New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-13
WARREN AT FIVE FORKS.
TESTIMONY OF COLONEL NEWHALL.
THE PUBLISHED STATEMENTS OF TIL WITNESS RE
VIEWED.

before the Warren Court Of Inquiry, at Governors
Island. yesterday. Colonel Nrwbah published IN octC
ber 1866 book entitled With sheridan During Lees
Last Campaign" and when Mr. sticknry began nc eA
animation he held IN his hand copy Of tie Dock 1ne
Witness In reply questions stated That his account
the engagement of March 80 on the Whlie OAK hopu
was substantially taken from General Sheridan onoal
report and then med the officers who passed win
dlspatches on March 81 between General Sherluah
beodouarters and Generals Meade and Warren. Ihesc
wer. CANAAN Michael Sheridan, Colonel George A. FOR
sythe and Major Price. After the DlnWlGdle hRh' Oh
March 81 General sheridan slept ut hotel III Dh"lu
die which be left next morning a. curly daylight As
the witness was going up from Dnwiddie he met Cen
erul Avres's troops coming down the Boydton plank
road but he could not cay exactly where. From The
time he left the hotel until the time of meeting AyreS
the interval about all hour or an hour ana ha'
There was no delay In hs movements, except snch
Ms arose from up troops He Lad never learned
what other officer OF General SrerdanS staff bad met
General Ayres He was with General Sheridan from
the time nc met Ayes until noon sometimes they were
in shc rear and tlcn IN front Of the cavalry advance
They were very close 10 Five Forks before noon but the
witness did not scott The cavalry generally speaking
were on the line Of the White Oak road by III O'Clock
q
.'Were Won with General Sheridan when lie HIst met
General Warrenl" asked MI. stickney.
"Iwas present when General Warren came up"
"Where thaI2"
.y impression is that twas Oh the White Oak road,
abCvr j. Bossenn's house"
"Ahout what time WAS thsi"
'Icaun1t fix tho time accurately. About 10 or II
O'Clock in the morning. though subsequent 10 tic time
our cavalry had mainly arrived pn the Waite Oak road
"DO YOU recall any conversation that took place +
lido not remember to have heard any,"
s'Whcre did YOU next see General Sheridan and Ger
eral Warren together while the TROOPS were coming up
"About where the first line of che Firth Corps HATED
to make their formation. This was about or O'Clock
in the afternoon"
"How was General Sheridan occupied while the troops
were coming up"
"He was first with Merritt on the cavalry line aud
then he rode over to after the operations OF the
Fifth Corps remaining there until tue advance began
He was with General Warren hour or more, on foot
or sitting down. l remember seeing General Warren
drawing his plan of attack General Sheridan was
pacing up md down mpattenty. He made urgent re-
marks General Warren. but SAID notahE that STRUCK
Il" Mr. Sucfncy read from Coloael Newhalra book as
follows: General Sheridan was much annoyed ana
we remarked that there would De deuce OF row."
aud sIed "Were those the expectations you hadF
what did You expeotG"
"Oh, thJuEht there would be an explosion Noln-
ing more d finite than that"
Had you then heard OF General Grants insruciIonS
with reference TO the renewal of General Warrrnf
"Nu. first saw them mentioned III General Shcr-
Ibid You notice that General Sheridan surerintendri
"" mo No special act of supervision"
''In yOur book yOu say II supposed the right
of sue line wonid strike the enemy the cit
al suppose cot that Impression from him"
Yon say here. The Fifth Corps p.oddcd through
my Yes, very muddy indeed. TIE roads were bad"
"YOu say, General Warren seemed passive and III
different; was that your judgment oil his manner =
Did you hear General Sheridan say anything about
"a"Not word"
How long were you near General Warren while the
| formation was beng made -
" Mole than an hour. / was within n few feet Of
"How did General Sheridan slow his annoyance r.
