The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-08-13

had their effect in giving MN reputation |
At the War Office. Before the Committee on |
the Conduct of the War Warren was one of the |
most willing witnesses, and freely condemned |
other generals while giving with great posi- |
tiveness his ideas of what steps would have
insured success. BY this means he became
a favorite with those eminent strateGists,
2ack Chandler and Ben Wade. At the battle |
Of Charlottesville his Judgment was sound |
when he advised against Hooker's absurd re-
treat back into the Wilderness from his ad |
vanced position near Tabernacle Church.
He was afterward sent with orders for Sedg-
wick TO assault with the Sixth Corps, and
with that general as a sort of mem
tor. There were some who thought him the
evil genius of the affair at Salem Church, and
that 1t was due to his impetuous urging that
the attack which the Confederate General
Cadmus Wilcox so decisivly repulsed was
made without due preparation and with in
sufficient force. General Sedgwick was an Off
Ger who moved with deliberation, but, as the
manner in which he carried the heights at
fredericksburg showed, his preparations
were sound TO the core and calculated tc at
tain the object aimed at. General Warren
in his testimony before the Committee on the
Conduct of the War freely censured both
Sedgwck and Hooker
Remaining member of the headquarter
staff, Warren was regarded as one of the
principal heroes of Gettysburg, mainly he
cause he had detached brigade to occupy
Round Top during Sckles's losing fight on the
Second Day. Though ameritorious act, it can
hardly be regarded as stroke of genius to
have done thing of such obvious necessity
as that when the false position and probable
fate of the Third Corps must have been OBJ
vious to any one on the ridge. General War
rem was one of the generals who advised
against an attack at Williamsport when Lee
was detained by food on the north bank of
the river.
Soon after Gettysburg Warren was pro-
NOTED to be major general, and, in order to
give him the command of a corps, his promo
tion was dated back to May 3, thus making
him outrank Birney and Pleasonton, who
had already been promoted for gallantry at
| Chanoellorsville, their commissions dating,
respectively, May 90 and June l. This was
a piece of great favoritism, and was known to
be such throughout the Army.
General Warren, now commanding the
Fifth Corps, from which Sykes had been un-
tremendously turned out, was General
Meades favorite adviser during the retreat
| to Centreville, but he absorbed to himself
the small glory of the retrograde campaign 10y
| a skilful check administered TO the over
bold Confederates at Bristoe Station. Al
| Mine Run he was selected to make the deci
sive movement to strike the enemy in flank
| but he did not prove to be Northern Jack
| son, and the well-concieved plan proved
abortive, because swiftness is in all sucf
operations essential to success, aud, whether
| through the generals fault, or because
of the difficulties in its way, tn
| Fifth Corps moved like a snail, $
that when it came up to the enemy
position it was found impre gnably fortified
and bristling with abatis and fallen timber
Credit is, however, due General Warren 70
advising against an assault which coul
only have been a waste of life.
General Warren was the most emphati
to urge the consolidation of corps, by which
in the winter of 1864, the historic First an
Third Corps ceased to exist. This consol
| l.. l., 10, ,
divisions aud brigades which dissatisfe
the troops, who saw their time honored or
CARNATIONS rudely disrupted, and the m'
tive was Warren's ardent desire for n large
command.
In the Wilderness campaign Warren wa
unable to score any conspicuous triumph
like that of Hancock at the Salient. Iii
corps advanced against Rwell on the ol
turnpike on the 5th of May, and va
driven back with loss, and without niue
glory, chiefly because il was impractcabl
to push orderly lines of battle rapid
through those tlickets, The hasty charact,
of this advance was probably the fault
others higher in command than Warren, Ll
that officer must be held Jointly blama bl
with his Buperiors for the failure to hay
some brigades well out toward the enemy
since there ia no evidence that he asked leay
to make such disposition Of his troops aht
reaching Old Wilderness on the afternoon
May A, Any look over the ground at thi
time ought to have shown the importanC
of posting troops farther to the front befoI
biyouacking, and the failure to do this invite
disaster.
The movement toward Spottsylyania, I'll
first of those flank movements in which lie
was invariably too quick for Grant, was le
by Warren. There is no evidence that Il
displayed any skin at this critical junctur,
but there breathes in every line of his dc
spatches to Meade an iuordinate desire fC
personal approval aud disposition to fin
fault with the energy Of his tired and fan
shed troops. He attacked the already fort
fed line which was to be the scene of III
bloody battle Of Spottsylvania with succe
siye bodies Of troops 80 fatiGued they coul
hardly stand, much less charge, and ,thoug
! the weary fellows fought slubbornly and el
g dured heavy loss, they were driven back.
, The rest Of the history Of this dreadfr
5 | Wilderness summer need not be reyiewe,
4 Warren appears everywhere as the ayeral
b soldier, personally brave aud devoted to dut.
t but Notwithstanding his youth and his %
y | treIne ambition, aud although lac commando
s as good corps of veteran troops as al
a in the Army, he was never able to SEQ
n any marked success The affair on Il
IA Weldon Railroad, in September, which h
\ been claimed for him az well managed, W
= quite the reverse, and II was due to Gener
e Waren's faulty dispositions, and to his I
= fussl to believe the reports Of the colon
It commanding the skirmish line, that he W
about TO be attacked, and to act aecordingl