Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-09
THAT COURT OF INQUIRY
latter from General Batt'c--'"'o"N
T.x,or Refreshes HIS Mem"'''


To the Editor OF the Dispatch' -.oords.
rave bocn siudying the a.
-, tho courtesy Of that hose ..
,,,rahle gentleman. Mr. blshop
80 ,he National Bank OF Peter 49,
-. Nd free access TO a conip'ese sr,-
30 ,srar-Recorde. and have seaISneuc court
VI 49, Tor some account OF n-,,nener
~ inouirv that was hein ,ees without
Penthouse in the fall OF ,a,,te,er Colo
SoS Si.n snv mention Of II whatevs letting
nnuin3 ~ Tavior has also oeen n he has
e. ,,oht and 1 am gratihed 'i1"e..e,rch
haer more successful IN NJ -, sincere
and now publicly tender i., mn rom m him on
tI ann1d rsbruary sih. he says ,-,ck
49, fbat | can put you on 'ie YEARLY
% a court OF inquiry thdl osD,sbed ia
corresnonds with the one 49, 's,,Sregest
your recent letters 70 cirlses, on the i'm
~ CONCERNING the campalsn ~
lsss "a which you have gwen p o.,S army
nression. After the return OF ou US beld
TO Virginia a court a on w u. Jones.
- The cavalry, 10 inquire INTO IL
- % some wagons In FenhsS 49,,
with which no was in Some NSrsssident
nected General Mahohe Mnobar,son ap-
90 MAT court, and General hoOertson , Gu
ared before Il. ne also having some 49,
pection with the matter under nlN.nni,,5a
tion. From your statements, 4 court
that you were intmpei " a, eidenS
az tho questions involved were lncluemiii,
80 The cettvsburg campaign. ms VIZ
| exniain the fact that the Wltnesses haS--
| TONED by you were an OF Tue - a.
arm OF the service. The scope OF ehe Gu ~,
| ol,irv was not such as 10 embrace ~
| siJera.fion Of the action OF Generals Ions
Street and Stuart; but or cQurse; > ea aho
not saw what range was allowed IN 'he
u' LIS. Is revelation So far as IL goes
n confirms nay statement. court OF
/ inquiry. trcn was tclt at tuP Ia.
| Courthouse in ihe fall Of lcoi, O. ulen
| General Malone was pEesluent. - ..,-.
/ raj Jones had been on trial py, cur Vul
| martial, the investigation would nay
/ been confined to him. but not 50 IN
I court OF lnQuiry. Wnen an lnduily W.
/ Instituted IN regard 70 the Istty sOe w.,
! & .mpalgn. Il was admissible 20 bring OUT
/ AN The facts OF that campaign, and It was
the duty OF the court to report them
| without fear, favor, reward, or the hopo
| thereof AT all events that was the oplh-
| ion OF the court, and IL acted accoruihslS;
| Al the time / made my statement, l
l thought that the court was oIesIel -
| the request Of General stuart because
| OF criticisms upon HIM nag no iS 49,.
[ lection OF an inquiry into the captuIs
/ OF some wagons IN Pennsylvania, WIN
I which General Jones was connected
| That may have been inquired into ~ tue
court, and the memory OF II utterly
| obliterated b. the prepOnderatlns ln1u-
/ ence Of something or greater lmportahcs
occurring al the same time. Of two con-
| temnoraneOus events. the greater Cd
scures ths less Men DO not notice
the falling Of a leaf while n Continent
is being shaken by an earthquake. There
was nothing 70 fix Jones and his wagons
I'm the memory and hold them there lot
more than thirty years. The incident
was OF little consequence; but the con-
duct OF Stuart and Longstreet In the Get
tysburg campaign involved the destiny oi
nations, and could not be forgotten. Inc
fact that the leading inquiry was about
Jones and his wagons having been
brought % my memory l remember
more perfectly the order in which the
facts were evolved. The inquiry as q
Jones's wagons brought out the state
ment thal about that time General
Stuart, the commander OF the cavalry
was i'm the pursuft Of a wagon-'rain M
the direction Of Washington. Objection
was made 10 the courts going into thai
matter. II viii be remembered that Gene
raj fitz. Lee. IN his published interview
said: General Battle writes me
that General Stuart protested against thu
cavalry having 70 bear the blame fol
which a lleutenant-general was believed
70 be chiefly responsible; that Malone,
I member or the court said he was read
/ 70 hear anything that would give "a.
light Thus 10 was that the door wa,
opened for everything relating to th'
Gettysburg campaign.
J know The danger OF trusting alone q
memory OF events so far i'm tho past, bu
there are events IN the lives Of all OF u.
that cannot be forgotten.
Very respectfully,
CULLEN A. BATTLE.
Petersburg Va, February .. 1886.