The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-29
CAPTAIN AsHE EXPLAINS.

CAPTAIN ASHE EXPLAINS.
He Did Not Mean in Any Way to
Reflect Upon General Pickett.
Editor OF The Times Dspatch
Slr,--Plcnse giant mo Il little space 70
explain tliattl my expression III a recent
article of milo reflected In nny way on
General Pickett, did not mean II to DO
taken that way. General Pickett was not
at all under discussion. Ills suppressed
report was the fnnttcr discussed. am
Unwilling 10 be put III the posi- ton OF
making snn unfavornblc comment on q
Confederate soldier. B.
Jliuge Christian snid that General, !; Lee l,
Ills roprt OF tho battle ofJuly Cd. bccuuso
II reflected on the North Carolina troops.
General Long, Lees military secretary,
states Il t page 29i, memoirs Of Lee, mat
nature TO furnish him With the supprt-
Ing force that had been ordered. un1 Lee,
With his usual mngnnnimity anu N NIB
great desire for harmony between Oiilcers
cit, requesting him to withdraw It, etc"
Now here was an Issue Of fact between
Judge Christian and General IIong.
AeeordIng TO Ices military Ext, secre ,.n?L
tho failure of Lngstrect to furnish him
With tho supporting force that Leo ihd
ordered. Lee In his great desire ior mr. ~, !,
report DO wlthdra wn. with his usual mag
nanin,ty assuming the blame himself.
According to Judge Christian. Pickett's
report was suppressed because It reflected . =
on the troops engaged upon his left.
What Judge Christians sources OF IN
formation are / don't know, but us Gen.
oral Long wrote many yea rs ago, ni,a q
wrote from Lees standpoint. ne y apt 70
be correct In his statement OF fact.
In discussing this Issue Of fact between
Judge christiun and General Long ar.
gucu that 1t was not probnDe tntit JUICES
fuc.s Of the affair; that General Pickett
was In a position where he could see ana y, q
must have seen what was passing on ms
left and that he had no cause TO- severely
crtese VIVA, took PLACE there e. T me- rob
oe enere p Nsesssn anS stan ies
to the rear where they. could SEQ what
actually passed on the left.
Mir Friend In his communications In
your Issue OF November 24th takes excep-
reflection ON General Pickett. AS general
re- rear a and not close up either. but well 10
| the rear The position ! Inscribed to
him was his proper position. ~
Still ! had some positive authorlty TOT
|
| thority. Is the statement Or Major Vena-
L.ujor Charles s. Venablc, OF Lees
'Just before tho artillery fire began,
! which preceded the charge on July "a
! General Lee took position In rear OF -
! IL. Andcrson's division. From that point
he could see the movements o. the ne, r lea'
On percelving that the left brigade OF
Eeth's division (the Virgin!n brigade
commanded by Colonel peterborough,
was giving way Gsnet snot eroarea
~ his personal staff he galloped rapidly 7, a.
ct had started.
''rhe first man wo met Of any Of the
4 commands was q wounded Mississippi
1 captain on litter, who "a ised himself
| on his elbow and cheered the General rs
| he passed then other wounded, among
| mem one man who insisted on grasplns
| Ills hand. The next group we came upon
sConslsted Of Pickett and u number OF his
STAFF officers at the foot o. q woodea mn
a little to the left OF the point from Wn1ct
\ -i,r-,roops had started on the char &c:
'"rhe General stopped moment or twe
ana spoke. to Pickett, who was weeping
then galloped up the hill.
''We. next mot the gallant kemper' des:
OIL a blanket by two OF his men me Haatin ng
nut n moment, We rode rapidly TO the TOT
| OF the hill, which was swept by the enc.
/ my y NrS.H ana tIClC AouHN A$'o' - "
! wounded and on foot, but still looking
AFTER his men. He. said. General Lee
/ am responsible for my brigade. but
not for the division, General Leg stoop,
| warmly and replied, General Pcttigrew
| II Is my fault. General Lee then took
i part in rnllylng and reforming the scat
| tered troops, which had returned IRON
/ the charge. do not believe that any
men ever fought more heroically than dit
\ rettigrew's brigade Of North Caroiinlan:
on the LIST and Sd Of July at Gettysnurg
/ Mr.. Friend says that General plcKet.
because he afterwnrdt said that Genera
Lee had put on his left a, division tha
| was whipped the day before.
Had Pickett been up the ia gay before. I q
1 vision was not at all engaged nthe; ga!
Lotore;" had he been up on the hrst Day
! he might have known that, that (Heths
division had ats a NJ brought: On IN.
from uettysburg; had driven them IN !, ! Z :.
within one mile OF town there had
broken their first and second lines, ant
4 held the field against the mussed Fedora
forces, until about 2:ao P. M. other divi
! SONS came up, when their ammunitiol
teIng low lin some regiments exhausted
pender's division relieved them, and i con on
records and the enemy was driven. stu
further from the field, 1.-The rout of thu
enemy was complete," p. 6o7 sam same 4; q ! !
| rlckatt caiIed tnat f|OelHS Mtl'pPcu,
1 was only In line with some other inbound
cd notions that some Virglnlans have
! entertained.
AS to the allegation that Heth's (Petti
| graw's) division did not stand up on The
I'd Of July. IT Is true that Brockcn
] prough's Virginia brigade on the extreme
i ieft did break. early, under the murder
Gus firo In front and flank, to- which !
was subjected. No North Caro!inian
4 however, that recall. has criticised then
! Tor chat: We leave that 10 any Nirg!9ian'
1 who may have 1t III their hearts to DO It
I So, also, the next brigade at the left
4 Davts' MIssissIppans. but to less en-
4 tent, -,
The other two hrlgades, of the first line
left wing, .Archer's and 1l'ettsrcW'S, Will
moved down so that General Trlm1l,
says. they seemed to sink into tn
earth. we're not repulaed IN the SANE
way, Major Louis y, Young. rs quotet
BY Judge Christian aays Nat n ,.ieI. pst ~
4 orokcn. and when TrImble's two Nortl
Carolina prlgades (sca!es and Lanes
ought 10 have been ordered to retire
IN In n