The National tribune., 1886-10-14
THE CHARGE AT JACKSON.
Was Gen. Lauman Chargeable With the Costly His
take.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / have read
Comrade Jackson's article in reference to Gen.
Lauman at Jackson, Miss. tie seems TO infer that
/ had done Gen. Lauman an injustice. wish TO
say that had no intention of SO doing. said
the assault was fearful mistake. and that Gen.
Lauman was Immediately placed under arrest,
and that Gems. Ord and Sherman said he was
TO blame, while he Lauman) cOntended it
was not his fault. IL is true, i might have
given a more detailed account, but these were
the simple facts as they occurred. Now i
should like TO have all the facts in this case,
and hope Comrade Jackson will give US all he
knows in reference to il. As he was a staff
officer at headquarters, he ought 10 know more
than those who were in the ranks. lie says:
When the halt made at the edge Of the woods
Gen. Ord hurted out in n way peculiar To himself.
n remark that offended Gen. launan, and in sheer
desperation lac repeated the order for Col. Pugh TO
advance.
Will Comrade Jackson tell us what was Gen.
Ord's remark az that critical moment to Gen.
Iauman9 This will perhaps cast some light on
the affair. We wish it understood that we are
no admirer Of Gen. L. o. C. Ord, and think it
fortunate for the army at Hatchie River that
bullet interfered aud relieved him of the COM
mand. The gallant Stephen A. Hurlbut sailed
down 10 the front and took command and soon
Strengthened out the division, charged the reb-
els and sent them. with their commander, Gen.
Van Dorm, flying to the rear.
We lave always felt kindly towards Gen.
Lauman, and claimed he was not 10 blame for
the great loss of life at Jackson. He was held
in high esteem by his command, and | can yet
remember the scene when he was placed under
arrest. Accompanying Gen. Hovey, who super
seeded him, he came around after we had re-
turned from that terrible charge and calling
the 4lst Ill. out, he introduced Gen. Hovey,
who said:
General, is this all Of the 4lst III. ?"
Gen. Lauman. with tears streaming down his
checks, said "No, General; the rest lie sleep
ing over there" pointing to the battlefield.
Again. before he left for home, he visited u.s.
and said he was not TO blame, and thanked God
there was a day coming when it would be
known who was TO blame. That he wasa brave
and gallant officer every member of the First
Brigade and the entire Fourth Division well
knew, and the feeling toward Gen. Ord was
very bitter-so much so that some Of the boys
of the Fourth Division after our return to
Vicksburg gathered in a crowd and threw
stones at his headquarters tent until he had to
skip out in his neither garments TO save his
scalp. The next morning he reported 10 Gen.
Grant that he could do nothing with the Fourth
Division, and Gen. Mcpherson requested that
the division be given TO him. We were trans
ferred to the Seventeenth Corps, where we re-
mained until the close of the war.
Gen. Lauman should have been accorded n
hearing and the facts made known. We learn
he was so worried over the matter at Jackson
that his mind became unsettled and he died at
| his home in Iowa. Will some Of the old 9TH or
Sd Iowa give us the particulars of his death
remember just as Col. Pugh halted the bri-
gade an Orderly rode up TO Gen. Lauman and
handed him an order. What it was do not
know. but he ordered Col Pugh forward with
the brigade. wrote Gen. Sherman last Sum
mer in reference to this charge, and this is his
| answer: