The National tribune., 1885-01-01
GETTYSBURG.
A Review of Gen. Howard's Recount of the Battle

4 - htNitH Va Nti. htfouHt VI sHc
To THE EDITOR: Gen. Howard delayed
writing his paper on Gettysburg until he could
refer to certain documents he wished to exam
| inc. He seems to have utterly ignored certain
/ other documents to which his attention was
very forcibly invited by Gen. Hancock in The
! GALAXY Dec. 1876 In this way he has re-
hashed his old statements made in The dtidatic,
July, 1876, and calmly reailirms the old story
which then was so merciessly riddled as to be
deemed past all hope of resurrection.
Most of the prominent actors in the battle
are now dead. Reynolds, Buford, Warren,
| Meade and others are with " the silent ma
| jiority," hence they cannot now answer the
fallacies put forth by Gen. Howard. Fortu-
nately, some of them have left statements,
made under oath, which it is now very hard to
gainsay. 1t is no exaggeration to declare that
| Gen. Howard's story is altogether at variance
| with official papers, sworn statements and
| recorded history.
Amid such q mass of errors as Gen. Howard
has published in THE TRIBUNE it is hard to
select salient points. The whole tale has been
refuted long ago, and Gen. Howard has nerer
| replied. Space aud time will permit OF but a
| brief alluSion to some of the more garing mis-
statements
June 80, 1868, 1880 p. m, Bufords dispatch
! to Reynolds correctly locates the Confederate
army. Possibly this dispatch was part of the
matters on which Howard and Reynolds that
| night held conference. Now, is not the alleged
verbal order quoted by Howard in morning of
| July rs in substance 10 "cncamp" strange
| idea when we read that even then Il battle was
| in progress? For the text of Bu.ords dispatch
see Report Com. Csnd War, 1863 Vol. l, p. 3o2
As by HOwards own story it was l.30 a. m
when he heard of Reynolds's death, he cannot
be considered as in command Of the field until
! that hour. In 1876 he averrcd il was "12:15
,l,o1,l fla Of tha I,
Corps reached Gettysburg, and pictured HIM
self as OH Cemetery Hill catching glimpses" +"
! OF the battle until p. m. when lie rode to the
| front and requested the First Corps to hold
the position as long rs possible and then retire."
which was indeed a most vigorous and inspirit-
| ing eXhortation. AT about this time he no.
ticed the gap between the right of the First
Corps and the supposed left of the Eleventh
Corps ordered Schurz to occupy it, changed
his mind, sent a skirmiSh-iue, and before
their arrival the enemy had it i'll force" Thus
he left open the door through which the Con-
federates eventually outfanke the First Corps.
We of Robinsons Division have very vivid
remembrance of a division of the Eleventh
Corps throwing away its guns aud manifesting
intense anxiety to regain the charming shelter
of Cemetery Hill. Doubleday swore to this:
The Division of the Eleventh Corps on our
right fell back about halfpas o'clock. The
time is given by Gen. Wadsworth in his report.
Gen. Baxter said that division fell back before
the enemys line of skirmshers." rep. Com.
Cond. War, p 30S.) Baxter was on the right of
the First Corps, and never varied from this
statement as quoted by Doubleday. The Off
cial maps show that Schnrz's Division 10 regi-
mentsJ fell back before Doless Georgia Brigade
of four regiments.
Gen. Howard says: "The brigade in front of
the town, put there to help tie retreat, was
itself captured" Is this referring to brigade
af sF..I
guns stacked near the Collegey Gen. Howard
may with reason " feel sad " as he coutemplates
the actual facts he seems diligent to hide. His
Corps numbered 20 regiments, yet it fed be-
fore is Confederate regiments. His batteries
on Cemetery Hill were a terror only to friends,
being most active in shelling out the Union
lines (see official reports OF the cavalry, while
the provost guard of the Twelfth Corps that
night collected Il 500 fugitives, some miles in
rear Of the field" (GdlaTy Dec, 1S7G)
Howard fixes the hour of the retreat as 345
p. m. He is fatty contradicted by Hancock and
Warren. Hancock S report says o'clock. And in
March, 1864 he swore that he arrived mot
later than $50 o'clock, and that the fight
was then over. The rear Of our column, trith the
enemy in pursuit. then coming through tie to,cn
Warren, also under oath, says: The First
Corps had fallen back pretty badly damaged,
and phdj there Of the EIerenth Corps that had
gone ont to help coming back an great con-
fusion" Rep. Com. Cond. War;
Howard, in 1876, did admit that " the First
Corps really did more fighting than the Elev-
enth," but in 1884 he refrains from this admis-
sion. Buford's despairing dispatch Sent from
Gettysburg, sums it all up: Gen Reynolds
was killed early this morning. In my opinion
there seems to be no directing person. Jjie need
hetD nOac." (Rep. Com Cond. War, p. 357.)
Gen. Meades order of July ], 1863, lilo p. m,
is ample refutation of Howard's claim as to the
Of fhn h,ftl q
and 3. 1t directs Hancock TO proceed to the
front, and by virtue of this order, in case of the
truth of Gen Reynolds DEATH assume command
of the corps there dSsenabled-viz., the Eleventh,
First and Third, at Emmittsburg. If you think
the ground and position there better one to fght
bste under eristig circumstances yOa icU ddUise
the General, and he wiH order all the troops ap."
AT p. N. Meade sent to Halleck this dis
patch: Gen. Reynolds was killed this morn
ing early in the action. Immediately sent up
Gen. Hancock to assume command" And in 1864
Meade swore to this statement: % / received
report from Gen. Hancock giving me such an
account of position in the neghborhood of
Gettysburg as caused me at once to determine
to fight battle at that point"
Abundance of additional testimony could be
offered, all corroborating what has been above
cited. We are content with the few quoted
If Gen. Howard is 10 be believed, the only
refuge is that Meade, Warren, Hancock, ETC.,
were deliberate propagatorS OF falsehood. Their
statements were made while the actors in the
drama we're living: they did not wait till death
had thinned the ranks ere they put forth their
story. Gen. Howard cannot plead ignorance
of this testimony. for his attention was called TO
it as early as 1876 He has never squarey met
the issue; he cannot, for all his claims are
"airy nothings," the creations of his own irnag-
inaton. On July his Eleventh Corps was
still in nervous trcpidation, for regiments had
to be placed behind it with orders to fire on it;
and when assailed by the Louisiana Tigers it
fled pell-mell, Carrolls Brigade of the Second
Corps being obliged to come to the rescue and
retake the position.
1t is to be regretted that brave soldier, who
lost an arm in the service should be so con-
sp!cuously unfair in his utterances. The truth
hurts 10 one; it is equivocation that is damag-
ing. After the many times that Gen. Howard's
fctions have been upset by appeal to historic
fact, one views with amazement his continu-
ance in the errors SO often emolished.-JAMEs
BEALE, Philadelphia, Pa.
Cedar Mountain.