[CHAP. XLIII.

His conversation with me, as he reports it, must be taken with the same grain of allowance; it is only the substance of it which can be accepted as reliable. But there are three things which leave no doubt of the genuineness of this order; all three of which show that I acted correctly in obeying it, and two of which bear out Lieutenant Oliver in giving it. The first is, that Lieutenant Weigel, who heard Lieutenant Oliver deliver it, testifies that it was a direct and positive order; the second is, that General Hooker, in his report, in his letter and in his testimony, states that the order was given by him and duly executed by me, and the third is, that Lieutenant Oliver reported the fact immediately to General Hooker, and General Hooker received the report with silent approbation. General Hooker is very clear and positive about this matter, and it is perhaps the only point about which his testimony is not in conflict with that of other witnesses. No doubt is admissible.

Let me continue my account of the occurrences which now took place. Three regiments were sent up the acclivity and gained the crest with a loss of a few killed and wounded. Lieutenant Oliver indeed heard but a very few shots, hardly any. He heard perhaps not as many shots as we had men killed and wounded. It is in keeping with his other statements about details.

But he testifies, also, that he left very soon after he had given me the order, and went back to General Hooker to report to him. When he left, part of the brigade was still in the road. If the firing had really been as he describes it, Generals Hooker and Butterfield, who were behind me at a considerable distance, would hardly have noticed it. My situation was now as follows: Knowing that Lieutenant Oliver, General Hooker's aide, had gone back to General Hooker, and having informed him of the circumstances that after taking the hill I had no troops to send to Geary, as the balance of my command was kept back, I was justified in expecting that Lieutenant Oliver would give General Hooker a true and complete report of what had happened, for that is one of the duties of a staff officer. If, then, anything was found to be wrong, or not in accordance with General Hooker's views, I had a right to expect that General Hooker would correct the mistake by sending me further orders, for Lieutenant Oliver, having just left me, he knew well where I was.

Meanwhile, being ordered to occupy the hill, the importance of which consisted in its commanding one of the few passes leading through that chain of ridges, we proceeded to do it as it ought to be done. When we had obtained possession of the crest, the troops were properly put in position. Such parts of the line as were loose and weak had to be strengthened, connections established, [and], a reserve placed in a suitable location. The wounded were carried to the rear; patrols were dispatched to explore the ground in our front and [on] our flanks; the skirmishers were thrown forward. It was reported by an officer that he had seen something like a column passing to our right. Patrols were sent in that direction to ascertain the truth of the statement. Patrols were sent in that direction to ascertain the truth of the statement. The completion of such arrangements will, under all circumstances, take some time, especially in the night, and on uneven and densely wooded ground, where nothing can be discerned with certainty, even at a moderate distance. During that time Lieutenant Oliver might well have reported to General Hooker. General Hooker might well have taken things into consideration, and sent me new orders if anything was not in accordance with his views. I received no further orders.