The National tribune., 1900-12-27
WANTS INFORMATION.
comrade Downs Wishes Comrade Castle to
Clear Up Some Points About Sheridan.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the
issue of Oct % Henry A. Castle. in an
article entitled g Sheridan With the
Army of the Cumberland" makes an able
| attempt to defend the conduct of Sberi-
dan at the battle of Chickamauga. and
! closes by saying: "These are the salient
facts of the record and this statement is
the truth of history
L am no stranger to Comrade Castle.
but know full well his ability with tongue
and pen, and therefore do not propose to
get INTO controversy over this; but /
would ask him to answer a few questions
bearing on the record he claims his facts
are taken from and upon which he bases
his s'proofs.'
Sheridan in his report says: "On reach
ing the Dry Creek Valley road | found
that the enemy had moved parallel to me
and had also arrived at the road thus
preventing my joining Gen. Thomas by
that route"
If the above is true how did Gen. G..
L. IhurstOn, Chief of Staff to Gen. A. ID.
McCook Starting from Gen Sheridan in
person and going to Gen. Thomas at
SnodgrasS and reporting the presence of
Sheridan), get there, with only a small es-
cOrt, and then return over the same route
only to find Sheridan gone (Van Horns
Army of Cumberland, p. 313.l How did
Gen. Garfield get to Thomas? He went
III,
with several thousand men, could not do
what 10 men did twice.
Il then determined TO move quickly on
Rossyille and form n junction with him
via Lafayette road. This was success
fully accomplished about $50 d. M
(Sheridan's repOrt)
What troops did he form Junction"
with, and why does not that fact appear
in the report Of the officer he joined?
Does Col. Miller, commanding the First
Brigade, Sheridan's Division, and the
head Of his column, in his report say any
thing about junction? How did Gen.
Sheridan make the blunder of supposing
our own hospitals We're rebel hospitals,
and that he captured them, if he was on
the ground and saw them? How in the
wide world did that staff officer" get over
one and a-half miles of ground and return.
when at that very time there were Il, 900
or 1000 rebels between Thomas and
SheridanS advance, and were then fight
ing ThOmas's troops? (See Gen. Thomas's
report0 If Gen. Sheridan's troops covered
the withdrawal of the 'battle-scarred ie-
gions of Thomas why is there not some
record of that fact outside of Gen. Sheri-
dams memoirs, or personal recoliections
of someone else? And why did Gen
Thomas assign that task to Gen Rey-
nolds? (See Gen. Thomas's repOrt.)
How could Gen. Sheridan cover the
withdrawal. when as matter of fact the
army never went near Sheridan. but with
drew through Netherlands Gap to Ross
vile?
If Gen. Sheridan accompanied Gen.
Thomas i'll person back TO ROssvilIe, where
and when did he join Gen. Thomas. and
why does neither he nor Gen. Thomas say
anything about it in their reports? Gen.
Thomas does say that Granger and Gar
field left the battlefield with him, but does
not even mention the very much more i'm
portant point that Gen. Sheridan report
ed TO him through ''staff officer seven
hours after he had been ordered to do so.
FINALLY, honest lnjun.' COmrade
Castle. do you believe Gen. Sheridan saw
Gen. Thomas anywhere that day until he
saw him Mt Rossville that night after 8
o'clock ?-THOS. Downs, Co. Il, ID MINI.
Col Lumber Exchange, Minneapolis.
Mimi