Carl Schurz

“ Knowing what material glory so frequently is made of, I do not crave for glory, but for justice. Everybody that knows me will tell you, that here, as elsewhere, I have been, and am the most forbearing and inoffensive of men. And even in this case I would have abstained from all sharpness of criticism, had I not, by a series of occurrences been tortured into the conviction, that at last I owed it to myself and to my troops to array on one occasion the whole truth in its nakedness against official and private obloquy. ”

“ He saw and heard my whole advance brigade halt and fire, when the other witnesses heard only a few scattered shots. He heard of a line of battle in our front at Tyndale’s Hill, a thing which would have been so important, that every officer on the ground would have known or heard of it; but none of the other witnesses remember any such thing. His conversation with me as he reports it, must be taken with the same grain of allowance; it is only the substance of it which can be accepted as reliable. ”

“ General Hooker goes on to tell us that he may have said to Colonel Hecker to wait there for further orders from General Howard. General Hooker tells us also, that he had advised General Howard of the orders given to me, to double quick my division to the relief of Geary. And then he supposed that General Howard, after having been advised of that order, had stopped the troops on their way. Indeed! Does General Hooker not know that General Howard was my immediate commander, and that his orders were superior to mine? ”

“ The testimony of Col. Hecker himself is so clear, distinct and positive, that nobody, who knows the man, will breathe a doubt against it. That of Capt. Greenhut and Lieut. Kramer, concurs with it in almost every particular. All these testify that Col. Hecker was halted by Maj. Howard, and that Gen. Hooker was informed by the Colonel of the presence of my 2d brigade; all three testify to the instructions given by the General to Col. Hecker, and all three testify to the words pronounced by Gen. Hooker when he rode away: “You stay here.” This would seem sufficient to account for the 3d brigade. ”

“ The case of the 3d Brigade is clearly established; and as for the 2d, how was it possible, if such an order had come from me, that one of the brigade staff officers should report, to the its detention by orders coming from General Hooker?
If the stopping of the troops was a mere mistake, it is to be regretted, that it was not at once rectified. But that mistake happened under Genl. Hooker's very eyes; he, by giving instructions, participated in it, and of all men in the world he was the man to remedy it. ”

“ No military man will pretend that these orders were not answering the object and fitting the circumstances. The ground over which I had to march was not reconnoitered outside of the road. The only indication we had of the intentions of the enemy was the firing at Wauhatchie. If the attack on Geary was serious, it was not only possible, but probable, that the enemy would occupy some position in the valley in order to protect their rear. ”

“ My troops are hurried forward to the assistance of Geary. Suddenly, while my column is marching along, a volley is thrown upon it from the hills on the left. All at once it is discovered that this range of hills is occupied by the enemy. This changes the whole aspect of affairs. It is not foreseen in the original programme. The effect of this discovery cannot but be startling. General Hooker himself says in his testimony: “When the first fire was given from the hills on the left, it suggested itself to me that the enemy was trying to get between me and Brown’s Ferry;” ”

“ There are two things which every conscientious man will be careful to guard against; the first is, saying anything to the prejudice of another, which he knows to be false; and the other is, saying anything to the prejudice of another, which he does not positively know to be true. ”

“ Hecker, still more impatient, sends one of his aides forward to ascertain the cause of the delay. The aide returns with the information, that he had seen one of the staff officers of the 2d brigade, who had told him, that the 2d brigade had just received orders to halt. Col. Hecker replies: “I have received no orders to halt, and I shall march on.” So he marches his column by the 2d brigade, and continues on the road to Wauhatchie. He has hardly advanced beyond the 2d brigade when he meets Major Howard of the 11th corps staff, on the road. ”

“ This is the gap through which the main Chattanooga road runs; the road upon which a part of the enemy’s force had come into the valley. I ordered Colonel Krzyzanowski to take position in this important thoroughfare with a portion of his Brigade, which was decimated by picket and other details, while another portion was directed to join Colonel Hecker in marching to Geary. Arrived at Tyndale’s Hill, Hecker’s Brigade was ordered to halt a little while, for the purpose of awaiting the reinforcement which arrived promptly. ”

“ I abstain throughout from referring to the testimony of the latter, because his recollection has evidently lost the thread of events. An interval of time appeared to an individual longer or shorter, as his attention was more or less engaged or his mind possessed of greater or less anxiety. Thus the duration of the stay of the 2d and 3d Brigades at the cross-road is evidently under-estimated by most if not all our witnesses. About the time occupied by the movement from the cross-roads to Geary, we are fortunate enough to have very precise data. ”

“ Instead of halting troops on the way, troops whose commanders were impatient to get on, he was with me and Genl. Tyndale at the head of the column in march, making every exertion to accelerate its progress. It is also well enough established by the instructions given to Hecker, that Genl. Hooker thought very little of Howard or of Geary at that time. Such instructions are given only in expectation of an attack; they mean preparation for defense on the spot, and not preparation for a double-quick movement. ”

“ While this is going on I am near Tyndale’s Hill. Notice is brought to me through a staff officer of the 11th Corps that the 3d Brigade is stopped near Smith’s Hill, and under instructions from General Hooker. Almost at the same time notice is brought to me by a staff officer of the 2d Brigade that the 2d Brigade is stopped near Smith’s Hill, and under orders to go to Chattanooga. Can these circumstances be accidental? They speak for themselves. ”

“ Hooker's direction, Hecker stays. For this we have the testimony of Maj. Howard, Capt. Greenhut, Asst. Adjt. General of the 8d brigade, Lieut. Miller and Lieut. Kramer, aides of Col. Hecker, and Col. Hecker himself. This conversation being an important matter, the testimony must be examined with greater care. Maj. Howard, when as a witness before you, must have made upon you the impression of a man who is careful and conscientious in his statements. He produces as facts only what he knows with absolute certainty ”

“ Patrols were dispatched to explore the ground in our front and our flanks, the skirmishers were thrown forward. It was reported by an officer, that he had seen something like a column passing to our right. Patrols were sent in that direction to ascertain the truth of the statement. The completion of such arrangements will, under all circumstances, take some time, especially in the night, and on uneven and densely wooded ground, where nothing can be discerned with certainty, even at a moderate distance. During that time Lieut. Oliver might well have reported to General Hooker; Genl. ”

“ Hecker to stop at the cross-roads. He tells us, that, before he did so, he had been with Gen. Hooker and staff, informing them of Col. Hecker’s arrival, and that he heard Gen. Hooker or Gen. Butterfield say that the troops might be halted at the cross-roads. We further gives it as his impression, that he heard Gen. Hooker or Gen. Butterfield instruct Col. Hecker to form his brigade so as to be able to make front towards the valley as well as towards the hills. The corroborative testimony of three other witnesses, Col. Hecker, Capt. ”