Page:Hooker Inquiry (Wauhatchie Engagement) - Schurz Argument - Page 15.jpg

 onel Krzyzanowski, was in Genl. Hooker’s immediate presence. And Genl. Hooker was ignorant of all this?

Lastly, Genl. Hooker declares, that, had he known anything of the presence of my 2d Brigade on that part of the field, or had he known, that I was forward with only one Brigade, he would have ordered Colonel Hecker instantly to march to Wauhatchie. This indeed he might have been expected to do, if he really wanted one of my Brigades to occupy the Tyndale Hill, and another to push through to Geary. Now, mark what he did do. It is proved by three witnesses, that immediately after the 2d Brigade had been bodily pointed out to him, he gave Col. Hecker instructions how to form, and then left him with the words, “You stay here!”

But to cap the climax, he says himself, he was not positive whether he knew that I had more than two brigades in all. He thinks he must have known it, or ought to have known it, as he had marched with us from Bridgeport to Lookout Valley, but he was not positive. Every candid mind will conclude from his report, that he did not know it, for he speaks only of Tyndale’s and “the other Brigade.” And then, not being positive, whether I had more than two Brigades in all, he tells us that he kept one of my Brigades back, thinking that two of my Brigades were in advance. Here my willingness to furnish an explanation is at a loss. There is no theory upon which I can reconcile his acts with his declarations.

This testimony, in its relation to the facts as proved by all the other witnesses, is to me a puzzle. It is almost impossible to suppose that General Hooker did not know the Brigades to be there; for, if he-had eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand, he must have been aware of their presence. But it is almost equally impossible to suppose that he did know them to be there, for, how strange is it, how can it be explained, that he did not send them forward, if he wanted to have Tyndale’s Hill occupied, and Geary reinforced at the same time—and, above all, how can his report be accounted for? I am irresistibly driven to the conclusion that, either Gen. Hooker did not clearly fix his mind upon what he saw, heard, said, and did, during the night of the engagement, or that he did not clearly fix his mind upon what he remembered and wrote at the time of composing his report.

Now let me sum up the facts, as they are established by the evidence.

It is proved, that, immediately upon receipt of orders, I hurried forward at the head of my 1st Brigade, after having directed my 2d and 3d Brigades to follow.

It is proved that my orders to the 2d and 3d Brigades were correctly delivered, and correctly executed. They did follow me.

It is proved that, upon the arrival of the head of my column opposite