The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-22

Is inexplicable. Read correctly gen, Ions
rorroboratcs instead Of coitradicts Col.
tnnnble. on Rage si1 In his account of
no Nav 18th battle lie thus refers 10 the
III cc to The rear scene" described ps
col yenable ''l\s had happened on NV
ioin. 40 OH this day Gen. Lee rode TO me
hesa OF a column prepared to charge at
= WOMEN, wien desperate valor was
,,rucnt." It Is strange that THIS esch peu
mo writer of "reminiscences.
,rhc impression conveyed IN 'Ren'l'lis7
cenoes" Of the prominence, or preten''h
enca or Gordon's part In the bnttlc o.
NAV 18th Is refutcd by all history ana
ln0,cial reports. Federal and Gon!euera.I'
Ho fully and bravcly performed ms ~
lottcd part In defeating hssaul,, lust t h
others did, But In the crucial strussle 80. -
emma rIson with which all of the rest was
INSIGNIFICANT he was not engaged liz
rra Dhic vet realistic passages from oMtni
Ton and Porter--redernl INSTANTANEOUS,
tive 10 the bloody and long susta.ncu y,
struggle al the angle which are tluoteu
Il, iiReminiscences" as hprlicable 70 W.
ton's charge, are IN fact descrip,Me w.
the wholly disconnected lighting on tne
Eieft Of Tho nnglo-Gordon being to It's
right. The troops engaged on the Con.
4federate side In what Swinton Calls nv
flercest and most deadly struggle OF Wv
war" were the brigades OF Danlel h'.u
3Ramseur, North Carolina. There "e,u
sent into the vcritnble crater OF on.,,e
to their assistance ns stated by vi ns
able, PERKINS, Alabama brigade ana h., l,a,
nnd McGowan's. South Carolina. or VII
cox's. or the nvc Perrin ana lame 1
were killed, Ramscur and Mc.'owuuE
wounded, The official report OF Hen.
Ewel. who personally commanded thal
part OF the battle line reads. ,,c.
Uhe FederaD main effort was Msu'nst
Rodes's position to the lett .. wv M,
gle and here the hsh.lhs ,, %rs re-
most esperate character. fanseu,
tool, the work TO Daniels right ny 81
charge of surprised gallantry, but tl1e
usa liant" was still held by the enemy
Accordingly Harrlss Mississippi brigad!e3
was sent TO Ramseur's rl9hi but az
still failed to iii the trenches, McGoWahs
South Carolina brigade was orasrso -
the same point an hour later. spite q
INA terribe flank fire. the brave troops
Of these brlgades held their ground until
4 A. NJ. when ordered back to the new
line" ,,.,S
gade, said OF the f1ghting: III Wis Wis. notl
only desperate struggle 1t was lltera4.s
" hand to hand fight. Nothing pli w
tho piled up logs or oreas."orks sepa,
rated the combatants. Our men would
reach over the logs and FIRE into the
faces aces Of the enemy. would stab over
with their bayonets. The sight at the
bloody Angle the next day was terri
Bile and slckcning, much worse than at
Bloody Lane. Antietam. The repnrt
Of Gen. N. II. Harris. the veritahle lion
OF the day. reads: MY men were expos
cd to a constant and destructive musk
etry fre. front and flank. and during
tho hours OF the day to a heavy artillery
fire. Great difficulty was had In procur-
Ing supplies OF ammunition, men after
men being shot down while bringing 1t
in. At A. M. I received orders from.
Gen. Rodes to withdraw my command
and McGowan's, and at $3.50 Wltndre"
IN tolerable order
Gen. McGowan's report reads OF his
and IIarris's brlgades: .''They remained
there holding our lines without rein
forcements, food. or rest under storm
OF balls that did not internt for eigl-
teen hours, They made one OF the most
gallant and stubborn defenses !, reeorord
"t;en Lee sent during the day to the
assistance Of Rodes on whose front me
battle ragged. McGowan's. PERKINS, ahu
Harris's brigades. From morning until
night the battle continued marked oy
terrible slaughter" 1,h n were ensase IN
in the effort to fore. tns o.. n h,,y
evoy ~. "a aettack fell on the right Of Rodess
Z Position, held by Harris and part OF
MCGOWAN. Harris lost half his brigade
killed and wounded and MCGOWAN nearly
as many. While Gen. Gordons official
report of May 18th contains no details
Of casualties, It reads that his Gloss was
not heavy
AS stated above ready writer" In
Richmond paper began to take lber-
ties with the truth Of May 18th, forty
years ago. There is a plaintlve protest
against tho perversions which quick
succeeding tragedy made pathetic. to be
read on page 1884, serial number 70. war
records. 1t is in a letter to Gen. Ewell,
dated September 49, 1864, from Gen. Rodes,
whom Col, Venable calls "the hero OF
the day 1t reads: II regret very much
/ have not yet been able to furnish YOU
my report up to the time you left us.
1 hope YOU will not send In yours until
mine Is with you. for T. depend upon you
alone to get my share Of the glory OF tho
actions of the Wilderness and May the
18th, which have so far reflected glory
on all concerned there on our side except
me. I claim to have been your right
bower on rho 18th OF May" Gen.. Rodes,
who was also Jackson's right bower"
at Charlottesville, never sent In his
report He was killed in battle Just ono
week from the day he wrote. In his
death the army sustained a most grlev-
GUS loss.
AS a Confederate soldier and member
OF Lees army this writer Is glad to tes-
tify that there was no Drawer or more
skillful commander OF his rank than Gen.
Jno. b. Gordon. But. none the less, his
"reminiscences only Just read By the I'M
dersiGned. contain errors which call for
correction In justice TO the verify Of his
tory and the dead and living who helped
make history.
]. SIN.
Vicksburg, Miss, May 10. 1904
Memorial Day.
la AN, \