The National tribune., 1899-05-18

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show that at tie time the cavalry
carried the intrcnchments Gilmore WI:
Withdrawing his troops, for Gen
Hawley states: Moving leisurely
back, / heard distant artillery and
musketry-fring in the southeast" He
states the time to have been about
l o'clock.
From the Records | learn for the
fist time that Gen. Gilmore holds me
responsible for not keeping up COM
munication with him, and informing
him Of what l had done My orders
were not dependent on Gillmore's move
ments; if they had been | should have
taken tie precaution TO inform myself
in regard to them. If Gilmore in
tended to be governed by what | should
accomplish, he should have sent the
necessary staff officer CT messengers to
bring him the information rs soon as
possible, or requested ME to do so.
Had we taken the precaution, how
ever, it would not have availed, unless
he had held on to his position until he
ascertained the result of my movement; /;
for he was retiring when | carried the
enemy's works, and before a message
could have reached him by the route |
had followed, which was about 10 miles,
the time of cooperation would have
passed. The distance across from the
point where the Jerusalem Road passed
the rebel intrenchment was only about
two miles, and l could readily see
across, and was able to satisfy myself
that our troops we're not occupying the
suemy's attention. On the contrary, as
We we're retiring we were greeted with
some musketry-fre and one piece of
artillery at long range from that direc-
ton.
Gen. Henry A. Wise seems to have
been the immediate commander of the
defenses of Petersburg, and issued
congratulatory order, which is found in
the Records, in the volume above men-
toned, showing that his command con-
sisted of the First Military District,
Department of North Carolina and
Southern Virginia. This order, while
manifestly very unreliable and exag-
gerated. confirms the correctness of Gen.
Buffers estimate of the enemy's
strength, which was the incentive to
the organization of the expedition. Gen.
Wise designa;es the forces as Hoods
and Bates battalions, the 46th Va.
and one company, Capt. Woods Go. F.
of the 23d S. c., with Sturdivant's
battery, and a few guns in position, and
Taliaferro's cavalry, which kept at bay
nine regiments of infantry and cavalry,
that searched his lines from Battery
No. to Battery 80, distance of
six miles.
He designates the force which the
cavalry encountered as Maj. Archer's
Corps of Reserves and second-class
militia, defending Battery 90, and says:
elf they lost, killed, wounded and
missing, 60. out of less than $50 men,
they spent their blood dearly to the
eneny." The loss of the cavalry which
assaled this force was four killed. 26
wounded, and six missing. We brought !
in ~ prisoners, leaving their wounded
to be cared for by their friends. Gen.
Wise furthermore compliments Brig
Gen. Colston, temporarily in command,
and present with Maj. Archer's COM
mand, for holding on and gaining half
hour in time, which enabled Sturdi-
wants, Graham's, and Young's batteries,
Bearings cavalry, and the 18th Va,
with Woods (South Carolina) COM
panv, company of convslescents, and
a company of penitents, to drive back
the insolent foe from the approaches
which their footsteps for the first time
polluted" This precious half hour
seems 10 have enabled the above force,
more formidable than 1 at the time
estimated it, to take position at the
waterworks at the top of Sycamore St,
and to cause us to withdraw. The
volley which this force poured into US
was formidable only for its noise and
the numbers it indicated, for it did no |
damage.
Gen. Colston's report of the affair is
much more temperate, and indicates |
that We should have accomplished the
work we had undertaken to do. He
describes correctly the method of our
attack, and claims that the delay which |
Maj. Archer's command caused US saved |
the city from capture. He states that
for a mile to Maj. Archer's left there
were no troops, and to his right none at |
al Had Gen. Gilmore really searched |
the lines for six miles, as Gen. Wise
States, he could not have failed to find |
an undefended point where he could |
have gone in. Gen. Butler in his book |
makes definite estimate of the enemy's
strength, and fixes the entire force hold |
ing lhe deienses of Petersburg south of
the Appomattox ON the 9Th of June at
not TO exceed 800.
Gen. Buffers methods of obtaining
information Of the enemy's strength and
condition were never equalled, and GER
tainly never excelled by any commander
in tie war, so far as my observation
went. Besides the scouts and spies
which he employed, he personally inter-
viewed and crccS-eyaminad avary ,r;r