Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 09.djvu/71

62 commander, clearly shows! On one occasion, subsequent, General Bragg declared, publicly, in my presence, that "these troops of my division, and troops from Pensacola, Withers's division, which I had in part disciplined," "were distinguished as among the few troops who maintained their organization through the battle of Shiloh."

I renew my statement of 1878, "that of the 'chaffering' and 'controversy' I know nothing now, nor did I know anything then, and in no manner was I a party to it, and that if General Bragg was cognizant of it, he must have rebuked the slander, and defended the conduct of his corps, and stood firm in its vindication. It is therefore apparent that he held me blameless, or that, with his accustomed promptitude, he would have directed me ' to rise and explain! ' "

The question now recurs, "Why did Major-General Polk block up" the Bark road with his reserve corps, and hold it, obstructing the passage of Ruggles's division in violation of the prescribed order of march, and in my absence, and without my knowledge, attribute his fault to me? It appears that after ten months' delay—possibly for reflection—"the plucky old bishop" made his report of the battle of Shiloh at Richmond, February 4th, 1868, embodying in it his own version of his interview with Beauregard on the field of Shiloh. This recalls the declaration of Honorable John C. Calhoun, when in the Senate, the posthumous diary of ex-President John Quincy Adams was quoted by Senator Thomas H. Benton against him, that "the diary might be accepted as evidence against the author—Mr. Adams—but was worthless as evidence against any other person!" The question of the "plucky old bishop's" infallibility belongs to the theologians.

The local or objective point involved, when sharply drawn, is, who was responsible for the delay on the 5th day of April, 1862, in the formation of the line of battle on the field of Shiloh, which prevented an attack on the enemy on that day. Correlatively this involves, also, the emphatic inference that such delay precluded, for the want of time, a completed victory before General Buell's corps arrived on the field on Sunday evening, the 6th of April, 1862.

Field-Marshal Grouchy arrived upon the battle field of Waterloo too late to defeat General Blucher! The orders of General Bragg were explicit and were executed with promptitude and fidelity. My troops needed no apology and their surviving commander offers none—but he scorns any attempt to defame him or them.

Colonel Johnston has, during two years past, had ample time to have consulted authorities, and to have expunged this error from his