The National tribune., 1890-10-30

The bravery and skill of Col. Shaw in holding
that force to the front as he did was appreciated
by the country; but among the general officers
of Banks's army there sprang up at once feel
ing of envy and hatred of the man whose troops
saved tho army from defeat. They determined
on his destruction. Injudiciously he gave
Thorn basis to work on. In a letter to pub
lie journal, printed under bis own name, he
published several of the officers of Bankss
army as incompetent and drunken imbccles on
that day of Pleasant Hill There were many
reasons for believing that he stated the simple
fact" (Comrade Cutter speaks of general oi-
Ger being tho night before inspired by dis
titled molasses or fine commissary.) But he
stirred up an awful hornets nest of sting and
hate Technically, he had transgressed the
military law in printing his letter. Not less
than % of Banks's officers, rs well SIS Banks
himself joined in charges against the lighting
Colonel
"They did not stop with citing this violation
of law in printing the letter. They charged
Shaw with incompetency, with fear, with cow
ardicc, with ordering his men to run, while
terror had seized upon himself Tho Secretary
of War accepted these outrageous lalschoods,
aud Col. Shaw was dismissed tho army in dis
grace. That was his reward for galantry Mt
Pleasant Hill! Gen. A. J. Smith, Shaw's corps
commander who Witnessed his galantry and
his perfect obedi ence of orders at Pleasant Hill,
testified to il all i'm an official letter. Shaw
demanded that this justification be printed In
the official journal that had contained the
order OF dismissal. The Secretary of War
refused il. and yet knew that Shaw had been
dismissed without even hearing
Shortly, however, the authorities at Wash
ington, including the President, realized that
an outrage had been committed on gallant
and mertOrious officer. On Dec. %, 1864, the
order of dismissal WAS revoked, and COL Shaw
was given an honorable discharge from tho
service, to date from the 10Th day Of the pre-
vious November the date on which his noble
old regiment had left tho service"
AS there has been no retractiOn Of these
charges, TO our knowledge, by any part Of tho
Nineteenth Corps it did aud does arouse the
resentment of the men composing Shaw's Bril-
gade against the officers making them and the
manner in which they were instiEated. Col.
Shaw had his faults, but fear, cowardicc, In
competency, and disobedionce were not among
them. We had seen his courage and frmness
too well tested, not only in this battle, but
such az Donelson and Shiloh, TO remain silent
when disgrace was heaped upon him. Is our
resentment honest, or not2 leave the answer
with the reader.
Permit me in closing to say have written,
not for the purpose of mud throwing" or to
east undcscrvcd reflections on any ono bat, il
possible, TO elicit the facts, that tho Second
Brigade, Third Division. Sixteenth Corps and
its commander, may be accorded Mt least a
measure of the merit they won.
Would be glad to hear, through the columns
OF THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, or otherwise,
from any comTade who took part in this expo
dition, knowing there are many whose talent
aud position better qualities them for giving
Internationally 7. McMAKEN, Orderly. Ser
gcant Co. X, Iith Iowa.