Rebforever,
By any chance have you visited the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia? Even cleaned up the re-enactors at the latest one there, a Lieutenant-Colonel on the CSA General Staff (and a personal friend), said that he really got twisted around and momentarily lost.
General Longstreet's reply to the criticisms of the Wilderness campaign was and has been dismissed. I remind myself that it wasn't that far distant from where Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded when Longstreet was seriously wounded and M. Jenkins, a promising General was killed as he spoke with Longstreet.
This is an excerpt:
From Manassas to Appotamox (Longstreet)
Chapter XXXVIII.—Battle Of The Wilderness.
Bad as was being shot by some of our own troops in the battle of the Wilderness,—that was an honest mistake, one of the accidents of war,—being shot at, since the war, by many officers, was worse. Fitzhugh Lee wrote of me in the Southern Historical Society papers, vol. v., No. 4, April, 1878, saying, among other things," He lost his way and reached the Wilderness twenty-four hours behind time."
Now, from Mechanicsville to Parker's Store by our line of march was
thirty-four miles,—by the Plank road,
thirty-five; from Parker's Store to the battle,
three miles. From the time of our march to going into battle was
thirty-six hours, including all of two nights.
Deducting twenty-four hours alleged as lost leaves twelve hours, including all night of the 4th, for the march of thirty-seven miles!
His logic and method of injury remind one of the French teacher who, when out of patience with the boys, used to say, "I will give you zero and mark you absent."
Another report started by Fitzhugh Lee as coming from his cousin, G. W. C. Lee, was that General Lee said that he "sent an officer to Longstreet to stay with and show him the roads."
This, like all other reported sayings of General Lee in regard to me, was not published until after General Lee's death. When it was first published I wrote General G. W. C. Lee for the name of the officer sent. He referred me to the members of General Lee's staff. Not one of them knew of the circumstance or the officer, but referred me to General Lee's engineers. After long search I found the engineers and applied for information, but not one of them knew anything of the alleged fact. I had the letters published as an advertisement for the officer who was claimed as my guide. No response came. I inquired of the members of the staff, First Corps; not one had seen or heard of such a person. The quartermaster,
Colonel Taylor, who was ordered to secure a competent guide at the first moment of receipt of orders to march, reported of the matter thus:
“MEADOW FARM, ORANGE COURT-HOUSE,
“ July 1, 1879.
“ GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET:
"DEAR GENERAL,—Your favor of the 30th ultimo is this moment to hand, and I reply at once.
I think General Fitzhugh Lee entirely in error as to any engineer or other officer being sent to guide you in the spring of 1864 from your camp near Gordonsville to the Wilderness. I well remember your sending for me, and directing me to procure a guide for you, which I did after some difficulty in the person of Mr. James Robinson, the then sheriff of the county. I saw no such person, nor can I think that any such was at any time at our quarters before we broke
"Sincerely yours,
“ ERASMUS TAYLOR.”
These efforts to secure one witness in support of the allegation, or rather to prove a negation, were all that occurred to me at the time, and now I can think of but one more chance, which is for Fitzhugh Lee to offer a liberal reward. It is not probable that he would fail to find a false witness who could answer for a time to support the false charges.
It may be added that the accounts of the march by other officers agree with mine, as already given. I present here a letter from
General Alexander and an extract from one written me by Colonel Venable. The former says,-
"AUGUSTA, GA., June 12, 1879.
"MY DEAR GENERAL,—Absence prevented an earlier response to your favor of the 5th. My recollection of the events is as follows:
My command, the artillery, got orders to move about noon on May 4, 1864, being in camp near Mechanicsville, some four or five miles west of Gordonsville. We marched about four P.M., and with only short rests all night and all next day till about five P.M., when we halted to rest and bivouac at a point which I cannot remember; but our cavalry had had a skirmish there with the enemy's cavalry just before our arrival, and I remember seeing some killed and wounded of each side. Your whole corps, Hood's and McLaws's, and the artillery, I think, was concentrated at that point, and
my recollection is that we had orders to move on during the night, or before daylight the next morning, to get on the enemy's left flank on the Brock road.
"
But whatever the orders were, I remember distinctly that during the night news of the fight on the Plank road came, and with it a change of orders, and that we marched at one A.M., or earlier, and turned to the left and struck the Plank road at Parker's Store, and pushed rapidly down it to where the battle had already begun. I remember, too, that the march was so hurried that at one point, the head of the leading division (I forget which it was, however) having lost a little distance by taking the wrong road, the rear division was not allowed to halt, but pushed right on, so that it got abreast of the leading division, and the two came down the road side by side, filling the whole road and crowding the retreating men of the divisions which were being driven back into the woods on each side.
"These are facts as I recollect them, and while I don't know what your orders were,
I remember that there was a change in them during the night, according to my understanding, and that the change was as promptly and vigorously and successfully carried out as time and distance could possibly permit. There was certainly no loss of time from the moment we received orders to the moment we went under fire in the Wilderness, as the distance covered will show.
"Very truly yours,
“ E. P. ALEXANDER.
“ GENERAL LONGSTREET.”
Colonel Venable writes,—
“ July 25, 1879.
“ DEAR GENERAL—...
Well, the morning came. The enemy attacked Wilcox and Heth before your arrival. Disaster seemed imminent. I was sent to meet you and hasten your march. I met your two divisions within less than half a mile of the battlefield coming up in parallel columns very rapidly (I was going to say in double-quick) on the Plank road, side by side, and that they came in grandly, forming line of battle, Kershaw on the right and Field on the left, restoring the battle. It was superb, and my heart beats quicker to think about it even at this distance of time ....
"Yours, very truly,
“ CHARLES S. VENABLE.
“ GENERAL LONGSTREET.”
Charles S. Venable was on General R. E. Lee's staff at the time and had been for most of the war. He states he was the sent officer from Lee's staff and this statement of his, does not support the criticisms of Longstreet post-Civil War.
General E. P. Alexander also has a good reputation to which should be held in account.
E. Taylor, the "Engineer" to whom knew the problems and topography of the battle site, having an independent opinion, expressing them fully -- and diplomatically states that General Fitz Lee was totally in error. That is pretty risky as his rank wasn't as lofty nor, able to withstand criticisms if General Fitz Lee responded with evidence.
I am of the opinion that the troops lead by Longstreet to the Wildnerness from Tennessee, is nothing short of heroic and much like Patton's pulling up and marching his troops in winter to save the troops surrounded by the Nazis at the "Battle of the Bulge" where General McAuliffe's one word response said it all "Nuts!".
I am of the opinion, that there were no Generals in the Civil War, that
didn't make mistakes.
Mistakes are what changes battle tactics and inventions of better weapons.
Just some thoughts, observations and opinions.
M. E. Wolf