The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-03-21
CEDAR CREEK AGAIN.
A pefcnse Of the Ninefeenth CORES.


a few words in regard to that much talked-of
field of Cedar Creek? I have been constant
reader of The NATIONAL TRIBUNE for four
years, and in all the articles on that famed
field that / have ever seen, with the exception
Of a few written by the Nineteenth Corps boys,
il has been of the same stripe-abuse of the
Army OF West Virginia; fault-fnding, In
few instances going so far as to accuse us OF
downright cOwardice, winding up with fusi-
lade of brag, blow and selflaudation; and the
last writer is no exception TO the rule. When
you announced that Gen. Wright was to give
Us his version Of that battle, said to myself,
now Haybe we will at last have fair account
Of the fight, and maybe we will be treated with
kindness, anyhow. But again we are met with
the same TRADE Of abuse, only in a worse FORM
coming rs 1t does from one whom the whirligig
OF events brought for few short hours to the
head Of the Army Of the Shenandoah.
Inc hrst thing want TO aliude to is the date
OF the rough draft of his report" Nov. q,
1860 Why did he not wait until Sheridan was
dead TO make his report? Where did he learn
the art of war? it seems to me that he took
ample time in which to make his voluminous
rough draft" The only conclusion is, that
he was studying how best to heap abuse on as
gallant an army of men and officers as ever
capped a gun or drew a sword.
he says; AT the first blush of dawn the
camps were assaulted by considerable mus
kerry fire on our extreme left" mark YOU,
and fire of much slighter character on our
right. moments observation convinced me
the former was The real attack, and / at once
proceeded to that point; the firing meanwhile
growing heavier" Now happen to know, and
so does he, If he knows anything, that our ex-
IRENE left was held by the Second Division,
Army OF West Virginia Gen. L. b. Hayes COM
mandlng. This was the supporting line he
speaks CT placing on the ridge parallel with the
pike. Accepting his statement as true how
does u come that he was hurrying TO that part
OF the field, the firing meanwhile growing
heavier? And yet, in the next breath, he
says: The line broke before the enemy fairly
came IN sight, and under slight scattering
IRE retrcated IN disorder down the pike"
Now, while Crook and Hayes were forming
and holding this line, what were You and those
two divisions of the Sixth Corps doing? If
we rctreatcd down the pike, how does it come
that kershaw and Ramseur did not gobble us
as they did the trains? If we broke before
they came in sight, how does it come the
firing grew heavier? You, my dear General,
make the same mistake that all the rest of
your corps does: no one was there to fight but
the Sixth Corps It is about time that you
call halt with this TRADE Of abuse and self
laudation.
The facts are, we were outfanked before your
two divisions were under arms, even before
u.
l know? ! was on the piekei-lne on the ex-
tremc left of our division (Hayes's), and we
knew there was an enemy in front of US long
before the +" first blush of dawn" Our regi-
ment-the 34th Ohio, Lieut.-Col. Furney
communicable believe, the extreme left
OF our picket. Col. Furney was Division
Officer of the Day. and hearing commands
given in front of US, he ordered that we satisfy
ourselves thatit was not our own cavalry. and in
10 ha fp oh,
we did. This was long before the first blush of
dawn" part of our regiment was captured,
including the Lieuteuant-C Colonel. This was to
my right, and about IN front, looking due east,
OF the right of Gen. Hayess Division, where it
joined on the left of the Nineteenth Corps at
the pike. Now, those of us who were not capt
ured, as soon as we learned of the result on our
right, commenced to fall back TO the line of
our encampment, firing as we went. When we
reached our division it was in line of battle
facing east, and the boys had hastily thrown
together their rail piles and were preparing to
lntreneh themselves as best they could, when
the men of our advanced division came running
up the ravine to our right and rear, hard
pressed by the Johnnies; at the same time we
were hotly assaiied in front and on the left
flank. Now where were those two divisions of
the Sixth Corps? and where was the COM
mander? True, we gave way,-what men would
not under such circumstances ?-but instead of
retreating down the pike" we crossed it and
fell back in disorder toward Sheridans head
quarters. i do not, nor does any member of
our Corps, deny the fact that we gave way and
ran-yes, fast, very FAST but we do deny the
charge that we acted worse than other men
would under the same conditions Nor do we
say anything against that gallant corps of men
the Sixth. They undoubtedly saved the
day; but, as Gen. Wright says, they were held
as the movable part of the army, and il was
their duty to interpose themselves between the
routed and outfianked Army of West Virginia
and the assaulting army.
COmrade Commagere throws no new light
upon the subject by the publication of Gen.
Wright's rough draft" 1t does not settle the
fact whether we were surprised or not sur
prised. Gen. Wright and the Sixth Corps may
have been surprised, for all know, but theArmy
OF West Virginia, so far as our rear or support
ing division was concerned, was not surprised
or at least we on picket-line were not because
we were firing on them long before day, and
this is what proved to be their line of battle
forming in echelon. They had out no Skin
mish-line proper, nor did they reply to us until
their main line had developed US Had the
Sixth Corps been as prompt in getting under
arms and getting ready for action as they are
in claiming SD much honor for what they did
do, the probability is that the battle would
have been fought on the line facing east; but as
VIC hSie dSSduitSu III IFOubdnQ Dotn hanks were
enveloped, the only thing TO do was to retreat,
which we attempted to do in good ORDER but it
soon became rout. So we sum it up thus:
We were outgeneraled and outfanked, and |
am not the only one that thinks today that
had Little Phil been there that foggy morning.
we would not have suffered defeat in the early
part of the action. Grand old NATIONAL
TRIBUNE give Us, the boys of the Army of West
Virginia, chance to yindicate ourselves
JONATHAN HARLAN, Co. II, 34th Ohio, Second
Brigade, Second Division, Army Of West Yir-
ginia, Box III. Peru, Ind.