Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-08-21
[By requestl.
General ImbOden and The Ar
tilIery at First Manassas.
To tho ed,tor NJ the Evening Post:

IilIery at First Manassas.
To the editor OF the Evening Post:
SIR: Several errors in General limbo
den's "Incidcnts of the Battle of Ma
nassas," published in the May Century,
have been noted and contradicted in
the Southern papers. Gen. ID. II. Hill's
denial lin the Richmond Dispatch OF
his arrest by Jackson, was answered by
an apology from Imboden for the rash
assertion; the recollection of General
Jackson's infant daughter, just after
Manassas-eighteen months before her
birth-has elected various comments
and replies; the statement that Captains
Pendleton and Rogers were not with
their respective batteries on the field
has been freely contradicted by men OF
these commands. Few Northern read
ers are aware of these corrections, re-
main ignorant that General lmboden' S
readable "reminiscences are founded
upon fancy rather than fact.
Other bold inaccuracies in the article
violate the truth of history, and do
grave injustice to brave men who are
no longer living to vindicate themselves.
In behalf of one of these, Colonel Pen
dleton, Chief of Artillery too General
Johnston, | desire to correct several
statements derogatory TO him as a SOL
dier and an officer, and contrary to the
facts in the case with regard to the ar
tilery services.
In his first paragraph, p. 92 of the
Century, General Imboden says: "On
the last day but one of the march OF
General Joseph f.. Johnston's army to
join General Beauregard, an order
reached me at Rectortown through
Brigader-General Barnard Z. Bee to
collect the tour field batteries Of john
ston's army into one column, and, as
senior artillery captain, TO march them
by country roads that were unobstruct-
ed by infantry or trains as rapidly as
possible to Manassas Junction."
Strangely negligent does Gen. John
ston appear to have advanced so far on
so important march without having
made adequate provision for the super
vision and command of his artillery.
But the fact was that the Rev. DR.. Pen
dleton, captain Of battery from Lex
ington, Va, had been made Colonel and
Chief of Artillery for Johnston's army
while it lay around Winchester. When
the march to Manassas began-July Is
Colonel PendletOn moved forward
with the artillery, and under urgent or
ders reached Manassas Junction with
three of the hatteries-Alburtis', Stan
ards, and the Rockbridge Artillery, of
which he had recently been Captain
about . o'clock in the afternoon of Sat
urday. the Goth, nearly twelve hours be-
fore General Imboden claims to have ar
rived there. Century, p. 93). On the
next morning, July 81, Colonel Pendle-
! ton was ulIeCtcu W Holu -hiouitiS p"'
terv and his own in reserve, Stanard's
with heavier guns being sent to General
jackson. With these two reserve bat
teries, Pendletoh was ordered forward
bv General Johnston himself and fol-
lowing him quickly came upon the field
at the point where Jackson was con-
tending with heavy odds. Imboden says
further on (p. 95) that when he met
Jackson he, Imboden, had only three
rounds of ammunition for single gun;
that in the firing OF the first Of these he
was struck on the side and head and
thrown full twenty feet away; that
"the men fired the other two rounds
and limbered up and moved away just
as the Rockbridge Artillery, under Lieu
tenant Brockenbrough. came into posi-
ton, and moment later the Leesburg
Artillery, under Lieutenant Henry
Heaton. Pendleton, Captain of the first,
and Rogers, of the second, were not
with their batteries when they unlim-
bered, nor at any time afterward, as
long as | was with them during the ac-
ton" %. 80, 96). AS has been stated,
Pendleton was now Colonel and no
longer Captain of his former battery, of
which the First Lieutenant, Brocken-
brough. was therefore technically in
command. But Colonel Pendleton took
his old company into the fight, directed
the aiming of their guns and the cutting
of their fuses, and exercised supervision
over them as he did over the other bat
teries on the line under his control.
Once during the hours Of deadly strife,
being struck on the thigh by piece Of
shell, he withdrew for brief period
into the bushes just in the rear, to see If
he was as much hurt as the violent
pain and shock might indicate. Finding
no wound, but only severe confusion,
he returned Immediately to his post,
and remained actively engaged until the
close of the fight.
Stonewall Jackson's report of the bat