Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-19
WAR HISTORY.
!. ALLEN IN REy0fNDER.


lfcDoSooH, MD., July II, 1885.
fas Editor Of the Dispateh:
General Imboden's statement DDS
seh. July l2th) that his articles in
- Century were written hastily and
lahout referring 10 records or memo
6pda Is an ample explanation +" OF
70 their inaccuracies. Unassisted
smory at the distance Of twenty
years may suffice for The production OF
racy and readable" articles las in
this case, but il Is not proper to call
fscb productions history. As Gene
ri Imboden's papers were inserted
ameng the grave historical articles OF
the Century series we supposed his OBJ
e {oct was something more than the
ske.chy "reminiscences Of unassisted
2 memory.
Had General Imboden stopped here
'Rall would have been explained and l
dhould only have to offer him my
6pology for criticising inaccuracies
3hich he never intended to avoid. Bat
ne General proceeds to defend through
two or three columns his errors Of
/. statement, without in 4 single instance
making them good. We will as briefly
as possible set him right again, omit
ting reference to the errors he directly
or indirectly acknowledges.
Il l. The General allows his rather long
story about Jackson, j. W. Garrett,
and the railroad cars and engines to
drop into the background.
2. When jackson was retiring with
less than 5000 men before Banks, in
March, 1862, is it proper to credit him
with " $4,000 men," force he did not
have until seven weeks later, when the
military situation was entirely changed ?
General Imboden knows very well that
il jackson had had $4,000 in March
there would have been no retiring from
Banks. |: he had had half this num-
Der at Kernstown Fulkerson's gallant
stand there would not have been IN
ayailiDg.
3. General Imboden says: Where
the little battle of Kernstown comes in
to derange McClellan's plans is not very
plain to my obtuse vision" The Gene
raj has merely forgotten that Blenker's
division Of 10000 men was detached
from Mcclellan few days after Kerns-
town and that few days later still
april 3D. McDowelrs corps of 10000
men was similarly withheld from the
peninsula in order to quiet the alarm
which Jackson had excited about the
safety Of Washington. Thus McClel-
Ian W deprived Of 40, 900 men he had
expec I'd to use in the Peninsula. McClel-
Ian has always said that this changed
the character Of his campaign.
4. In regard to Jackson's strength
in the early part Of May General Im-
boden persists in pitting his recollec-
tons against the official reports. The
contest will resemble that between the
pennyroyal bull and the railroad en-
CINE, a story with which so good a
raeOnteur as General Imboden is fimi-
liar. hardly thought it necessary to
quote the reports, but as the General
refuses to be convinced, here they are
Ewell's division, May LIST, "for duty"
(SOuthern Historical Papers, Volume 8,
page 302.) 1929; Jackson's division,
May Sd, probably 81 aggregate present."
(Archiye Office, Washington,) 1897
Ed. Johnson's brigade, on March 18Th,
numbered by official reports 1.-THE latest
to be found) 2,425, but Colonel A.
Smead, A. A. g., says on May 9Th its
strength was 5000; Ashby's cavalry
possibly 700. If JackSon's division
was reduced to the "present for duty"
the total would probably be under
10000. General Early says that
Ewell's division fell off before joining
Jackson at the middle Of May
5. A reference to Fremonts and
other Federal reports would have saved
General lmboden the confusion into
which he falls about the Federal num-
bers. Fremont had about $4,000 in
the army with which he operated
against Jackson--never more. His de-
partment embraced all Of West Vir-
ginia, and the other troops under his
command were engaged on the Kama
wha and the line Of the Baltimore aud
Ohio railroad, and were no more to be
connected with Jsckson's Valley cam
paign than was the garrison at Wash
jngton. On May LIST Banks had at Har-
risonburg about Is, 900 or 20, 900 men,
including Shieldss division. At this
time Mcdowell was near Fredericks-
burg planning unconventional against
Jackson, but against Richmond.
Mcdowell was not thrown into
the scale against jackson until
May 25th, after Schenck and
MiIroy had been defeated at the village
of Mcdowell and Banks had been
routed at Winchester. Was it neces-
ssry to the rapid grouping Of the
leading features Of the campaign" to
count up all the Federal troops scat
tered over northern and western Vir-
GINA and speak Of them as engaged ST.
multaneously against jackson! Gene
raj Imboden has shorn his statement,
however, very commercially. 1t was
100000 in the Century. In his recent
letter he brings it down, through SO,-
OO0, to "at least 65, 900 men," This
last is not far wrong as a statement of
the forces sent to oppose Jackson after
the overthrow of Banks. At this pc
Rod (the last Of May Mcdowell, with
10000; Fremont, with 1000; Saxton,
with 1000, and Banks, with 5000,
were all thrown against Jackson, with
the hope Of overwhelming him. Jack
sons strength at that time had sunk TO
about $4,000.
Had General Imboden consulted the
Federal reports instead Of Jackson's he
would easily have learned the name Of
the Federal commander at the battle OF
Mcdowell, and have also discovered
that Fremont was not within support
ing distance Of Schenck and Milroy on
May Sth.
6. General Imboden complains that
we did not follow up Fremont's pur-
suit Of jackson from Strasburg. We
were not writing sketch OF the cam
paign, and were glad to find parts OF
his article which we could pass over
without correction.