I write you stubborn facts, and you can use them as
such."
General Wood has been so severely criticised for his obedience
to this fatal order that perhaps I should add this further
explanation, contained in the letter from which I have quoted
above: "After the battle was over, and it was apparent that
Rosecrans's ill-considered order had led to a disaster, he
offered as an explanation of it the statement that some
staff-officer had reported to him that Brannan was out of line,
and that he intended I should close to the left on Reynolds, and
that I overlooked this direction to close to the left on
Reynolds. Certainly, I overlooked it, or rather I did not see
it, for it was not there to be seen. On the contrary, I was
ordered to close up on Reynolds, and for a purpose--viz., to
support him. I remark also that it was impossible for any man,
on reading Rosecrans's order to me, to even remotely conjecture
that it was based on the supposition that Brannan was out of
line. He had previously ordered me to rest my left on Brannan's
right, and I had reported to him that I had done so. Colonel
Starling (of Crittenden's staff) testified before the
McCook-Crittenden court of inquiry that he was with Rosecrans at
the time the latter directed the order to be sent to me, and
told him that Brannan was not out of line."
THE ATONEMENT OF LEAM DUNDAS.
Pages:
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187