Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

dear General: Your favor of the twenty-third has been received. I enclose a copy of a letter which I send to General Meade by the mail of to-day. I wish you would try to see Meade after he gets my letter, and talk this matter over, and learn what he intends to do. He must write to the Secretary of War on the subject.

My corps is together again, Geary having been ordered to Bridgeport and Stevenson. I feel confident that everything will work out right in the end, and I am very anxious you should return to the corps before the spring campaign opens. I will endeavor to give you a position more agreeable to you than the one you have held heretofore. So don't make arrangements which will take you away.

Williams has gone on leave.

Please let me hear from you.

Yours truly,

General: I enclose herewith the report of General T. H. Ruger, of operations of the First division, Twelfth corps, at the battle of Gettysburg, together with the reports of his brigade and regimental commanders. General Ruger with a large portion of his division was ordered to New York city soon after the battle, and immediately after his return from New York, the corps was ordered to this department. The reports of General Williams and myself were delayed with the hope of receiving General Ruger's report in time to forward it with them. I deeply regret the necessity which compelled me to send my report and that of General Williams unaccompanied by any report of the operations of the First division, for although an account of the operations of this division was given in the report of General Williams who commanded the corps during the battle, I think the absence of Ruger's report may account for some of the errors contained in your report as to the operations of the Twelfth corps.

I enclose a letter from General Williams calling my attention to these errors, to which I respectfully invite your attention, and if anything can be done at this late day to correct these errors, I trust you will do it. Your report is the official history of this important battle, and to this report reference will always be made by our Government, our people, and the historian, as the most reliable and accurate account of the services performed by each corps, division and brigade of your army. If you have inadvertently given to one division the credit of having performed some meritorious service, which was in reality performed by another division, you do an injustice to brave men, and defraud them of well-earned laurels. It is aninjustice which even time cannot correct. That errors of this nature exist in your official report is an indisputable fact.

You give great credit to Lockwood's brigade for services on the evening of July second, but state that this brigade was a portion of the First corps, while it never at any time belonged to that corps, but was a portion of the Twelfth corps, and was accompanied in its operations on the evening of July second, by General Williams in person. A portion of this brigade (the One Hundred and Fiftieth New York) is still in General Williams' division. I copy the following statement from your report: “During the heavy assault on our left, portions of the Twelfth corps were sent as reinforcements; during their absence the line on the extreme right was held by a very much reduced force. This was taken advantage of by the enemy, who, during the absence of General Geary's division of the Twelfth corps, advanced and occupied part of the line. On the morning of the third, General Geary, having returned during the night, attacked at early dawn the enemy, and succeeded in driving him back and reoccupying his former position. A spirited contest was maintained all the morning along this part of the line. General Geary reinforced by Wheaton's brigade of the Sixth corps, maintained [324] his position and inflicted severe losses on the enemy.”

From this statement it would appear that Geary's division marched to the support of your left, that Williams' division did not; that his (Williams') division, or a portion of it, were guarding the intrenchments when the enemy gained possession; that General Geary returned and with his division drove the enemy back; that the engagement on the following morning was fought by Geary's division assisted by Wheatons brigade. This, I know, is the inference drawn from your history of these operations by every person unacquainted with the truth. Yet the facts in the case are very nearly the reverse of the above in every particular, and directly in contradiction to the facts, as set forth in the report of General Geary, as well as that of General Williams. Geary's division didn't march even in the direction of your left. Two of his brigades, under his immediate command, left the intrenchments under orders to move to the support of your left, but through some unfortunate mistake he took the road leading to Two Taverns. Williams' entire division did more to the support of your left, and it was one of his brigades (Lockwood's) under his immediate command, which you commend, but very singularly accredit to the First corps.

Greene's brigade of the Second division remained in the intrenchments, and the failure of the enemy to gain entire possession of our works, was due entirely to the skill of General Greene, and the heroic valor of his troops. His brigade suffered severely, but maintained its position, and held the enemy in check until the return of Williams' division. The “spirited contest maintained by General Geary reinforced by Wheaton's brigade,” was a contest for regaining the portion of our intrenchments held by the enemy, and was conducted under the immediate command of General Williams, and was participated in by the entire Twelfth corps, reinforced, not by Wheaton's, but by Shaler's brigade.

