The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-09


81 LII As been siftei from Tho
wheat each individual
grain saved is so much more gained toward al
accurate history Of the great rebellion.
Comrade Howe SAYS: {" What ! STATE will be
facts as seen by myself, or facts from history
1t would have 'eon well for Comrade Howe
not to have To-, sight of his text. lie says
II attempt TO s,v. with the approval of all old
soldiers who served in the ranks. that no man
can pen what was happening any place else
where save in front of his own regiment or
brigade, unless they were not actively en-
gagged, or their duty required them in other
parts of the feid"
If the above is correct Comrade Howe, how
is It that you have the presumption to eElogize
the doings OF the Eighth Corps, and criticize
the action of tie Sixth Corps, when the two
corps were on the left and right Of the line of
battle? Your vision must have been far -seeing,
or was it simply Imagination?
1 refer to year criticism of the Sixth Corps
at the battle of Cedar Creek, Oct. 10, 1864 If
is had not been for the Sixth Corps, there
would not have beea fought the battle of the
afternoon of Oct. 10, and the history of to-
day wonld have chronicled one Of the most
disgraceful defeats OF the Union army instead
of the glorious victory which now adorns its
pages.
The Sixth Corps by standing between the
foe and the fleeing soldiers of the Eighth and
part of the Nineteenth Corps and form il on
the left Of the Sixth, between j and 4 o'clock
p. N.
have searched through different works to
find some record Of the deeds OF The Eighth
Corps on Oct IS. but have failed to find a
single item 10 their credit. Gen. Sheridan in
his Memoirs plareS them at 5 o. NJ. on he left of
the line, With fhe First Division occupying
position east OF Cedar Creek, and far in adj
vance of ATTY other troops, while the Second
Division at a. M. was slightly IN advance 10
the south and east of the Nineteenth Corps,
and on their left To the left of the Eighth
Corps was the Provisional Brigade, J. Howard
Kitching commanding. Between the 9th \.
Y. II. A. and the left of the Eighth Corps was
q body of nnartned troops, 400 in number. who
had arrived on tie field on the afternoon of
Oct. is. They were newly arrived Frenchmen,
and none of them could speak the English lam
guage. These are the troops referred to by
Comrade Howe as Germans
Gen. Sheridan says: "Early's conceptions
were carried ihrough in the darkness with
little accident or delay, Kershaw opening the
fight by furious attack on Thoburn's Division,
while at dawn, in a dense fog, Gordon struck
Crooks extreme left, surprising his pickets,
and bursting iuto his camp with such sudden
ness as TO stampede Crooks men"
He also says: AFTER Crooks troops had been
driven from theiF camps Gen. Wright endeav-
ored to form line with the Sixth Corps to hold
the Valley pike 20 the left OF the Nineteenth;
but, falling iH tbs he ordered the withdrawal
of the latter ,"rps. Ricketts,, Temporarily COM
mandirg the Sixth Corps, checking Gordon till
Emory retired. Though much disjninted re-
sistance was display ed, it may be said that no
systematic stand Was made until Getty's Di-
vision. aided tv Torbert's cavalry which
Wright had oiGrr 10 the left early in action,
took M the ground where, Oh arriving from
Winchester fo,:nl them"
On page 50, Eoi. 2, of Gen. Sheridan's Mem
oirs. he says: I" Wien nearing the Valley pike,
just south OF hewtown, / saw about three
1ourths Of mi.e west of the pike a body OF
troops which proved to be Wheaton's Division
of the Sixth Corps, and then learned that the
Nineteenth Corps had halted a little to the
right aud rear OF these
Continuing on parallel with the nike about
midway between Aewtown and Middetown,
crossed 10 the west Of il, and little later came
mp IN rear Of Getty's Division OF the Sixth
Corps. When / arrived this division and the
cavalry were The only troops in the presence of
and resisting the enemy. They were apparently
acting as a rear-guard at point about three
miles north of the line We held at Cedar
Creek when the hattie began.n
Page 81 he SAYS: " formed back TO the rear
of Geity's Division, aud as I came behind it a
line OF regimeIs;al flags rose UP out OF the
ground, as it seemed, TO welcome me- They
were mostly the coiors of Crooks troops, who had
been stampeded aud scattered in the morning
The color earetS, having withstood the panic
had formed lac liud the troops Of Getty.
. The line with The colors was largely COM
posed OF officers. among whom recognized Col |
z. 3. Hayes sii.cn President of the United States
one Of the brigade commanders"
Page "a lac SAYS: Crook met me at this
time and strongly favored my idea o. attacking |
but said that rso-f of his troops were gone"
Comrade How, what do you think of the
above testimony. given by Gen Sheridan
do you not think that the Sixth Cor,s gets the /
praise and the Eighth Corps the censnreg And
now let me Tell you Of some Of the deeds Of the
Sixth Corps Ola Oct. IS as saw them Cor / was
there.
1t is long time ago since the battle OF Cedar
Creek was fought, hut the scenes | witnessed
there OIL that day wildly impressed on nv
memory, and viii never be eiJaced as long as I
am in this life.
The evening before the battle was raw and
cold aud a heavy mist or fog spread over the
valley. Hardly breath OF air was stirring
near our camp, aud IL was so Unpleasant in the
raw air that most OF tie men retired early. and
st p. IN. when taps were sounded it found
them sleeping suundiy.
Ny regiment Was the 9th Ny II 4 command
ed j. Howard kitching, and was attached to
the Provisional Brigade. We were formed on the
extreme LETT OF tile line, east Of the pike Re-
tween the eth \. Y. II. A. and the Eighth
Corps WAS body of Frenchmen nnarmed
About 500 yards southeast of onr cspp WAS a
thick woods; our pickets extended close IN TO
the woods. and at about 1879 p. m. of the 18th
q noise was heard in the woods AS of ironns
forming on our front One of the pickets came
in and reported what he had heard. and ne
was sent TO Gen. Emory, commanding The
Nineteenth Corps. and there told his story.
de was ridiculed Tor his pains and sent back
10 his post.
Between ii and 1870 D. m. another nickel
came in and reported the same story. He also
was sent 10 Gen. Emorys headquarters where
ms story WIS POOH poohed, !" and he was told
II he came in w'ith any more searecrow yarns
he would be put in the guardhousa and pun
ished IN the morning. How is that for a state
ment not contained in any history of the Cedar
Creek battler If the picket's story had been
Needed and preparations made To receive the
enemy. the disgraceful rout OF Oct 10 would
never have occurred.
HE picket returned to his post and told his
comrades OF the reception he had met with at
headquarters. and although the passing of
troops through the woods and the tramp of the
cavalry horses could be plainly heard up TO 3
O'Clock IN the morning, no more reports were
sent In from our pcketline.
AL was quiet after 3 a. ~ of the 18th. and
the log bad settled down lex and heavy
1t was very dark OH the pic,1et-line, and no
object could be seen 10 feet away The nickel
wearliy tramped in the direction he sunposed
lay his beat. la the camp the officers and men
were souudly sieaping. Slowly the hands of