Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-12
WAR HISTORY.
sToNEwALL IN THE VALLEY.

To the Editor of the Dispatch
In The Dispatch Of June 1th there
appeared a criticism signed 3" ". A."
said by the Dispateh to be Colonel Will
liam Allen, upon an article Of mine in
the June No. Of the Century.
My friends the editors Of the Cen
try. in discussing topics for series Of
articles | proposed to write fcs their
magazine. from memory alone, and IN
the intervals Of engrossing business cn-
cagcmcnts in New York last winter. in
tmated that | should avoid anything
like formal biographical sketch of any
of oV great leaders, for all that had
been done in many volumes. Nor was
20 load down their columns with pro-
lx details Of marches and battles. All
such things had gone into history.
In respect Of Jackson in the Valley
il was expected that would give a
rscy. readable, intelligent sketch of his
remarkable thirty-odd days operations
in Nav and June. 1862, and SHOW their
relations TO the grand struggie ippend-
ING in front Of Richmond at the time
OF course, with all the accuracy my
memory could command, for had no
records or memoranda 10 refer TO-.
They were pressing for the manuscript,
and had only time to write at night,
turning Cd from 200 to 1000 words
Of an evening. All this by way Of
explanation, and not as an apology for
trihing inaccuracies Of detail, real or
suspected, that may have crept into my
paper.
The first bunder Colonel Allen points
out is where say: ain March Gene
raj Mcclellan withdrew from Johnston 5
front at Mana sSas." The Colonel says
A'it was Johnston who withdrew from
McClellan's 'front.'" To settle this
momentous ~ issue Of historical accu-
racy between Colonel Allen and myself.
i propose to formulate it as question
for rural school-house debating socle-
ties, thus: LAS General Johnston
marched his army from near Manassas
TO the Peninsula, and Mcclellan sent
his by water. in the early spring OF
1862. now which withdrew from the
others 'front.'" This question lays
over =" the old theme Of juvenile pOlem-
les" which was the greater man,
Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bona
partes" II is practically g. so impOr-
tant that ] hate to drop it, but the
space | am limited to is too small, and
life is too short to consider it in all its
aspects and attend to other business at
the same time. So remit 1t to the
boys Of the land, and ask Colonel Allen
to patiently abide with me the judgment
Of posteritv
Colonel Allen oriiiciSeS my sentence
that " jackson. whose entire army in
the Shenandoah Valley did not exceed
1900 effective men Of all arms, retired
up the Valley" and he says " jackson
did not have 5000 men at any time
during March.
| Was not discussing his entire
strength in March. but when be- had
retired zap the Valley and decided to
cross the Blue Ridge, return by rail to
Stanton, and surprise Milroy and
this is apparent from a fair reading
of what precedc> and follows the quoted
sentence. The intelligent reader knows
very well hat by taking a single SEN
tence from its antccedents and what
follows It, even Bible quotations have
been made to prove or disproye almost
anything in theological controversy.
The only sentence in the whole para
graph in which March occurs Is
that in which McClcllan's transfer Of
his army TO the Peninsula is mentioned.
What follows relates 20 the cooperative
and conjont movements Of Johnston
and Jackson to counteract Mcclellan $
comprehensive plans for the conquest
of our armies IN Virginia, and whilst
Jackson NAV have had bat 5000 men
in March. or perhaps only $500, as
when he fought at KernStown and st x
gercd the enemy on the 23d Of March.
My recollection Is. and Colonel Allen
does not rofutc II by citations from Of
fetal reports, that when he left Swift
Run Gap to cross the mountain he did
not have over 1900 men uLder hi,
command. Ii Is very convenient for
Colonel Allen to say JackSon'S division
was aLom 5000, Ewell's about 800,
Ed. Johnsor'S brigade GboW 5000.
That he took $1,000 or 10000 men to
the Chickahoudny in June do not
doubt. for Whiting had then reinforced
him at Stanton with two brl-
cadcs. But that was after the great
camr. IN Of thirty-iiye days had ended,
and hi, enemies had all been defeated
Without access to returns, my be-
lief Is that was nearer the truth al
1900 in Nav than the Colonel Is a,
1850 TO 10000.
Whilst on this question Of numbers,
though little out Of its order, ! will
here notice another point thu Colonel
makes about The number Of Jackson S
armed foes en- re Valley distinct during
Nav and June, 1862. In my article
put the aggregate at G4,o0o. may
NOT HdNt hlSNibuAtb titih dA'Wi ~ y
amongst the various commanders
Milroy. Banks, Fremont, and Shields
nor did it matter that should TO de-
mouStrate the splenlor Of JsckSon's
generalship in beating them all.
aid not say they were all under Banks
and Fremont. but under the four com
manders have named. Now. Colonel
Allen puts them all under Banks and
Fremont when he saws, The Federal
forces under Banks and Fremont were
about 30. 600 instead OF 1000
Now. let's see about this. Colonel
Allen says: About the LIST of May
Banks. with near 10000 men, was at
Har.isonburg, from which point he fell
back to Newmarket between the lSi
and 9th of May" So we will set down
Banks at has fgureS-2o, GOO more
than half Of which. he says, constituted
Shields's division. No matter how com
manded. they were opposed to Jackson
Now. what troops had Fremont under
his command in May and June, lNO2
introduce Abraham Lincoln, then
President of the United States. as my
witness. and he testiticS from Volume
Nil. page Coz, Of the official records
of the Union and Confederate armies,
Series /, Part ! published by the Gov
o,....~., 40 ,La lcth dav of June.