The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-04-07

advantage. fan advance would really
have resulted In any greater success
than hud been already achieved, which
must ever be regarded as problematical.
still many allowances must be made for
the peculiar circumstances in which
General Ewell was placed for tho want
| or information on our part in regard to
tho troops on Cemetery Hill that had
not been engaged. and 1t turns out that
u division. about 1000 strong. had re-
manned there during all the fighting be-
low, and had in great measure en-
trenebed itself and made lunettcs for n
number Of guns and for the probability
that other corps Of Moade's army were
closely following those wo had encoun-
tered and when all these things arc
considered, il will be found that no just
censure can be passed on Gen. Ewell
for tho failure to advance under so many
difficulties and uncertainties.
1t was In consequences Of the report Of
tho advance Of the enemy on our flank
that two Of my brigades were sent to
guard that flank along the York pike
on the ist, and not on the 81, as init
mated by General Longstreot. They
were there with tho knowledge and ap-
probation of General Ewoll, and SO re-
mained until late on the "a, when Cor
don was brought back 50 that
GENERAL JONGsTREET Il POINT,
about my throwing two Of my brigades
"oH on some expedition to the rear. T"
thus breaking up the line, etc. after his
attack began on the 81. fills harmless
mt my feet.
As this paper has already assumed
proportions much larger than ! in
tended without undertaking to notice
all the various misrepresentation Of my
language by Gen. Longstreet. or his
many petty Institutions against mo per-
sonnlly. ] must say that he often mis-
quotes me, sometimes disconnocts what
I have said from tho context so us to
distort the meaning, and attributes to
mo sentiments that | never entertained
, and utterapcns ] never made and ] Will
: stnte generally that have not snid that
tho whole OF Meade's army was routed
on the first for only two corps and Il
cavalry division were NJ Mt the fight on
. that day. Nor have | assumed OF
! admitted that Gen. Lee was gov
erned by my counsel in regard to
the plan that he had adopted, for
, knew well his habit Of CON
{ ferring with his officers, more for the
, purpose Of ascertaiuing whether they
understood the work in hand SO ~ to
: execute it properly, than to get their
, counsel Us to what he should order &c
, be done, and of course he had often to
facts that he could not investigate In
person. Neither lave ] said that orders
!, were given to Gen. Lougstrcet to attack
ut daylight on the morning Of the sec
; ond. though ] have said that Gen. Les
declared to Ewell. Rodcs and myself
, his purpose to attack ut that time or ~
J soon thereafter as practicable, and thai
he left rs for the purpose Of ordering
Longstrectto move up so as
:. TO BEGIN THE ATTACH AT DAWN.
+ If he did not give the orders for tho MT
r tnek at that hour, II was, ] presume, be
= cause Longstreet did not get up in time
/ That he did send him orders before, o.
n after dark on tho first. to hasten hi
4 march, is shown by the preliminary re-
port, and in the detailed report h'
says
r. r. "Gen. Ewell was therefore instructed
. to carry the hill occupied by the euem,
il he found it practicable, but to avoic
q n general engagement until the arriva
!. Of the other divisions Of the army
=. which were ordered TO hasten forward.
a He is here speaking Of the condition
= Of affairs on the 1st. Immediately afte
- the enemy had retreated to Cemeter,
Hill, when there were only four divi
,, sions up, though two Anderson 3 ant
I Johnson's. were not fnr off. Long
a streets divisions, OF course. were amonj
! those ordered to hasten forward, AM
- the fair inference Is TINT tho orders 70
/, that purpose were sent when Ewell'
! orders were sent to him, or immcdiatel,
- aftcrward. Why were the troop
:, ordered to hasten forward, blu
!. that the attack might begin n
= the earliest moment practicable AM
4 who Is responsible for their not beinJ
i up In time? General Longstrect seem
!. to have forgotten that ! was but n di
y vision commander, with II corps com
= mandcr between me and the Command
= ing General, and that 7 could not b.
y held responsible for the operations o
Il the whole corps, nor for the counse
- given by Its commander. Whether o
:, not my duties as division commando
were performed to the satisfaction o
the corps commander, can be asccr
y 3tained by n reference to his report, ant
go ] would be glad to know that fully dc
- served
y THE VERY KIND AND HANDSOME coMrLI
y MENT GENERAL EwELL PAYS ME-
- in common with my colleagues, Gcner
ais johnson and Rode3.
n 1t Is difficult to understand what Gen
=. Longstreet means by speaking Of hi
! report, rs being written under the in
2 ilucnce Of profoundest confidence II
:, Gen. Lee, and his declaration, 1T is al
y my fault, rs mature beyond peradven
l., lure. Inc latter part OF tnc passage u
! as lucid as thatquestion that reads abou
q as follows: Ought popular elections t.
= prevail by internal suggestions or thu
- bias Of Jurisprudence 2" the discussion
- Of which, in Georgia debating society
= is so graphically described by distin
= guished relative OF his.
q Here is another csnundrum which h.
Il gives: GAS the wolf that soils whateve
- it touches, and makes that his plea 70
70 70 denouncing those who venture rcmon
-, STRANGE"
- / wish could find some young frien
- who could interpret that for me, as h
!, suggests that one could have been foun
+ to expound his first letter in differen
= sense from my Interpretation Of it. Is
~ possible that he is referring to
is EsoP's wELL-KEowN FABLE
OF the wolf and the lamb, SO appropri
atcly cited by General Zach Taylor II
:, his famous correspondence with MI
4 Marcy Ii 50, then, | suppose that
- am the wolf and he the innocen
- lamb-not Mary's little one, ] hope
: perhaps it would be more appropriate
n to call him ''the lost sheep Of the hous'
: Of Israel" II his allusion is to the sale
. fable, then he should recollect that i
= was he who first began to mudd the
,fr yh.,, ha,. . L,t b IL,