Private                                                                                    

Camp Near Strasburg Va

Oct 25, 1864

 

Dear Genl

                        I am told that articles or correspondence in the New York press attribute the mornings surprise and disaster of the 19^th to Gen Crook or the officers or men of his Command. These reflections are made by writers interested in blowing the trumpet of the 6^th Corps. Gen Wright of that Corps was in command of the whole army in the absence of Gen Sheridan. He had ample warning that the left was in danger, that to give timely notice of rebel movements in that quarter it was necessary to have Cavalry on that flank. Col Thoburn had only two weak brigades and was separated from the rest of Crooks Command and the army by a distance of more than a mile. If / the enemy were not observed by Cavalry it was perfectly practicable for the Rebels to mass their forces just outside of our picket line & crush Thoburn's small Command before aid could reach him and thus turn our left flank. Col T. no doubt supposed Cavalry was there. Gen Wright had said it should be there—but it was not—hence the surprise.

 

—But Sheridan restored all—except the loss of Col T. and the other gallant officers & men who we crushed there—

 

                        I do not wish any note of mine made public but the fact is neither Gen Crook, Col Thoburn or Crooks Command are justly / degr blameable for the surprise. The official reports I am told will make all this clear, but in the meantime it may be proper for some one to utter a word of caution, that the publicly may not too hastily condemn those whom the Eastern press habitually either ignore or misrepresent—

 

                                                                                                Sincerely

Gen B. R. Cowan                                                                                R B Hayes

            Columbus

                        O

 

P.S.

            There is an effort to make it appear that Crooks Corps broke / worse than others. This is simply not true. The Corps on our right had less excuse than our base, having more time to get ready. But the truth is we covered the retreat on our part of the line. There was at no time any union troops between us and the Rebels—

 

                        If you can get an emphatic word or two into the Cinti press to counteract the N.Y. World, it will be doing simply justice to one of Ohio's best officers and to many of the best western soldiers—

                                                H.

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