The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-24
.PlCKETT'S'';
LOSSES;
An Interesting Letter From Ma
jor John w. Daniel on
This Subject.
FIGURES FROM WAR RECORDS
Valuable Contribution to the
History Of the Battle Of Get
tysburg-E arly's Part in It.
Editor OF The Times Dispatch:

4 Editor OF The Times Dispatch: 81
ia sir;-I always read with much interost
vour sunday Confederate Column" That
. of yesterday tells q tlne, and doup'less
\ true. tale Of Duns brigade and Of Little
Johnnie" who wint farthest TO Inc
stoncwall at Gettysburg, It's tribute 70
PIcbett's men is that Of a man with the
+ true soldiers spirit Tho writer will not
strive to pull another down IN order TO
set himself up. General Armistaad ana
lieutenant Colonel Rawley Martin Went
over the wall, and forty-two dead VIZ
gnians lay by their side beyond It. This
tells It's own tale. But 1t Is not my pur-
pose now to to enter upon the discussion
OF the Gettysburg hattie. save In few
aspects am writing, as time may al
81 low, an account Of "tha Virginia troops
.f3at Gettfsburg," and am collecting the
facts carefully that ! may be In posses
Z sion of their proofs before state them.
This has not heen the fashion Of some
{ historians To this end here exnress
1.-THE hope that have previously expressed
II in many private letters that officers and
81 men Of tho Confederate army who We're
4 In the battle of Gettysburg will send one
such, accounts as they may pnsSess 0f
their commands ana Of their personal eX-
periences. hope they will do tho same
as to the 9th Of April, 1866. at Appomat-
tox. and the retreat from Petersburg.
Is Now is the tme-not later. Injustice mas
been done the Virginia troops by some
1 writers--not many. I have already the
facts that will In part correct It, and !
want all the facts ] can get. Injustice
has also been done to some OF our OIL
GERS. notably to General Early who time
and again urged immediate advance ana
capture of Cemetery Hill after the re-
pulse OF the Eleventh Corps on the 11r5t
day at Gettysburg i'll my presence.
| honored and loved the late General
Gordon; saw him on many fields; and
never saw a Drawer or better field officer.
But General Gordon's accounts Of Gettys-
burg and the Wilderness are full OF
errors. Some Of them will be corrected
by his own official reports. Others l
z know to be errors. as was an eye Wit
ness. For Instance he speaks In his
book of his superior officers helng dis
tant from the field" when lie charged
Barlows divson'Lwlth. ,.hs brigade at
Gettysburg. This Is" q mistake. He was
ID at the time under the immediate eye and
h direction of General Early. Early was
on the field with Jones' battalion vi ar
tillery before Gordon was. and but a few
fire, and when ono Of them, a brass how
itzer, was struck in the mouth by shot
from the enemy. He was on the left
rear of Gordon's brigade when 1t charged,
not a hundred yards distant. and under
the enemy's fire, and he sent rae from
that position to tell General Gordon to
move forward / discharged his order
heard Gordon give the command, for
ward" returned to Early and by his side
watched the charge. EARLY immediate
III ~ advanced Hoke's brigade under Avery
x and Hays brigade to the assault on Cor
don's left--rode with Carrington's bat.
terry. the Alhemalle artillery az It adj
vanced TO aid the ipfantry-and captured
Heckman's battery and drove back Gus
u ters brigade, taking many prisoners
The slope OF the land Is such that Cor
don could not SEQ all this from his posi-
tion on IIarly's right, l have recent!
been upon the ground and 1t verlfes THU
assertion. Tho account ! give IL histor!
with abundant proofs besides my owl
testimony: although not q word OF !
appears In General GordonNs book
Further than this: Lieutenant Genera
Ewel saw Gordons charge and had al
ready had his horse shot under him; am
Lieutenant General Lee saw 1t also iron
Seminary Hill to which he had first ad
vanced with the troops Of Lieutenant
General Hill. No superior OF Gordon va
1N 'd1Slant from ll!e Ht.u but III MIS- p|ac
upon tho field,
Early rode. into Gettysburg swiftly upo
Al driving the enemy through It's streetA
p was met there by General Rodes With
M thirty minutes alter the charge On Gen
eral Rodes' repurt) sent his aid L.ieulen
ant Galloway TO urge Lieutenant Genere
Hi TO push forward his corps. as Lieu
8&b tcnnnt-General Ewell had not appeare
Il at the front; met General I2Well 70,
moments later in Gettysburg; rode wit
* him to the far front up baltimore Stree
IL 10 reconnoiter Cemetery iiill aud wa
always, as was his custom, close up Wit
M lis troops, II was IN this reccnnolssGn
that Ewell and EARLY were compelled I
retire into side street By the shari
shooters raging on The southern subur
of Gettysburg. on hpusetops and behll
fences; and ] was with these TWO GeneI
s. ais when the fire OF the sllarp- shooter
broke out suddenly, one bullet cutting Vi
stirrup leather of Lieutenant Williamson
OF Ewel's staff, with whom | Mas rldipl
@ .,boot TO boot"
So much for the present on this topl
S PICkE'TTHS LOSSES AT GETTYSBURG
AS To Picketts losses At Gettysburg
eend you valuable historical documei
which explains itself, and hope you "
Viii print 1t In full and kindly return II,
s3 1t shows that the report OF Pickett
losses az ga killed and 1l,l4o wound'
"A (Which Is followed In ypHE column
n Yesterday understates them, In q
ISsss War Records warning Is given lhat III
are not fully stated. They are SIN
Ia "a