching the ground about the close Of the
! am gentlemen, with great respect, you obsdi.
JOHN @. BREcKIsRIDaE. Major General.
Read by the light Of the surrounding cir
cumstsnccs under which II Vas written, this
is ANYTHING but Tribute 10 williams" q Get
forth In an egotistical headline.
! am glad OF the opportunity TO make this
statement and to render this tardy justice TO
Gen. Breckenridge, whose connection with
the battle OF ssltvtile has been practically
ignored by Gen. Williams and his partisans.
II 10 true that he was not on the battle
Held until near the close OF tho
action, being I'm Abingdon, who're be
shenandoah valley, and from which point he
could best direct the movements Of the war;
Gus detschmeDts Of his command. But he
had relieved Gen. Eehols, who had already
made judicious dispositions, and the move
msnts Of General Williams were directed BY
him, instead Of being the result Of individual
Judgment Of the latter, a would be pre-
sumed from the claims 80 vauntingly asserted.
stimulated by repeated orders, 9eu VII
liams arrived with the main body Of his d.
vision about II O'Clock, while. the fighting
was going on, ana assumed command BY vir-
tue OF his seniority 10 rank rather than su-
per'ority In merit or efficiency.
OF = parcel With all this 10 the certificate OF
Gsn. Williams volunteer aides-ds camp 81 Salt
Vile. The repulse Of Burortdge wss an i'm
portaut victory, but It 10 . NO. srqSitsv to
imply that the services OF oil the other on
GERS and men should be ignored IN ascrtbing
the credit solely To Gen. Williams. They
western Virginia. But they omit 10 mention
that owing to the failure Of Gen. Williams
10 improve his victory and capture the de-
moraliked force OF Burbndge, It va but
little more than two months until
burbridge returosd In conjunction with
stoneman, their Joint force beng twice that
which was opposed by Williams. They CAP
tured not only ssltvflle, Abingdon and Wvthe-
willie. but also the lead minee, yet only re-
tained momentary possession Of these places,
being repulsed ~ Marion after . light of
twenty-fo hours duration by Gen. Brsckiu-
ridge, commanding 10 person the same force
In the department at the time OF the hrst Dat
lie of stltville, minus the division which con-
voyed Gen. Williams under arrest 10 Georgia.
The territory was rescued by the skill and
daring OF Gen. Breckipridge aud the oficep
and men under him, yet no one ever heard OF
bis Boosting Of . victory o. much mors brill
liant and important than the one claimed by
Gen. Williams, a. the merit OF the one com
mander exceeded that OF the other.
As To matter Of fact, apprehcnd that these
volunteer staf officers are - much ct fault
IS In matter Of opinion. deny that General
Williams was arrested by General DraSg In