! BY walking M and down. by c'hsantly asking what
the time and by being rather strenuous III such re-
| marks ne mailo." 80
Ibid you the infantry when the advance began I"
"Did they move slowly Z"
| "AtI n.trvas their movements were Sow. Tee road
Colonel Nrwlall asked to state his own personal
movements rom ne ins lt 'uNahro ntSn nI ~ tlo
rIy snid in ef.c' When III FIT! C"rpS moved Tor
ward 7 arcomul MED General sheridan aud REMAINED
| with him unnl We sfw General Mack'lNe cohin% mp
the White Oak Rlad WI, ,cnt 10 met I'm aud aG
| turned with me u General Sheridan, who was ih"E
| riding between the sklln'Ish line aud hLt Of battle
After We crossed the White O4A T9ht ann th' ir' me-
10 tell hm take care not TO fire on our own cavalry
division was IN SERIOUS After CO1Nicc' Lad
been restor"d wa, :, tn General WHrt Ia tr HIM
t@t me aI d S s@n sS r sc me viii W ok r
an omen field rather behind Ayrcss DIVISION. delivered
Y Wy tro1ps Of AIrs While the movement WIS s
in progress was again cont 10 lnorn General Warren
that tue div .slons oil Grfn an Crawford were gong t
trcly out Of the battle and rnihng the whole thlrr
| at
neys behind the enemys ieii' N an op'n heid. "ld
| hfn that Genera SHERIDAN Ms exc cdlngIy anxious
out him the troops passing on ms iet the interval
lett between them aud Ayres, aud urged poin,cdy ~
the line He tad matter had already been attended
to- then rejoined General shrridu wh3 was III some
was rounded by prisoners, anu the wOfs hal cyi
DENLY nson carried Just VET q Tue , nmee caGI
struck the until the works were carried was not
oyer half an hour. With General Sheridan when
| (,rifi an !
Gravellv Run Church 70 arrange about p,isoncrs and
when turned General Sheridan was ut Five Forks,
the Ford road. It then probably $3.50 O'Clock, and
fang q FS% su S!T T aeneSa S
Mr. stekrsy resnni9g reading from C" H New
the woods. and could hardly see i've yards ahead ;
what was the nature Of the woods in Ayres's front
q Tne wood was especially thick where saw General
WtnthrOp; IL was what call COpse. Tue men were
cally could than Ave yards Where Griffin
and Crawford advancing tine wood Was more open
person could ride there rapidly ana conld see 100
| Won say. allndng TO the temporary confusion Of
Ayress men II not because Ayres an MS Off
GERS failed that General Sheridan remained here etc
you think they failed In their ony or that they iei
them g
| "You say: 'Ayres having crossed the White Oak
road and finding himself pretty hOtly engaged.
began 10 change 'front.' What sort OF movement was
e sort of rOuGh-and-tumbl movement. made under
Didn't be have to change his front entirelyP
" | do not think 30"
"YOu say: General Ayres employed tactical
movement and opened gap between himself and CRIT
| fin and Crawford Wasn't this uuexpectedP'
mo sir; Ayrcs's division Kept to the left, aud the
only unexpected thing so far a. understood was that
| Griffin and Crawford didn't wheel Ayres's division
weut into action nearly as possible as formed When
they first under hre they rreoiied to the right and
| when rallied naturally returned again to the left"
Colonel Newhnll. after stating tnaC he was not aware
of any innuendOes In his works ref eCng upon the 10y
ats or gaantrv OF General Warren briefly
examined by Major Gardner In answer TO questions ne
said he Jaw the obIque movement OF Grin and Draw
ford that he Thought CrawOrPs division was the first
one 0 the Fifth Corps strike the White Oak road and
that had Crawford and Griffin wheeled 10 the left i'll
stead moving obi quely the Rnt, they would have
kept together in the ne struck the prOOnRHtOn OF
the enemys works at about the same time that Ayres
did.
| General Haneock-Did Avres's division cover the
whole front OF the enenys return when he made the
tack
al should say he covered 1t all except the extreme