The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-01-27
A CHARGE BY CONRADE BLANCHARD.
Efforts to Rout The CannOneer" from His
Position as tp Cedar Creek.

a CHARGE BY C0MRHDE BLANCHARD.
Efforts to Rout "The Cannoneer" from His
Position as to Cedar Creek.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: On account
of my article in the issue of Nov. II, descrip
tive of the battle OF Cedar Creek from the
standpoint of the Nineteenth Corps, l have
brought myself within range Of the fire of
Battery NJ, 9TH Regulars Just why " The
Cannoneer so vigorously opened upon me
scarcely comprehend. He confesses the truth
of my article by the absence Of even an at
tempt to reiute single statement therein.
No one has denied the presence of Getty's
Division or of the Sixth Corps. No Nine
teenth Corps man has to my knowledge ever
spoken disparagihgly of the part taken by
them in the battle. What we object to IS
the assumption on the part Of The Cannon
eer :" and many Of his division and corps that
they are entitled to the entire credit for the
victorious termination of that eventful battle.
1t seems absolutely funny to 1.-The Cannon
eer /" that anyone outside the Sixth Corps
should claim any share Of the credit. He, in
fact. nearly draws the line on Getty's Divis-
ion. My statement that "the Sixth Corps
fought nobly and did as well as the Nine
teenth would have done under the same con-
ditions, but not whit better" seems to have
utterly demoralized him
In my letter 1 described definitely the
different conditions under which the two
corps met the enemy. My article was written
for the sole purpose Of correcting errors and
establishing actual historical facts. / feel
highly complimented that 50 distinguished a
fighter and author as Colnraiie Buell. should
even deign to criticize me. He has stood in
the thickest of the fight He has felt the
peculiar sensation resulting from contact with
cold steel yes, and lie has written a book.
Someone has said 90, that mine adversary
had written a book" Let his speak. He
says, on page 2S5: = Under the same circum-
stances any other troops would have done
Just as tie Eighth and Nineteenth Corps
did" ,et
That's right Comrade Buell., Getty's Di-
vision would have fought Just as we'll as
Growers, if, etc. Iiiotfrer words, if the Sixth
Corps had been placedin such position as
that occupied by the Nineteenth, meeting the
combined forces Of the enemy in 'front.' flank
and rear in the darkness of the morning it
would prob tbly have fought as well as the
Nineteenth Corps, but not whit better So
says The CannOneer.p So say we all.
The Cannoneer :" states on the same page
that it was an hour and half after the first
attack before the Sixth Corps was brought
into action, and thatI Itlrey had not lacked
warning" Yet, with the advantages of time
and position, he admits little farther on
that even the Sixth Corps was in some con-
fusion, and in another, place that Wheaton's 8
Division was in the rear reforming, having
been shattered in the first assault.
He also admits in his book, on page 306,
that the Nineteenth lost 81 more than the
Sixth Corps and entire cavalry forces COM
bined, and that in the three battles of the
campaign, Opequon, Fishers Hill and Cedar
Creek. the Nineteenth lost 458 more than the
Sixth, and nearly as many as the Sixth and
the cavalry combined. One would think
that this recorl, written in blood, would
silence the criticisms of comrades whose
vision has been limited to events Immediately
surrounding them.
On page 30i "The Cannoneer admits
that the camp Of his battery, and even those
of Getty's Division, were plundered by the
victorious enemy i'll the morning. Not very
different from the camps of the Nineteenth
Corps, was it, Comrade Buell., after all?
| will readily forgive s'The Cannoneer for
his attempted flank movement on me, be-
cause he has forgotten what he wrote i'll his
book when he had a better recollection of the
facts as they occurred The facts are that in
the morning all the troops were driven back
several miles, and in all cases, not excepting
the Sixth Corps, where they were fianked
their lines were more or less broken.
| Ii the Sixth Corps maintained steadier lines
in the forenoon than the Nineteenth it was
because of the different conditions under
which they met the enemy. If they had not
done this under the conditions named, not
even The Cannoneer' could have defended
| s., Il l. -
think that even 1.-The Cannoneer will deny
that the Nineteenth Corps fought equally as
well rs the Sixth.
But, upon examining "Ihe Cannoneer's :"
book, find that he always did think the
corps to which he was attached was the best
in the army. In his earlier career he was at
tached to the First Corps, and it was then his
ideal band of heroes, and after he left the
Shenandoah Valley and was attached to the
| Fifth he immortalzed that corps because
with it he jumped his old mare over the
"last ditch of the COnfederacy at Five
Forks. Another little popularity that
notice is, he never forgets that his battery oc-
cupied the pivotal point in the battle. / am
reminded of that story in which it is set forth
that just before an important battle Napoleon
galloped furiously down the line of his men
until he came to the -th regiment, when he
called out: as GSrpil McGinnis in the
ranks?" 81 am here, SIRE" replied Nc
Ginnis. "'Then let tile battle begin" said
Napoleon. Capt Mcknight knew when he
gazed upon "The Garaloneer's" character
istic sign '4-B," anH yanked him from the
wharf. that his battery Yas safe. The Nine
teenth Corps made its great mistake that il
did not discover "rhe Cannoneer first, OF
that it did not mak@'application for detail
OF another one of SteWart's Abs if there
were enough of them TO 90 around. l car
imagine now why Gen. Wright was so tardy
in the formation of lis lines in the morning
1t took time to gallopsGver to Getty's Divis
ion and to ascertain whether or not "Tht
Cannoneer" was there, Upon ascertainins
this important fact the General said: NOV
let the battle begin. hh
I do not know acknowledgement "The Can
noneer may be, bshI have taken the pre-
caution to tell my wife that, in case any mar
comes around with a smoothly bore cannon
and ''4-B" on his cap, to tell him l am no
at home; for I'm man of peace.-T. f.
BLANCHARD, Pierre, S. ID.
What His Duty Is.
II. M. Ives, Parksylle, n. Y: "As usual
| tho pacsaua of ha nausion hill