The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-27
SAVING WASHINGTON.
General Wallace's Accusations of Treachery
Against General Halleck.
Philadelphia Press.

FEWER still In death; but while his military inca
pacity and injustice to Grant, which might have
deprived the Nation of the services Of the man
who eventually won its victories, have been es-
tablished beyond controversy, it has remained
for Gen. Lew Wallace to accuse him of direct
treachery to the Union. Wallace has declared,
in substance, that Halleck desired that the
confederate general. Jubal Early. should capture
Washington in July. 1864. in order to discredit
Grant, who had been advanced to the position
| from which Halleck was deposed, and that to Sc
cure his ends Halleck hampered the movements
OF the troops. who. on July 9, under Waaces
command, held Early at Monocacy long enough
to save Washington Wallace has so far produ-
ced only circumstantial proof of his impeach-
| ment of Halleck's patriotism. but he has made
no statement Immediately touching upon the
battle and it's results that is not literally true
Exception, however, may be taken to his des-
ignatlon OF 1t as a Union victory. 1t was such
| only In the sense that Wallace accomplished his
purpose of blocking Early's march upon Wash
lneton until veteran troops could DE hurried
thither to man the Northern defenses in place of
the few raw recruits and half crippled invalids
who were all the availsbles that could be sum-
moned to the guns when the confederate leader
rushed down the Shenandoah Valley and took
Harpers Ferry. In any other sense Wallace
was defeated, for he was driven off the field and
left his wounded and his stores in the hands Of
the enemy.
How could it have been otherwisel He had
about 600 good troops of the Sixth corps and
some 5000 Ohio and Maryland 100-days men,
who had never before seen rebel with CUR.
Many or these emergency soldiers were plucky
enough. and Wallace has been somewhat sharply
criticised for not throwing them into the thick OF
of the fight, but he thought they could not be
trusted to stand fire, and so their participation
in the battle was merely that of reserve which
warmed its muskets with little volley firing at
the confederates toward the close of the day.
Wallace was at a further disadvantage in artil-
lery. He had Alexander's Maryland Battery,
which did no notable execution. and Grifins Bat
terry, OF the Sixth Corps-nagnifcsnt cannon
eers-who made every shot do it's appointed
duty. But all this was weakness in comparison
with the 20, 900 veteran infantry, pentifully
backed by artillery and cavalry, that Early
brought into what came very near being mill.
tary promenade to Washington.
These were mostly Jackson's men-the s'Stone-
wall" soldiers and foot cavalry" of the Confed-
eracy, than whom better troops never faced a
foe Lank, grim, saturnine and grav-bearded
Jubal Early was their idol after jackson, and he
had swung them from Port Republic northward,
overrun Gen. Max Weber at Harper's Ferry and
turned southeastward in the direction of Balti-
more and Washington with orderly precipi
fancy and vigor that recalled the genius of the
leader who had died at Charlottesville fifteen
months previous. Wallace had to be equally ex-
peditous. 1t was his business to delay Early
for twenty-four hours at any sacrifice, and that
he did so, must be to his lasting credit
After the capture of Harper's Ferry
he was compelled to concentrate what
troops he could muster at whatever point
might be most suitable for inviting the enemy to
combat. 1t was perfectly we'll understood that
Early knew that Washington was practically
defenseess that it had been stripped bare of
seasoned troops to aid Grant, then on his flank
ing movement around Petersburg and Rich
mond and that if Wallace could not hold him
hack until the Nineteenth Corps which had been
hnatr yia4 frnvv h.
Fortress Monroe to proceed to Washington. the
rebels would walk into the national capital and
achieve all that was possible in such a splendid
triumph.
Wallace was enabled to gather, in the fret
days of the first week Of July, the hundred
days men and few other regiments outside of
Frederick City. He was waiting for Ricketts's
division of the Sixth Corps, and had out scouts
entirely familiar with the country who we're to
inform him what route Early meant to take
Early had the choice of several roads. but on
Friday, July s, 1t became apparent that he pro-
posed to advance by way of Frederick, from
which turnpikes diverge to Washington and Bal
timore There was then nothing left for Wal
lace but to fall back to strong position three
miles distant. at Monocacy Station of the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, as by going further east
ward he would have left the Washington pike
unprotected. If he eauld have drawn Early on
miles eastward. on the summit of the foothills of
the Blue Ridge, his position would have been
still more favorable but Stouewall Jackson's
successor declined the invitation.
The Indiana soldier made excellent disposition
of his forces under the circumstances. He was
obliged to bend the most of his energies to the
protection of the Washington turnpike where it
crossed the Mopocacy river, 200 yards south of
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad bridge, and to
cover, as far possible, the Baltimore turnpike
bridge. two miles northward. Wisely, he decided
TO fight for the Washington approach, and let the
salvation of the Baltimore pike depend upon the
raw recruits. Therefore he placed his reliable
troops on the right of his line, on hill crowned
by the mansion of a Mr.. Thomas, who had been
supplicating heaven for the defeat of the
''Yanks" This elevation commanded the Wash
ington road and from o'clock in the morning
until in the afternoon Wallace and Rick
etts, who had arrived before daylight with
his Sixth corps men, gave Early the toughest
tussle that he had in all the days that he wore
the gray. Charge after charge was made up the
slopes of Mr.. Thomass cornfields and lawns
but each was repealed by Griffn's cannon and the
fire OF Rlekettss infantry. In proportion to the
number Of men engaged the total losses were not
exceeded in any battle of the war, and this great
mortality was mainly incurred in these charges
and the vell-aimed fire of the confederate ar
tillery, under which they were made. So far as
these assaults on Wallace were concerned, he
was impregnable He rode along the lines
between each attack, looking carefully to the
condition OF the men and inspiriting them to the
reception of the next charge. In the midst of
the combat he sent squad of the Ninth New
York Heavies out to burn the Washington turn
pike bridge, and it made very pretty battle
picture to see the fashion in which they darted
into the storm of shot and shell and started the
flames under the old-fashioned wood structure
across the Monocacy.
Presently Early tired of his useless assaults
upon the right of Waliaces line, and gave up his
pitched battle to make use of his superior
forces Regiment after regiment swarmed down
from the confederate right, and there could be
no further doubt that Early meant to be across
the Monocacy and making way down the Wash
ington road before the sun could set Wallace
gave him nearly the last cartridges the infantry
had in their boxes and the last the artillery had
in their caissons. Then he began his orderly
withdrawal. He was not a moment too soon, for
as he drew back in the form of q crescent Early
enfiladed him on each side of the little valley Of
the Monocacy. and about got revenge for all the
valiant eonfederates whose bodies have fertiIzed