The National tribune., 1899-12-07
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
FEATURES OF CHARLOTTESVILLE.
Wherein Hooker Neglected Opportunities.
Jacksons Attack

FEATURES OF CHANCELLORSvlLLE.
Wherein Hooker Neglected Opportunities
Jacksons Attack
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 1t seems
| hardly possible for comrade to publish
| an army experience or "Reminiscences with.
out being challenged as to correctness OF
detail by some alert comrade. Indeed
| tnlS diSputation seems entirely too frc.
quent, and many times is upon minor
points and unimportant details. / have
shrunk many times from Questioning n
| statement on account of this unendinp
| controversy; but after all il is only by com.
pairing and pruning that history is made
and IN those times when every day-almost
every hour-wasIfull of material for his
tory maxi ,g, it is no wonder mistakes are
made.
In yonr issue of Nov. DIR. Purmal
writes very interesting account of his
visit 10 the field of Charlottesville. but
concludes his article with such misstate-
ments that can not let it pass without
comment Evidently the comrade has
given little thought or study to the facts
regarding certain events on Hooker's right
charlottesville was great disap-
polntment to the people Of the North, and a
sore disaster TO the Army of the Potomac:
and: speaking of unique features. it GER
talnly was unique enough to be sorroWful
10 see 10000 of as fine soldiers as ever
trod the earth retreat leave the field. and
r2croSS tho river, beaten, but not Whipped.
ANA 5000, or about one-thrd of that
force had not fired a single shot at the foe.
30 much had been eXpcctcdOf Hooker. He
mad reorganlZed the army in a maSterful
way and manuvcrcd Lee out of his i'm
prcgnable position without the loss of a
man. 1t seemed wonderful. The move
mcnt so far had been so successful that
Pt,4
OF mistakes began. Among the many
plumbers one Of the most serious was Hook
or s idea that Lee would not fight. as shown
III his General Order of May /.
DIR. Purman asserts that the battle was
lost on account of the rout of the Eleventh
Corps. That is an entirely wrong CON
cluslon, and is not borne out by the history
of the battle. viii the Doctor read Gen.
Donbleday's "ChancellorsVille and Gettys-
burg?
jackson was only successful so far as
routing the Eleventh Corps was concerned
but he was stopped before he reached the
goal for which ne aimed-the road leading
TO United States Ford. He himself mortally
wounded, the great object OF his flank
movement was a failure.
On the morning Of May 3 Jackson's men
were separated from their main army. and
Hooker had that splendid bodyof men-the
FirslCorps-readya and anxious TO take part
III the battle; but by some unaccountab bile
fatality they were held in idlaness all that
horrible Sunday, while their comrades of
the Third and Twelfth Corps were being
sorely pressed and finally driven from the
field a.
Surely, Secretary Stanton knew whereof
he spoke when, eight months before. he
asserted that inside Hooker's uniform were
two separate men-of1e. the dashinp. bril-
liant leader; the other the hestating. in
20 "a dor
the rout Of the Eleventh Cotps victory was
within the graspof the commander of the
Army OF the Potomac, and by all rules and
precedents he should have Been successful
At dawn of that memorable Sunday
morning what would Il Napoleon have
With superior numbers and
a large per cent. OF fresh troops, the enernys
force, widely separated, should have been
whipped in detail. Again, even after the
useless slaughter of Sunday, May 3, when
Sedgwlck asked for Instructions, a brill |
iiant leader would have ordered him to hold |
his position, and reinforced him with the |
force from Charlottesville, held Sedpwick's
lines, which would have prevented Lee
from reoccupying Mayre's Hights. the real |
objective of the campaign
There was no battle of the war about
which so many false and misleading ac- |
counts have been written and so many
'romances" published; and one of these
was the story of Maj. Keenan's charge. |
winch Tor time was circulated as a part |
lf the history of Jackson's attack. Mai |
Keenan, was undoubtedly a brave man |
and lost his life as a true soldier. and far
De IL from me toattempt to detract from his
anne or glory. But the fairy tale" told
about THIS so-called keenan, charge has no
place In true history. Every one who
Knows the true story of this battle knows
hat the Colonel Of the Sth Pa Cav. was in
nm mt lslflf Ixt fka.a,
nent. They started from Hazel Grove.
which was half a mile outside of the track
II Jackson's advance, and their movement
lad little or no effect upon the forward
movement OF his veterans. There was no
lalf hours time needed to form. The
infantry that stopped Jackson had been
n line half an hour before Buscibeck'
Brigade Of the Eleventh Corps was driven
rom the field. and Best's guns at Fairview
we're already in position
Ten. PleaSontOnS story of his defense
i Hazel Grove has been proved beyond
he shadowof a doubt 10 be simply the i'm
igihallon OF fertile brain. There was
MY one regiment-the 21st Ga.-was
ent against 1t. and they only as hankers
o protect JackSon's right flank. Tho
90 men OF tins regiment We're positively
he only rebels i'll front of Hazel Grove
hat night. ,
Ihclc mas DeeIl III all t!leSe years but one
rue account published of .Jackson's great :
ttack, and that is in Col Augustus Ham
ms book, and if DIR. Purnam would like
} study the true Storyof JackSon'S attack. |
should be happy to send him Il COPY of !
nat book. | have myself talked with the "
laJor VINO commanded the Georgia reri- :
lent in front of Hazel Grove and many
therS on both sides. | have studied {
lmost everything that has ever been pub- :
shed on the subject; have Travelled II OoO I
llleS to consult the actors in that battle :
nd expended several hundred dollars 10 !
arm the true sto~y, and have told the story :
the battle, with maps and illustrations
efofe many Grand Army Posts, and / |;
elleVe tnat my judgment has been nm :
lased by personal feeling. | have been
'llllng TO accord TO every man his dine !:
tut ask III all earnestneSs that when the /
lsitlng comrade doifs his cap to Keenan, .
nd his men, why not. with equal homage u
ilute the 500 who fell nobly RESISTING :,
attack at the Dowdall Tavern
One OF the best general histories of Chan =
ellorsvIlle Is by Capt A. II. Nelson, of o
Mimi. There is one truel
-atement IN Picasonton's article; viz. |
nat Hazel Grove was the key to the Whole|
osltlon at Charlottesville; and it was thel a
bandonment of Hazel Grove that caused @
LOCKER TO be beaten on Sunday. When /
20 new line was laid out Saturday night il
the civil engineer, by some unaccount- r.
Bile oversight Hazel Grove was left outside "
he line, and was evacuated Sunday morn |
lg. TWAS Immediately seized by Steuart Il
no succeeded jackson i'm command, and t
-oWDel with SavaraI h.ttarioc nf .. till | I