The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-12-05

our old ground. The only Timber that had
gone to the rear had a gun attached the rear,
in this instance, being the reverse side of the
ridge on which we had been fighting. Daum
could not see me, because was then some 200
yards off striving TO organize teams, as before
stated. Could this have been done in season
the guns would have been removed without
Daum's assistance. The simple fact is, as every
one knows who knows anything about il, Daum
concluded that the guns were lost because the
horses belonging to them were killed or dis
abled. COL Kelly, who led the charge, and who
has written the fairest account of the battle
from the Confederate standpoint have ever
read, says that he gave special orders TO his men
70 shoot the horses and they did so.
Col. Daum goes on TO state that lone Of Capt.
HuntingtOn's guns was carelessly left in the
road, halfway between the battlefield and Con-
RAIDS Store. The axle had been broken, and
although / taught him 1.-THE Captain) how to
mend it, IL was left 20 its fate. The gun was
even unspiked, but Lieut. Col. Shriber spiked
II and destroyed the carriage. In the same dis
honorable manner Capt. Huntington left his
forge on the field"
First, rs TO the gun so "carelessly left, the
piece in question, one of those that acted with
the infantry on the right had its axle struck
and fractured by solid shot. In passing
through q very deep mud-hole the axle broke
short off, To "mend " it under the circum-
stances was simply impossible; under ordi-
nary conditions il might, aud would have
been, slung under the timber, but the mud was
too deep 20 admit of it. The piece was de-
liberately and thoroughly disabled by wedging
a solid shot in the bottom of the bore, and then
pitched into ditch. All this without the as
sistance of any officer outside the battery, as
men who were present will testify.
As TO the matter of the forge, it certainly
should not have been left. Its loss was source
OF deep regret and modification. Regarding
my own responsibility for il, / can only say that
my attention was so engrossed by the efforts we
were making TO save the guns, that in the con-
fusion failed 10 observe that the forge had not
gone with the battery wagon until the enemy
occupied the ground again, and il was too late
TO recover it,
We were using shcnkle shell, proiectile
with paper sabot. The raiuy weather we bad
met with since there WAS chance 10 air the
ammunition, had so swelled these sabots that
about every other shell would stick in the
muzzle of the gun. had to set all who could
be spared from other duty at pairing down the
sabots with jack.knives. The artifcers and
forge drivers were thus employed. and SO taken
away from the forge they would otherwise
have looked after. One of the former was
taken prisoner.
DIR. Capehart says that my name "docs not
appear on Col. Daum's honor list" l am con-
soled under that misfortune by words written
by that stout old fighter, Gen. Nathan Kim
ball: Capt. Huntington was held in the high
est estimation by the officers of the division and
myself, for the display Of those qualities that
distinguish the brave, gallant and competent
officer" And these of Gen. CAROLS: Capt.
Huntington is one of the ablest battery officers
/ ever knew"
DIR. Capehart thinks IL is unpleasant 20 be
called slanderer. 1t is also unpleasant 10
have TO make the above citations in defending
myself from the attacks Of enc. / do so TO show
that my reputation in the division was not i'm
paired by Daum's vndictive malice.
As 10 my structures on Gen. Shields's opera
tons in the Valley, Dr. Capehart is welcome
10 his opinion. Those who deny the truth of
these propositions: ~ That the whole diys-
ION might have confronted jackson at Port
Republic; % that IL should have done so:
~ that IL IL had, the probable result would
have been Union victory. are welcome 10 agree
with him. Those who think that an estimate
of the military capacity Of any officer made by
one who pronounces Stonewall Jackson timid
laggard 10 be OF any value, may accept DR. Cape
hart's estimate OF Shields's generalship. OF
Gen. Shields personally can only repeat what
said before, that he was a warm hearted aud
gallant gentleman.
DIR. Capebart says that / tam ignorant of
the records" If that be so, ] should be 10th
to display my ignorance by asserting, as be
does, that the Mcdowell Court of Inquiry CEN
sured the conduct Of that officer With these
remarks leave the case TO the jury. +.
HUNTINGTON, Boston, Mass.