The National tribune., 1894-09-27

surprise there was no disposition to advance.
In fact, in spite of entreaties and reproaches,
| the men could not be moved an inch"
Speaking of New Market, Vol. 4, page ia,
says Gen. Grant: "Sigel's record is almost
| equally brief He moved out, it is true, &C
cordng to program, but just when / was
| hoping to hear of good work being done in
the Valley received instead the following
announcement from Halleck: Sigel is in
full retreat on Strssburg. He will do moth
ing but run. Never did anything else. ,
| The enemy had intercepted him about New
Market, and handled him roughly, capturing
six guns and some 900 men out of 5000"
/ will not take your valuable space in
giving a complete history of the Eighth
! Corps. Gen. Powell says neither was re-
sponsibe for the surprise at Cedar Creek.
! There we differ. Had the Sixth Corps been
in the location of The Eighth, Early might
have made the attack, but not any surprise.
According TO the written testimony of NUM-
Der of Eighth Corps comrades published in
your columns, the movements of the rebels
we're plainly heard in the camps of that corps
during the night preceding the surprise, and
yet no efforts were made to meet them.
Such carelessness ought to have been fol-
lowed up by a court-martial and the guilty
party placed before firing squad.
Gen. Powell says the Sixth Corps did not
save The battle. Gen. Powell is ignorant of
that battle in details.
Gen. Sheridan's official report Conduct of
the War, Vol. 2, p. 44) says: On arriving
at the front / found Merritt's and Clusters
Divisions of cavalry under TOrbert, and
Gen. Getty's Division, of the Sixth Corps,
opposing the enemy. / suggested to Gen.
Wright that we would fight on Getty's line,
and the other two divisions of the Sixth
Corps were ordered up; also the Nineteenth
Corps, which was on the right and rear of
the Sixth Corps The rebs made
a charge and were renulsed. The assault
fell principally on the Nineteenth Corps"
Where was the Eighth Corps? Continu-
ing, he says: Reports coming in from
Front Royal pike, on which Powelps Di-
vision OF cavalry was posted, to the effect
that heavy column of infantry was moving
on that pike in the direction of Winchester,
and that he (POwelD was retiring and would
come in at NewtOwn, caused me great ankle
ty for the time; and although l could not
fully believe that such a movement would
be undertaken, still it delayed my general
attack"
Col Fox, in his History of the Sixth
Corps, says OF the corps at Cedar Greek: In
this battle occurred he famous incident of
Sheridan's ride from Winchester; and in
justice to the Sixth Corps it should be noted,
In connection with that affair, that Gen.
Wright had already given Early successful
check, had made the dispositions for
cOunteradvance, and was about to move
forward when Sheridan resumed command"
OF the 300 fighting regiments of FOx's
book, "a regiments belonged to the Sixth
Corps. The greatest loss of life in any one
brigade daring the war occurred in the
Vermont Brigade, Second Division, Sixth
Corps-1,172 killed. Another famous bri-
gade was the First New Jersey Brigade,
also of tue Sixth Corps, composed of the
1st, I'd, Sd, 4th, 10Th, and 18th n. J. The
latter regiment lost 240 killed; total in The
brigade, 900 killed.
Sheridan knew the material in the Sixth
Corps; every man of them was a veteran.
That was one reason they were kept in re-
serve at Cedar Creek.
When Lee was run into his last corner,
Sheridan called for the Sixth Corps. Finally
he got them at Sailors Creek, and they did
business then and there When ordered to
North Carolina TO finish up Johnston,
Sheridan called for the Six h Corps, and it
was given him. He had nothing but words
OF praise for the old corps in all his reports,
and he mentioned them irequently.-W. E.
WEBSTER, Sergeant, Cowan's 1st n. Y. bat
terry, Artillery Brigade, Sixth Corps, Au-
burn, n. Y.