196

THE ELEVENTH CORPS AT CHA'NCELLORSVILLE.

of a conflict, for there was a sharp skirmish in the direction of CatherineFurnace. The rattle of musketry followed; then in a little time was heardthe booming of cannon. I sent the news to every division and said, “ Beready.” Slocum went forward to the aid of Sickles, and Hancock was behindhim with support. Next, the enemy was reported to be in full retreat.General Hooker so telegraphed to Sedgwick; Captain Moore, of his staff)who had gone out with Birney to see the attack upon Jackson, came hurriedlyto me with an order from General Hooker for my reserve brigade, Barlow’S-Major Howard rode rapidly to Sickles, that he might point out exactlywhere to locate the brigade. The major was also to ascertain the nearestroute, so as to save time and not weary the men by a circuitous march.

It was already past 4 . There was much excitement among the groups ofofficers at the different points of observation. We who were at Dowdall’s hadbeen watching the enemy’s cavalry, which kept pushing through the woodsjust far enough to receive a fire, and then withdrawing. Devens and his bri-gade and regimental commanders gathered, in various ways, all the informa-tion possible, while from a high point they obtained glimpses of a movingcolumn crossing the Plank road and apparently making off. I sent out scouts,who returned with reports that the enemy was not more than three or fourmiles off, and in motion. Sehurz was anxious and, with my approval, moveda part of his reserves to the north of Hawkins’s farm into good position tocover Devens’s flank. Devens held at least two regiments well in hand, for thesame purpose, and Steinwehr’s whole division I knew could just face aboutand defend the same point. A few companies of cavalry came from Pleasoii'ton. I sent them out. “ Go out beyond my right; go far, and let me kn<Wif an assault is coming.” All my staff, Asmussen, Meysenberg, Whittlesey,C. H. Howard, Schofield, Dessauer , Stinson, Schirmer, and Hoffmann, wei' ekeenly 011 the alert. We had not a very good position, it is true, but we didexpect to make a good strong fight should the enemy come.

General Hooker’s circular oi’der to “ Slocum and Howard ” neither reachedme, nor, to my knowledge, Colonel Meysenberg, my adjutant-general. | Fromsome confused notion it was issued to “ Slocum and Howard,” when Slocumwas no longer within two miles of me, and had not been in command of mycorps after Hooker’s arrival at Chancellorsville. Slocum, naturally supposingthat I had a copy, would not think of forwarding a joint order to me aft e1 'that, and certainly no such order came to me. But Generals Devens, Schui'Z,and Steinwelir, my division commanders, and myself did precisely what W®should have done had that order come. The throe reserve batteries wei' eput in position, and the infantry reserves were hold well in hand for the p° s 'sible emergency. My aide had now returned from Sickles, near the Furnace,

& Devens states in his official report that at inter-vals between 11 a. m. and C>: 30 p. m. he reported tocorps headquarters that the enemy in force wasthreatening his front and his right dank.— Editors.

| See pp. 219 and 220. The original dispatchis not on file in the War Records Office, but a copyof it exists in Hooker’s “ Letters Sent ” book and

in one of the two “ Letters Received ” booksHoward’s headquartors. The entry in Howard*book appears to have boon made in the latter p &rof .Tune. In Hooker’s book a notation in red i J1 'freads, “Copy furnished General Howard”; an<1the inference is that it was this “copy” that va sentered in Howard’s book in June.— Editors-