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Third—two brigades of Barnes's division (First), Fifth corps, were posted on the edge of a wood, and in front of a portion of the Third corps (Ward's brigade) before any musketry firing began; so that the hour's conflict sustained by the Third corps before the Fifth Corps came up has no existence.
Fourth—General Crawford's troops, Fifth corps, were thrown into action by order of the corps commander, not by any order of General Sickles, or by any solicitation of Captain Moore, of General Sickles's staff.
Fifth—The left of the Third corps was far in advance of Roundtop, and did not connect with it in any way.
Sixth—The imminent danger of losing Roundtop resulted, not from the failure to relieve Ward's brigade, which was not there, but from an order of General Sickles, taking Weed's brigade from that hill to assist the Third corps, and Weed, in obeying this order, was met by his corps commander, and promptly returned to his position on the hill, just in time to assist in repelling Longstreet's attack.
Seventh—When a dispassionate writer seats himself to bolster up one officer at the expense of others, neither ‘hearsay evidence’ nor ‘slight errors’ should have a place in his narrative.
Unadulterated truth should stamp its every assertion.
A staff officer of the Fifth Corps.
