The National tribune., 1907-08-22


newed thefhaFge. this time successfully
routing tbe Stpnewall Brigade. an
shooting down the fugitives as they fed.
Then the 18th and 14th Ind. 5th and
9th Ohio and Saith Pa. rushed over 10
Tyler's assistance, and their arrival was
most opp9rtune, for he was having
severe fight. The colors of the 5th Ohio
were struck 5S times, and five times
were shot down, The colors of the 7th
Ohio were struck IS times. AT times
the fighting was almost hand to hand.
and Jackson himself hurried over to
encouragA hi rnen. His presence did
not suffice. for there was a break, and
Fulkerstone's Men ran in rout, leaving
| two pieces of artillery and 300 prisoners
| in Tyler's hands. Darkness was gath
ering. and the battle was over, with
Jackson raliying his broken battalIons
and leading them off the field. not stop
| ping until he was four or five miles
| away.
| Like Forrest. Jackson was quick to
discover when he had struck something
and swift in dropping it. He left behind
two guns. four caissons and many small
| arms besides his dead and wounded.
Gen. Jackson charged his defeat to
| Gen. r. IS. Garnett's mistake in order
| ing the retreat. but this hardly explains
| it nor why jackson fell back anything
| like as far as he did. He estimated our
| force at 11,000, with his own at less
than 5000. If this estimate were true
the biggest mistake was the one that he
made in bringing on fight. He puts
his loss at so killed, 342 wounded and
269 missing, mainly prisoners-a total
| loss of 691. Gen. Shields. on the other
hand, reported that he had taken 300
prisoners and found 270 dead on the
field. beside 40 known to be buried by
the citizens Other graves made him
believe that the total loss of the enemy
was 1000 killed. Shields's statement,
however, must be taken with caution,
since he was an Irishman with a bril-
liant imagination. He reported his own
loss at 103 killed, including Col Muir
ray, of the Saith Pa, 441 wounded and
"a missing. 1t is likely that the loss in
killed and wounded was more equal
than either of the commanders report
ed. since while'the Union loss must have
been heavy in assailirs the stone walls
the Confederate loss must have been
great when their tanks were turned and
they were driven In confusion.
Shields Loses His slnjor-Gcneralcy.
The victory heartened up the North
very greatly, as 1t was the first decided
success achieved by the Army of the
Potomac, and it threw a shadow upon
the reputation which Stonewall Jackson
had gained at Bull Run. 1t was really a
well-fought.- sharp engagement, quite
creditable in it's obstinacy to both sides.
A square stand-up fight in the open, our
men had shown dashing courage and
our officers competency in handling
them that was highly encouraging. If
all our battles could be fought as well
the result would be sure.
There was some inter sting inside
history connected with this affair. Gen.
James Shields was "claimer' of the
most pronounced type. He sounded his
own trumpet with skill and unfiagging
persistence. and appropriated the credit
for all hes could lay his hands upon.
During the; progress of the battle Gen.
Kimball had sent notes back to Shields
from ting to, time. informing him of the
progress Of the, fight and his DISPOSE
tons. That evening. after the battle
was over. Kimball was astonished to
receive from Shields a batch of orders.
properly dated and covering every phase
of the fight. =
Shields tried hard to a get a Major
Generally for The battle. and came very
near SUCCEEDING His nomination was
sent to TIE Sehate. confirmed by that
body. but not published. In the mean
while those who had come to thoro
understanding of Shields hastened to
Washington with this batch of orders
and alsoGuevidence showing Shields's
tergiversa5ioni with regard to Col. Sprigg
Carroll and the bridge at Front. ROYAL,
Ibiit1sfSqht htfft tbotfttltt. "
the ncminaion, and Shields lost his
Major
The credit of the victory was really
due to Gen. E: W. Lander, who had
organized and disciplined his splendid
material, and to Col. Kimball and the
excellent Colonels--CarrolI. Tyler, Har-
row. Foster, Voris, Patrick, Thob,frn,
Sawyer, Buckley. Creighton. Murray
Sullivan and Clark-who SO ably sup
ported him. KfmbaH was made Brig
adier-General, and several of the Col
onels received similar promotion.
The Corps Commanders.
As stated before. Mcclellan had di-
vided his army into five corps d'armee,
numb bered consecutiveiy. The general
design OF these corps was: A brigade of
three regiments, three brigades, or nine
regiments, to make a division, and three
divisions, or 81 regiments of infantry,
to constitute corps. With the artil-
lery, cavalry, engineers and other ap-
purtenahdes of a complete little army
such as a corps was intended to be, this
would make over 10000 effective men
to start with. 1t was the model which
had been adopted in Europe from ex-
perience developed during and since the
Napoleonic wars, where it was neces-
sary to have an immense body of men
under a single commander, to act as a
unit upon the battlefield and strike a
blow of colossal force. The President
went contrary to McClellans expressed
wish and expectations, and designated
himself the commanders of these corps
Mcclellan said, with much reason, that
he did not want to appoint the COM
manders until he had tested their abil-
ity to handle large masses of men by
actual experience in the field 1t re-
quires a man of the most unusual abil-
ity to handle 10000 men on the march
and in battle. No American had ever
done it. In the wars prior to the Revo-
luton The largest units were usually
companies and regiments, as we know
by reading history. We find Capt. IS
company doing this and Maj. IS
battalion doing that, with Col So-and-
sos regiment undertaking some bigger
task. 1t is but lately that brigades and
divisions have been moved as units on
the field of battle.
In the War of 1912 we heard more of
regiments than brigades. At no time in
the War with Mexico did Scott have as
many as $4,000 men under his actual
command. While these brigades were
organized into divisions, and we hear
much of the division commanders,
Worth. Wool Quitman and others
the fighting was generally done by regi-
ments and brigades. Men who can
command ia regiment-that is, some
n -fl u