The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-13


ports OF General Longstreet, General
Ewell and General EARLY
Nov this famous letter turns out to
nave been copied In the letter book
Of General Lee from memory by Col
onel Charles Vcnable. 1t IL marked
thus: IRON memory--sketch OF q
letter"
1t is not then the original letter
1t was copied afterwards some time
before, July 1.-The date OF the mex,
letter. 1t cannot therefore have the
same authority as the original would
have. Especially on the question OF
date II is more Liable to error. Let
us noty suppose that there was H. mis-
take In the date, and that 1t should
have been dated June 80, 1880 A. NJ
Instead Of June 2S. 1890 A. NJ" Tnen
the first order TO Ewell to march back
from Carlisle, written last night
would be dated June rs, not June 81
IT this hypothesis harmonizes with
the reports of Ewell and Lee and
with the dates when the divisions OF
the Third Corps began their march to
cashtown, then the probability OF Its
correctness becomes very strong.
1t seems to me II does thus hat-
monize. Consider that such dispatch
vas of supreme Importance, and would
therefore be sent as fast as courier
could carry 1t. Colonel Marshall tes-
tffies that IL was long after 10 p.
NJ, June 20. when he found General
Lee in conference with the scout VINO
brought the intelligence OF Hooker 9
movements. Even II the dispatch was
no, sent until midnight, General Ewell
might easily have received 1t by D
in the morning, for II is. as Colonel
Mospy reminds us, only thirty miles
from Chambersburg to Carlisle.
Now. II 1t was written on the
and received by Ewell early on the
morning OF the 2sth. why did General
Edward Johnson's division not receive
orders TO march back southwark from
Carlisle til o A. II. on the 29th, as my
diary proves? Il was q staff officer IN
Johnson's Division and kept careful
diary of the campaign). But II 1t was
written on the 2sth, dispatched at mid
night, and received by Ewell by or
Z A. II. OF the 29th, orders TO Generai
Edward Johnson aud TO General Rodes
might vel! nave been issued as early
as 8 A. NJ
Again, II Ewell received the order
on the morning of the 2sth 1t exactly
harmonizes With his statement IN MS
report that he was starting on the
s3th" for Harrisburg when ordered
by the general commanding 70 JOIN
the main body OF the army He says:
~ was starting on the seth for that
place when ordered by the general
commanding TO jo,n the main Aody CT
the army al Cashtown."
since writing the above ] nave
learued that Colonel Striking nas
made similar suggtAt.on. put nave
not yet seen his paper.
Again. 1t appears that Johnson's re-
serve artillery and trains were passin
through Chambersburg after midhiehs
NJ the 2eth. Mr. Jacob Hoko. Nosey $
authority. says 1t was between / anu
A. n. From this Colonel Mospy IN
fers they must have started on the
evening of the 2Sth. But why!
.hey had started at or 10 a. 81 on
the 29th, could not the head OF 'he
rain have covered thirty miles and
reached Chambersburs by one OF s"o
hours after midnight? Thirty miles IN
sixteen hours is not at all ex;raorol-
nary. especially in an emergency Mt.
Hoke. whom Mosby cites as Witness
says the trains were moving "hurried-
fy''-"at a trot." This shows they were
making a forced march.
Turn now to Early's repor.- tic says
that on the evening of the 2eth lie re-
ceiyed General Ewells instructions TO
NOV. back to the west side OF son.n
Mountain, together with q copy OF Lees
order to h!m-eviden.ly the first oroe!.
Now, IL my hypothesis is correct, ana
liz Ewell received Lees letter IN the
early hours of the goth, what was 10
prevent Captain Elliott johnson from
riding from Carlisle to York. dls-
sance of thi-ty-six miles, as Colonel
Mosby points out, between y. Al. ana
& j.. NJ? I myself rode fo- General
George H. stuart fifty miles by day
light on June % In Pennsylvania. bus
on the supposition that Ewell received
that famous letter and order on the
morning Of the aSth, how can we &C
ccun. for the fact that Early did not
receive Ewell's order till the evening
OF the 10th?
| submit that these facts make II
beyond contradiction that there is an
error In the date of the letter. as 1t
was copied from memory. The sup
position that General Lee sent that
letter TO Ewell on the night OF June
81 hristles with improbabilities. There
is the improbability that Lee would
have waited till the goth to order Hill
and Longstreet to march TO Cashtown.
There is the improbability that an
order of such Importance would not be
dispatched with due military expedition.
It's omission from Lees letter-book Is
suggestive OF haste. 1t was written
at night and would seem TO have been
dispatched at once without taking
zine to copy 1t IN the letter-book This
increases the improbabiltty that ut
would not be sent post-haste to Ewell
Then there is the improbability that
Iwell, having, received SO supremely
important an order should have put
Off It's execution for twenty-four hours
from the morning Of the 2Sth to the
morning of the GOTH Again there is
the improbability that he should have
waited tWenty-Iour hours before he
sent his staff officer to transmit Gem
oral Lees order to General Early at
York. Then finally there Is the im-
probability that General Longstreet
end Colonel Taylor and Colonel Mar
shall and General. Long and General
Lee himself should all have believed
and stated that the news of the prox-
Unity Of Hooker should have been
brought by a scout on the 2Sth, If the
fact was really known ON the 27th.
Colonel Mosby's whole argument on
this point hinges on the accuracy Of the
date OF the letter. or rather, sketch
OF q letter." written down from mem
DRY. 1t appears to mo immensely more
ltkelv that C,0lOnel Vana h1e made a