5fish
Captain
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2007
- Location
- Central Florida
As @Saint Jude puts me in my place... or not...
http://www.civildiscourse-historybl...ing-dutchmen-the-xi-corps-at-chancellorsville
First Deve"s part...
Either way, several XI Corps soldiers report in their memoirs that they reported Jackson’s column to corps headquarters only to be turned away. Colonel John C. Lee of the 55th Ohio claimed that he reported sightings by his pickets to General Devens three times and was turned away each time as simply frightened. Colonel Charles W. Friend of the 75th Ohio claimed that he was laughed away from headquarters, and Colonel William P. Richardson (25th Ohio) and Colonel William H. Noble (17th Connecticut) shared similar experiences.
Here is Howard has three tales...
Once the fleeing men reached corps headquarters, General Devens finally reacted and tried to rally the men. That effort was abruptly halted when Devens was wounded in the foot. With his entire corps in chaos, Howard returned to the scene and tried to stop the stampede. He tucked a United States flag under the stump of his amputated arm and rode into the fray shouting at his men. In that moment, Howard remembered, “I felt…that I wanted to die. It was the only time I ever weakened that way in my life, before or since, but that night I did all in my power to remedy the mistake, and I sought death everywhere I could find an excuse to go on the field.” One Ohio captain remembered Howard as cool and collected, urging his men to reform and slow down, making sure he was the last man off the field. On the contrary, Union soldier Jim Peabody reported that he heard Howard yelling among the fleeing men: “Halt! Halt! I’m ruined, I’m ruined! I’ll shoot if you don’t stop. I’m ruined, I’m ruined!” When Howard saw the Confederates coming, Peabody says he saw Howard leave for the rear and commented: “I thought he was going there to impart the same information to them he had given us; that is, ‘I’m ruined.’ None of us knew or cared where he went.”
Which tale do we want to believe...?
http://www.civildiscourse-historybl...ing-dutchmen-the-xi-corps-at-chancellorsville
First Deve"s part...
Either way, several XI Corps soldiers report in their memoirs that they reported Jackson’s column to corps headquarters only to be turned away. Colonel John C. Lee of the 55th Ohio claimed that he reported sightings by his pickets to General Devens three times and was turned away each time as simply frightened. Colonel Charles W. Friend of the 75th Ohio claimed that he was laughed away from headquarters, and Colonel William P. Richardson (25th Ohio) and Colonel William H. Noble (17th Connecticut) shared similar experiences.
Here is Howard has three tales...
Once the fleeing men reached corps headquarters, General Devens finally reacted and tried to rally the men. That effort was abruptly halted when Devens was wounded in the foot. With his entire corps in chaos, Howard returned to the scene and tried to stop the stampede. He tucked a United States flag under the stump of his amputated arm and rode into the fray shouting at his men. In that moment, Howard remembered, “I felt…that I wanted to die. It was the only time I ever weakened that way in my life, before or since, but that night I did all in my power to remedy the mistake, and I sought death everywhere I could find an excuse to go on the field.” One Ohio captain remembered Howard as cool and collected, urging his men to reform and slow down, making sure he was the last man off the field. On the contrary, Union soldier Jim Peabody reported that he heard Howard yelling among the fleeing men: “Halt! Halt! I’m ruined, I’m ruined! I’ll shoot if you don’t stop. I’m ruined, I’m ruined!” When Howard saw the Confederates coming, Peabody says he saw Howard leave for the rear and commented: “I thought he was going there to impart the same information to them he had given us; that is, ‘I’m ruined.’ None of us knew or cared where he went.”
Which tale do we want to believe...?