We had an interview yesterday with
Capt. Henry Ewing,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, and Ald to
Gen. Zollicoffer in the late
battle at Fishing Creek.
It will be remembered that we published, on the 8th inst., extracts from a letter which appeared in the New York
Herald, of the 5th, purporting to give the substance of
Capt. Ewing's statements to the
Federals, when he went with a flag of truce to recover
Gen. Zollicoffer's body.
We place but little faith in anything that appears in that mendacious journal, for its correspondents and editors generally distort facts to suit their own purposes; and we now have
Capt. Ewing's assurance that the account, so far as it reflected upon
Gen. Crittenden, is a sheer fabrication of the writer.
His testimony, as well as that of other officers with whom we have conversed proves that
Gen. C. acted a brave and gallant part on the occasion referred to, and we are gratified to have it in our power thus to put the seal of contradiction upon all statements impeaching his courage or his conduct in the battle.
That
Capt. Ewing made any such admissions to the
Federals as the New York
Herald claims, would be improbable even in the absence of his own denial, but justice to him, as well as to
Gen. Crittenden, demands that we should disabuse the public mind of any impression that might have been created by a perusal of the letter in question.
With regard to the earlier career of
Gen. Crittenden, which has recently been a theme of discussion it may be proper to add here, that soon after the
Mexican war he was court- martialed, and by the court-martial dismissed.
The President approved the sentence, as is usual in such cases, and sent to the Senate an appointment to fill the vacancy.
The Senate went into an examination of the record, and finding that gross injustice had been done him, refused to recognize a vacancy; so he was retained in his position.--It has been stated that
Gen. Crittenden was dismissed from the old service; but the above is the only occasion on which he was before a court-martial.
It is understood that he now desires and claims the fullest investigation of the random charges made against him since the affair at
Fishing Creek.
