The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-03

1nents in regard 10 the battle oil me
Crater which make an eNceeuilsiy taisc
impression IN regard 10 feheTdi Ndi.''rN
and his suDerb conduct Oh that occasion.
AS soon as Gen. Lee reached tne nncS
nat morning he sent ne TO cen. hahoio
With the order to send iilB~uc ~ ~
Crater TO reinforce tine troops at tl"1
roint. | -;alloped to his positloh '"ilcn
was not more than "A mile, ! nnshl gag
hardly a mile) from the Crater. he
gave his orders to Gen. eisieer at once
and moved forward at the mead oil inc
column. We had not gone far before ne
eaid 10 me with an oath, i cannot sehd
nov brigade | will 20 with ii myself, lie
men wisely ordered up Georgia Drl-
gade of his division. Under the orueI
which | bore TO him he could maze re-
maired person ally in the trenches on
our right with that part OF MS lIuoi's
which were not engaged.
Now. as 10 that old covered-way $40
nv. There was ditch not covered IN
the rear of our lines near the saheht
afterwards called the Crater. Sdlu
ditch was very little deeper than ire
knees. If any, and was certainly not an
agreeable prom enade on any ud!' az
The sharp-shoo;ers hred Hay ana nus,
md was assuredly not pleasant one on
Crster-dav | will add that every mes
SAGE sent that day by General Lee twno
was near by, was sent 10 Gen. ND
hone as commander OF the troops en-
Gagged repelling the enemy at the Criter
and the adjacent line.
Yours,
CHAs. S. VENABLE.
p. $. | will add that the Georgia Dill
gade did superb work on the nght Of
The line adjacent TO the Crater, ana IN
my Judgment has not received their tull
share of praise for their splendid night
ing. >
The Georgia brigade attempted to
charge when the Virginia brigade charg-
ed but ,heir formation had not been
completed. and ii made an utter fall
ure. The Alabama brigade was brought
ND some hours later, and it charged IN
splendid style. and took that part OF the
line thai the Nhginians had not taken
Col. Venable manfesty has COMPOUNDED
the Georgia brigade with the Alabama
brigade. which shows how dangerous it
is 10 trust TO memory after so many
years.
AS for the covered way. Col. Nenable
is mistaken, or else hundreds of other
men who long ago testified to the con-
trary are
any question of that sort. The soli-
tary question with which The Times
is concerned is whether Malone was. as
he has claimed To- be, "the hero OF the
Crater" The Times mas stated that the
Virginia brigade under command OF
Gen. Weisiger, was 1.-THE hero of the
Crater" and that ii charged and rctook
our lines, not only without Gen. Ma
homes orders, but in defiance of them
whilst he way away in the covered way.
Some fifteen years ago. The Common
wealth printed the following letters
from Gen. Weisiger, and The Times based
its statement upon those letters.
4 long time ago Gen. Malone wrote
Gen. Weisiger. asking him for his recoi-
lections of the battle OF the Crater, and
we copy the reply Gen. Weisiser sent
him. from the columns of The Common
wealth for June II. 1880:
petersburg. April %. 1872.
General,--Yours of the sth instant, re-
questing statement of facts touching
the affairs of the I'd June, and the era
ter fight as you ~ know them, was
duly received and would have been an
swered ere this but that l wished TO
have my recollection Of the facts yeii-
fed by oye-wi,nesses and participants III
the ENGAGEMENTS to which you aHude,
which has been done, and 1 give The
result as follows: eve omit what is said
of the affair OF June I'D. II has no
bearing OH the Crater hght)
On the morning of ;Ee Goth July. 1851,
the Georgia brisadc. commanded by COL.
Hall. and the Virginia brigade, under
nd lei nlOttt0
the point in our lines at which the eN-
plosiOn had taken place, for the purpose
of retaiInc the portion OF our lines held
By the enemy The Virginia brigade
moved Dy the ravines 10 the covered way
which led 10 the works, 10 a point near
the one dcsigns ted, and was formed in
a valley in rear OF our works, then held
by the enemy, not over lou yaIds ais
tant.
As was about leaving the covered
way / received the following order from
you. "Foirl your brigade for the attack
and inform me when you are ready.
This order was promptly obeyed, the line
formed, and men ordered TO lie down
until ordered TO charge. l then direct
ed my aid. Captain Drury A. Hinton, TO
inform you j was prepared 10 move for
ward. This message was delivered ana
your reply returned was. Wait for or
ders from me yourself. or Captain Gil
rardy.' which reply had scarcely been
delivered TO me whep Captain Girardy,
who was then acting on your stan. came
up 10 the right Of my line, where Cap
tain Hinton and myself were standing.
At this time | discovered the enemy
were preparing 10 charge me, as an Oiii-
Ger with "A stand of colors in hand.
sprung from the works and commenced
the formation of q line of battle in my
immediate front. | repeated my orders
to Captain Girardy, pointed out the
movement OF the enemy, and suggested
the proDriety OF charging at once; If not,
all would be lost.
He replied he was directed TO prolong
my line to the right with the Georgia bri-
eade and send us In together. Perceiy-
ing the rapidity with which the enemy
were forming, and the imminent danger
OF being overrun before the Georgians
could arrive In the field, he (Girardy)
expressed his assent to my views. l
therefore requested him TO state my rea-
sons to you for so doing. and immediate.
ly charged with my brigade which, in
gallant style. carried the works as far
as my line would cover, which was to an
angle nearly in rear OF the mine CAP
turing several hundred prisoners ans
eleven stands of colors with a loss TO
my command in killed and wounded of
2xS officers aud men. Soon after. the
CT ORGANS were sent in. and later in the
day. after | had been compelled by
wound to leave the field, the Alabama
brigade, under General Saunders, wSs
sent In and the remaining portion OF DIR