The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-07-02
WHO IS RIGHT?
The CsnnOreer" Asks Co.. Whitaker to Make
Farther Investigations.

Farther Investigations.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I notice in
tho last number Of The NATIONAL TEIUUSE
that my distinguished friend, Col. l.. w. Whit
taEcr, Of Washington, says as follows:
=" In the CannOuCer's' article, headed The
Battle-Month; On to Spottsylvania,' etc,
which appeared in The NATIONAL Tribune
May =, look in vain for an admission that
the Union cavalry lad driven the enemy from
Sp5iisylvania Courthouse aud held il for some
time against great odds in the assaults OF Long
streets Corps. The writer says that TO tho
cavalry belongs the credit OF taking and hold
ing tho Courthouse, fact the 'CanuoHeer
entirely ignores"
The above, if accurate is a most important
contribution 10 the history of that campaign
and shOud be elaborated. But If COmrade
Whitaker will bear with me, / will suggest
that when nc says SpOttsylyania Court
house" lie means TOdd's Tavern. This was
the point where the Brock and Catharpin roads
intorsected. The cavalry Wilson's and Mer-
Itts DiyisiOns) possessed il during the after
noon of May :, and had a sharp fight, Wilson
driving the enemy's infantry back some dis
lance along the CatharPin road, and Merritt
driving their cavalry down the Brock road to-
ward the Courthouse. But never heard that
any Of our troops, cavalry or otherwise occupied
the Courthouse itself ut any stage Of the game
When tho head Of the column Of the Fifth
Corps reached TOdd's Tavern, about l or 100
a IN. May {, the place was lit up 10y fires all
around the fields, and there were several hun
dred wounded cavalrymen from those two
divisions strung along the road and about the
crossroads. lt was evident that the cavalry
had been fighting hard during the afternoon Of
the 9Th.
Soon after we left TOdd's Tavern we found
Merritt's Division. They had been rs far as
Alsop's ciearing-about half way to the Court
house from Todd's Tayorn-amd had fallen back
after dark; reporting infantry and artillery in
their front. This was probably between and
o'clock i'm the morning After a halt Of per-
haps an hour Gen. Warren pushed forward
past the cavalry with Robinson'5 Division,
closely followed by Griiiin's, and at daylight or
soon after got ont into the AlsOp clearing with
RObinson's Division and tho l2-pOundcr bat
tcrics Of Stewart and Martin (B, 4th L. s aud
81 Mass, and Brcck's three-inch rifle battery
j., lst y. w closely followed by Griffin with
the l2-poundCr batteries Of Richardson aud
Mink I'D aud II. lst y. " aud Charley Phil
lpss 9th Mass. thrCe-inch rife battery.
Warren az once assailcd the enemy with this
force, as l have previously described. both in
the story OF a CaunOuccr" and The Battle
Month u" and that was the beginning of the
battle Of Spottsylvaua.
II the cavalry occupied SpottsyIyania Court
house at any time / did not know it, and never
heard OF II. COmrade Whitaker can easily
settle tie matter by referring this correspond
encc-incuding his own cOmmunicatiOn-tO
Gen. Wilson, in New York City, or to Gen.
Merritt or 10 Gen. Wright, in Washington,
whose division Of the Sixth Corps came down
the Pincy Branch road early in the morning,
and took position on the left Of the Fifth Corps
ia the Alsop clearing. Or, if lac will call on
Gen. Charles w. Field, ut the War Records
Office in the Department, he may learn what
our rebel friends were doing that morning and
during the afternoon and night Of the 9TH Of
May; because Field commanded the column of
LonG5trects Corps that seized and held the
Brock road IN front Of the Courthouse.
am sure that, upon such investigation, Com
Tade Whitaker will be satisfied that il was
Iodd's Tavern that tho cavalry seized and held,
aud not Spottsyiyania Courthouse.
OF course / do not pretend to be infallibe
about these matters, but / have made 4 pains
taking, exhaustive and conscientious study Of
them for many years, and always welcome any
addition 10 my store Of actual knowledge. /
also know that COHrade Whitaker is 4 student
aud an authority on these matters Of history,
and the object Of this communication IS simply
TO suggest that lac Investigate little further 10
sec II ! am not right in saying that lie point
held BY the cavalry was TCdd's Tavern, on the
road To SpOttsylvauia aud not the Courthouse
itsclE-AUGUsTUs BUELL., Hotel Duquesne
Pitisburg, Ia.