The National tribune., 1890-02-13
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have 10 Say About
Their Old Campaigns
SHENANDOAH CAMPAIGN.
Gen. Capehart Again Pays Ills Compliments 4
Huntington. Of Boston.

paign in the Valley Of the Shenandoah, which
have now been going on almost necessarily foI
nearly nine months; but may be permitted q
few words concerning the last letter of Mr.
Huntington, of Boston, in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE Of the 9th Of December, and few
other matters.
Having produced the condemning evil
dence of the officer under whose i'm
mediate command the individual Just al
luded 10 was and whose fine capacity and
heroism will be generally conceded by the
gallant men Of Shields's Division and those as
ISOLATED with them, il could only be fair 10 say
that the matter was then no longer any affair
of mine-that / was then relieved from the
charge of uttering words carelessly and without
fair and reasonable grounds. Certainly i had
not the slightest personal feeling TO crafty
and ] still regret, aud chiefly for the sake OF
the individual from Boston, that he should
have started the discussion. But his shameless
and brazen assurance seems TO render little
further attention necessary, though one feels
like approaching him with a very long pole
and trust / may be forgiven for entertaining
such feelings, aud be generally understood.
Without doubt. if he had exhibited the same
bluff and hardhood at Port Republic that he
has in his paper fight this discussion would
never have arisen.
IL is an ancient device for one without any
substantial defense 10 quibble, quirk and wrig-
gle, twist words and split hairs, object 10 mat
tiers of form, indulge in abusive epithets, in
order TO divert the attention of the jury, and
seek 10 cast suspicion upon the discriminating
evidence, and 10 these transparent methods
Mr.. Huntington, Of Boston, has, of course,
freely resorted iE his own defense. 1t is true
j might have said in exact words that he rode
away on horse, or IOde of with the horses, so
that he could not have had even the shallowest
pretense for saying that / said he rode off on a
dozen or more horses; but it looks very much
- sg.1
feat bad IL flashed for the moment upon his
mind that he could have accelerated ia the
least his speed thereby.
As TO his imaginary discovery Of a non
seQEitUT using Latin would not non comDos
saetis as applied 10 himself in connection
with II, and his letters taken as a whole, be
much nearer the mark? If he takes any COM
fort in being left alone in his glory, am sure
have not the slightest objection; for l am
dealing with the ringleader Ii is almost inn
possible for men TO act with GOODNESS under an
officer who loses both his nerve and head Not
few Of the regiments and batteries made poor
records as they will admit, for a time under
certain officers; but becoming well-OiIcered,
none exceiled them.
The person from Boston plainly plumcs him
self on the elegance Of his composition, but the
words qrOHidleSs SANDER, which he uses not TO
speak Of others, are hardly good English aud.
moreover, they are highly immoral, when con-
sidering the strong grounds there are for the
statement he objects to-
But the days Of pedaDtry are about over,
facts and figures being much more in demand
nowadays aud i cannot afford 10 handy words
with him; and besides am unnecessarily en-
eroaching on your space and the good nature of
your readers.
As TO the good opinions he says certain un-
questionably gallant officers having given ex-
preston 10 concerning him ! find in the 40
n-fslrf es.ff
q solitary word 70 his credit, unless some from
Tyler be 50 construed but a. they were both
IN the same box he does not seem 10 care
about giving these 70 Us, though Of course he
may not have seen them a. Il is manifest he
could have made 40 stndy Of the official docu-
ments, granting him tue intelligence TO under
stand them. In the first part OF the Gettys-
burg records, just distributed. one would expect
70 find something in his favor; but, though he
~ mentioned, they are silent as 10 anything la
the least creditable, and the silence seems preg-
nant with meaning. Numbers Of those WHO
served ID the Valley campaign appear promi-
nently aud most honorably, aud among them,
Is everywhere else, looms up Sprigg Carroll
We are told that the army after Gettysburg
knew the person from Boston no more aud be
seems % have left - nnWept. unhonOred aud
Hnsnng," like a not inc0nsiderable number Of
other incapable officers who were weedcd out
about that time.
But ] do fad something further in the
records the reverse OF crediiable TO HMM
those relating to the Charlottesville campaigu,
pp. 500, J0l- Col Samuel NJ. Bowman Of the
6sth Pa, and Acting General Of brigade.
records this: We also recovered a gun with
carriage aud horses attached. belonging 10 =.
i. BuutingtOHs battery 50 far as appear
ances Indicated, il bad been iugl0riously alan-
ooncd- Tie carriage and horses arc all sound
aud IN good order, and tie only obstacle a
stump O a tree, against which it had halted"
Dir. Huntington, now Of Boston, says ia his
report D. sos, that the horses Of two Of his
pieces were shot" and that the pieces were
necessarily abandoned / was with
the last piece, be says and speak from per-
sOuai knowledge" lie SAYS further. One gun
was afierwaTd TecoTercd. The remains Of this
battery were then sent 10 the rear" lie saysa
good deal more. hardly any more consistent with
what ben. Bowman says than the zbOye We
sec that be made about the same excuse for his
conduct AT Charlottesville that lie now onerg
~ glhaicatl0n " that At Port Republic chronic
with hin. Perhaps. too, Gen. Bowman mag
have raped slim over the Enuckles az Chan
ceilOrsgIlic, az COL Daum did at Kernstowp
and Port Republic, and conceived a similar
violent dislike for him and Is ID 10 be sun
posed iHat be, an inferior officer. had dis
cretl0nary order from the commander Of the
Army II the Potomac. Gen. Hooker, 10 arrest
s'en. Bowman, &c hc says be had to arrest Col
Daumf
Strange that person who asserts that he was
invested wIih SUCH arbitrary power over the
liberty 81 has superior officer should appear in
such ar uniag0gahlc aud Insignificant ljght In
tic official records.
II docs not seem probable that tie people Of
tie noted aud historic city Of Boston viii arise
10 any extent 10 do honor o their fellow
citizen, Mr. Huntington, and bis melancholy
military career.
The evidence is 50 damning aud presents
such stroug Confederation Of Col Daum's opiu-
Jon Of nj. Huntington, now Of Boston, that
hardly word IS necessary in Col. Daum'g be.
baii, o. hardly before But il may be said
that % all the brave men Of Sbiclds's Division
aud There were none Drawer Col Daum re.
cclFes more praise officially, and more unstint-
ed, from Tie beginning 10 the eBd Of that giori-
Gus campaign. than any other soldier Of the
division, and without a syllable VI comment i'm
Tie slightest degree unfayorable, much less
any rejecting upon hin. Ia fact. had his
advice been followed az Port Republic bv
Tyler, jackson and his whole army could not
have got that position al Port Republic from
The little handful Of noble men who defended
H. Tyler removed the support from the guns
on The lett against Daum's most emDhatfe nro.
Test. IL is very Questionable whether fbev
would have been disp0ssesscd IN any event had
not Tic retreat been ordered Cor SioneNoU
Jscksons entire army, save a fc,Y regiments
had been whipped 10 a standstill. The so,
called StOnewall Brigade got knocked out AT
about Tie first round, and never made lis an.
pearancc again until after the retreat BEGAN
Ewells men did about ali the fighting fbat
was effective
Col. Dapm's deed with his volunteers, whose
H.