The National tribune., 1908-10-08
GEN. sIcKLEs RODE UP AND SAID:

GEN SIcKLES RODE UP AND SAID:
It is'switff great reluctance that I pre-
sumo to critieise or find fault with any
Of your statements; bnt after reading
and rereading your account of the bat
tie of Charlottesville I am at a loss to
understand why you SO utterly ignore
thu part taken by Bushbecks Brigade
of the Eleventh Corps. In giving the
details of the fight made by the first
and Third Divisions you make mention
of Bushbeck's position, but as the ac-
tion drifts back to the Dowdall house,
You pass over the stand made there by
Bushbeck's men without a word. This
is particularly notable. because it is a
historical fact that Bushbecks command
did make a very gallant defense, and
Gen. Hooker himself has placed on rec
ord his statement that this command
was entitled to the credit of saving the
artillery and trains of the corps There
fore, nc account of Charlottesville, pre-
suming to be a history of that affair. is
complete or correct without the state
znent Of the part played by the first
brigade OF the Second Division. Some
} idea, of how they stayed may be caught
from the fact that the regiment to
which ] tad the honor to belong lost
81 officers AID men killed and wounded
fright there in that position. And again,
6nstead of telling the story of Bush
? beck's fight you hurry past to tell about
the great charge of a division of the
Third Corps info the woods in front of
Jackson's advance, and state that they
retook BushbecIS's breastworks. This is
entirely wrong. Bushbeck's breastworks
were not retaken by any Union troops
Il. l~aNs I'D fla sxrfTa I'D
vance of the Third Corps on the even
fngscf Nay was never within half
mile of those breastWorks, neither did
they meet Jackson's advance at all that
night The remnant of Bushbecks Bri-
gade halted and faced Jackson's advance
west of the little creek or run in front
Of F2iryiew, and was firing at their pur-
suers when Gen. Sickles rode up in our
rear and said, "You are doing nobly,
0koys Hold them 10 minutes longer,
andsT will have 10000 men here to help
you" A part of bis corps came up and
formed TO our right, tut cid not advance
beyond our position. Jackson's advance
had stopped before they arrived. We
remained at that pcipt al that night,
and were not relieved until daylight
next morning, and at no time during
the night was there any Union force
between US and the enemy. ] person.
ally talked with Gen. Sckles about this
and he then said that he distinctly re-
membered the circumstance as have
stated IL.
In your issue of Aug. 81 Corp'l Isaac
p Gregg, 1st Mass, gives the correct
version of the movements of Berrys
Division that evening. Knowing thar
you are acquainted with Col Hamlin's
: book on this battle ethan which there is
no work extant more reliable), the nlys-
fesSI of such a glaringiy erroneous state
nnetn is beyond comprehension.
ftaissa well-known fact that that part
of the army that had served under Nc
Cleilan never considered the Eleventh
and Twelfth Corps as a part of The
Army of the Potomac, and never gave
them credit for what they did, and many
of thGin to this day would try TO make
the E1ieventii Corps the scapegoat fol
the. mistakes made by those high IL
command When such undoubted au.
->thorities as Gems. Hunt, Doubleday and
Hooker say that the Eleventh Corps did
all that meH could do under the circum.
stances we need pay little attention tC
unreliable writers like the Cannoniel
and others of that ilk
Again, in your account of the attack
on East Cemetery Hill, at Gettysburg
on the evening of July 2. you state that
CarrolFs Brigade made great charge
and recaptured the batteries. This is
another of the Cannonier's yarns. After
the attack had been repulsed Carrolfs
Brigade arrived. and formed in column