Although the command of the Twelfth corps was given temporarily to General Williams by your order, and although you directed him to meet at the council with other corps commanders, you fail to mention his name in your entire report, and in no place allude to his having any such command, or to the fact that more than one corps was at any time placed under my command, although at no time after you assumed command of the army, until the close of this battle, was I in command of less than two corps, and I have now in my possession your written order dated July second, directing me to assume command of the Sixth corps, and with that corps, and the two then under my command, the Fifth and Twelfth, to move forward and at once attack the enemy. I allude to this fact for the purpose of refreshing your memory on a subject which you had apparently entirely forgotten when you penned your report, for you have not failed to notice the fact of General Schurz and others having held, even for a few hours, commands above that previously held by them.

I sincerely trust that you will endeavor to correct as far as possible the errors above mentioned and that the correction may be recorded at the War Department.

I am, General, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

General: I transmit herewith the report of Brigadier-General T. H. Ruger, commanding First division, Twelfth Army Corps, and those of his brigade and regimental commanders, of the operations of his division at the battle of Gettysburg. These reports were only recently received by me, owing to General Ruger's being detached with a large portion of his command not long after the battle, and soon after his return the corps was ordered to Tennessee. I beg these reports may be placed on file, as part of my official report of the battle.

I embrace this opportunity to make certain corrections and alterations in my report, to which my attention has been called by Major-General Slocum.

These alterations are as follows:

First. In relating the occurrences of the second of July I state: “In the meantime perceiving the great exertions on the part of the enemy, the Sixth corps (Major-General Sedgwick) and part of the First corps (to the command of which I had assigned Major-General Newton), particularly Lockwood's Maryland brigade, together with detachments from the Second corps, were all brought up.”

This should read. “In the meantime perceiving the great exertion on the part of the enemy, the Sixth corps (Major-General Sedgwick) and part of the First corps, (to the command of which I had assigned Major-General Newton) together with detachments from the Second corps, were all brought up. Subsequently the First division and Lockwood's brigade of the Twelfth corps, under the immediate command of Brigadier-General A. S. Williams, then temporarily commanding the corps, arrived at the scene of action. The services of Lockwood's brigade being particularly mentioned.”

Second. In relating the occurrences of July third. During the heavy assaults upon our extreme left portions of the Twelfth corps were sent as reinforcements. “During their absence, the line of the extreme right was held by a much reduced force, and was taken the advantage of by the enemy, who, during the absence of Geary's division, Twelfth corps, advanced [325] and occupied a part of the line. On the morning of the third, General Geary having returned during the night, was attacked at early dawn by the enemy, but succeeded in driving him back and occupying his former position. A spirited contest was maintained all the morning along this part of the line. General Geary, reinforced by Wheaton's brigade, Sixth corps, maintained his .position, inflicting severe losses on the enemy.”

This should read: “During the heavy assaults on our extreme left, the First division and Lockwood's brigade of the Twelfth corps, were sent as reinforcements, as already reported. Two brigades of Geary's division (Second) of this corps were also detached for the same purpose, but did not arrive at the scene of action, owing to having mistaken the road. The detachment of so large a portion of the Twelfth corps with its temporary commander Brigadier-General A. S. Williams, left the defences of the line previously held to the remaining brigade of the Second division, commanded by General Greene, who held the left of the Twelfth corps, now become the extreme right of the army. The enemy perceiving the withdrawal of our troops, advanced and attacked General Greene with great vigor, who, making a gallant defence, and being soon reinforced by portions of the First and Eleventh corps, contiguous to him, succeeded in repulsing all the efforts of the enemy to dislodge him. After night, on the return of the detachments sent to the left, it was found the enemy were cccupying portions of the line of breastworks thrown up by the Twelfth corps. Brigadier-General Williams in command immediately made arrangements by the disposition of his artillery, and instructions to both divisions, commanded respectively by Brigadier-Generals Geary and Ruger, to attack the enemy at daylight, and regain the position formerly occupied by the corps. In the meantime the enemy brought up strong reinforcements, and at early daylight a spirited contest commenced, which continued till after ten A. M., the result of which was the repulse of the enemy in all of his attempts to advance, and his final abandonment of the position he had taken the evening before. During this contest Shaler's brigade, Sixth corps, was sent to reinforce the Twelfth corps. With this exception the line remained undisturbed.”

I should be glad, as an act of justice, if this communication could be published.

Very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

General: I could not procure from General Halleck a copy of my letter, containing my report of the battle of Gettysburg, but will have one made on my return, from the original, which I have with me. I trust it will prove satisfactory to you, although I have not made such particular mention of your services as they undoubtedly deserved, and as it would have gratified me to do had my report been other than a general one. I take this occasion to say that, as God is my witness, I had no intention of doing injustice to you, or any other man in the Twelfth corps, or any other corps.

Very truly yours,