New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-04
GENERAL UARREN'S EXPLANATIONS.
A SEARCHING CROsSEXAMINATION BY IhTEhAi
sHERIDAN's COUNSEL, AND PosIrIV We REiiEhA
TIE MAINTAINS HIS POSITION.

HE MAINTAINS HIS IOSllloN
A SEARCHING CRoss-EXAMINATIoN BY GEFEkAh
sHERIDAN's COUNSEL, AND POSITIVE RkiihhA-
HON OF SUBSTANTIAL POINTS
The cross-exnmination of General Warren, when
was begun on Friday by Mr.. Gardner, coullscI Ioi
General Sheridan, was nued ana colnpir, '
yesterday. Mr.. Gardner cond1clet iS n Hnes
nation over wide range, and put searching Ilrsl
tions At one point, Mr.. Gardner SAID 20 HeiJia t
Warren: " There has never been any douDt t' ar
General Warren was as brave ana c0uihgtouo an
officer rs our service had. General sheridan never
questioned the fact" General WnlIen IePIihu w.,
some warmth of manner; UeneraI nH ~ INN
seemed 10 question il after the battle OF Five
After the Court was opened yesterday Mr. Gard
ncr began TO question GeneIal r MaIitn u m tbs
respecting the operations OF the fllth corps Oh .p
morning of March 81, but he had not gone Jar Wheh
Mir Sticbnry interrupted him and asked whether OF
not General Sheridan had prompted that Inc Oh
questioning Mr.. Stickney added that GcIlrrai
Sheridan was not interested at all in what 1eneua,
Warren did at that time All animate" M Iv
General Augur of the Court wit hout any statement
from Mr. Gardner. however whether he was Ioi-
lowing instructions from General sheridan or not
:" AZ 1850 d. H.. of March 81, said MIR. Gardner
"yon received the order 10 send Grinn promptly ny
the Boydton plank road. and move the rest ol yoni
command by tine road that Bartlett was OYER anu
strike the enemy in the rear Now, why did 20"
not act upon it, and attack at once u ..,.,.to
In the first place. the order showed c0nsiderapie
icnorourc ON General Mcadcs part of certain points
of fine stuatiOi The junction OF the rOa'iS NC
directed me 10 get to before the enemy was al
member either. that previous order had competed
me TO Withdraw Bartlett from his POSITION. haI
served with General Meade a long time; and l
Thought il best 10 delay untll TIC ShouIu po III
formed upon these points"
aIn this order oi General Meade / find that he
told Won not to cucumber yourself with anything
that would prevent You from moving across tue
country You were also ordered to he very prompt.
What was there to prevent you from ACTING upon
this order Immediately" IL. r
the movement | had ISSUED order for The dlyi,
sions 10 halt exactly where my dispatches should
find them, SO that could at once determine upon
the order of mOVemt MT l.
Two hours and twenty minutes interventd be-
tween the time that you received this order anu me
next one from General Meade, winch n0dlncu II.
Why did you not take what men yon had Oh the
White Oak road and advance directly across the
country to the attack 4" s .l,o
ain the first instance was responsible Tor the
reinforcement of Sheridan ut Dnwiddle The dlVi-
sons of Griffin and Crawford had had orders 10
move ont from the White Oak ROAD some ilnle pre-
viouslv and an aide had sent to halt them ana
report their position had not yet returned nau'
consequently no definite information of their
whereabouts" i, r..
match from General Meade, advising you mat Time
was of the utmost importance, ana tclinhg you, II
the plank road was impractlcable TO Scnd by the
Quaker road Why did YOU not obey the order
General Meade did not know that the bridge
acros, Gravclly Run on the plank ROAD was 'ilns
mt in order and would he practicable IN snort
lime | was every moment respecting . report from
Major Benyaurd that the bridge was hhshc'l' ana
/ he WI :
time. knew would be- lost by Il literal compliance
with the order. And 10 send by the Quaker ROAD
was to give up the rear attack"
But Won aid not attack, neither dld you send by
the Quaker road Why did you not act declSlVely
one way the other = >.
one Of nv divisions had already been dispatched
to sheridan. Ny suggestion at $40 p. M c0ntem-
plated "a rear attack with the whole weight OF me
finh Corps From the last dispatch understood
that the essential thing was 10 reinforce Sneiluai'
and different measures had already been taken TO
accomplish that object. / expected to hear III Il
couple Of hours that Ayres was nj Dnwm4lc,,r1
Mr. Gardner next questioned General Warren
closely relative to the delay III bringing mp tle
troops for the formation on April J. witEout, now
ever causing any modification Of his previous
statement that the men came MP as fast as possible
Did YOU at this time express To Genera! Sheridan
any apprehension of being struck from the rear ny
Il. T.. Lees main force rom the Nhltc YAK al"
Clayboinr roads /"
had no such apprehension"
DO You remember having used to General Sherl-
dan some such expression as that Bobby Lee Is al
ways getting people into trouble ~
II believe that If ani body ever said such thing
of me il was an invention. ! never SAID anything
of the kind c,
This answer was Hat contradiction of General
Sheridan. who told the Court that General warren
had made Use of the expression referred to-. Con-
! timing Mr.. Gardner asked great number OF
questions about the formation of the advance, the
! advance itself the break IN the line the encmys
| position. and General Warren'S actions when me
| line was broken to which General Warren replied
substantially rs he had donc IN his eXalhinalol.
| lou say that You expected CmwtordS DIVISION
| would strike the return OF the rebel works, ana
| Won therefore formed Griffin behind To support
! him. How was it that your expectation nllscar-
| rlcd ~
| Crawford was expected to strike the return. and
| would have done if the return had been where
| our information placed IT"
! !" If General ShcridanS order to advance to the
White Oak road and then 10 wheel 10 the left, laG
| been executed would not the whole corps have
| s.rtlck the return OF the rebel works =
If must reply categorically 10 that question,
say no: but it is not easy to answer Il question
| containing suggestions
Itt-U unf
That order as il is conceived to he in your qucs-
| tions. was impossible of execution. lie saw my
order and the diagram that went with 1t. III II mad
| not met his wishes he could have modified 1t. My
information of the position of the return of the
works came from General Sheridan himself. With
| all his cavalry To ma our, 1 supposed nc was Ill
| formed accurately"
Who was responsible for the break in the line
and the failure to carry ont the plan of attack ::
| The responsibility was divided one. The first
error was the failure t. properly locate the position
of the enemy, because, not finding the enemy where
| they thought to be- and receiving a skirnlsh
fire in front. il natural for the troops To push
forward for that fire. and foi them to think that the
! line of battle would he there. This carried Ayrcs
| flank disclosed the enemy's position: Ayrrs with
| great skill ana promptltude changed ms line, and
| met tins fire There was then 10 pivot upon which
| to wheel Crawford and Griffin, and no wheel cOud
| he made. | fastened to establish pivot with "a
portion of Crawford's division yet i'll the field. If
This pivot had been suffered to remain and the line
| had been established as | directed there would
have been further going of to the right, except
for substantial cause. The second responsibility
rests with the authority that removed my pivot"
| General Warren said further that General Mum
ford, with his 1000 carbines, If there had been an
attempt TO ignore them, could have completely
parayzed the action of the entire corps and tnat it
was therefore imperative to get rid of his fire in
! front before wheeling to the lett
1 The Court will meet next week and prepare the
record. but no testimony Will be taken before Sep