little, to the entrance to the work, I have been most egregiously misinformed, for I have in my possession a paper, of which the accompanying one, marked B, is a copy from the column of my division which assaulted on the left, showing a very different state of affairs.

In regard to the men not being supplied with ladders or other means of crossing the ditch, I was assured by General Longstreet himself, and by members of his staff who made observations of the work from the heights around on both sides of the river by means of powerful glasses, that there was no ditch that offered any great obstacle. I was pertinaciously pressed with the fact that there would be but little difficulty, so far as the ditch was concerned, in entering the work, and I endeavored to impress the fact upon the men, and in connection with it urged them to rush to the assault with impetuosity and without halting. How well my instructions were obeyed the history of the contest will show. I, however, contemplated getting bundles of wheat for the men to carry, and therewith fill up the ditch if one was found offering a serious impediment to our advance; but there was not a sufficient quantity available for the purpose where I expected to find it. As for ladders, I had not means, or time, or material to make any. The idea of obtaining them was entertained, but as I had nothing to make them with I said nothing about them, deeming it unadvisable to broach the subject. No one ever mentioned the probability of any necessity for them, as it was regarded as a work requiring dash and daring only. If General Longstreet, after reconnoitering the works, had considered that ladders, or other means for crossing the ditch, were necessary, I suppose he would have made some mention of them at least on some occasion. I should think it was his place to order them. His omission to do either looks very strange, when he charges me with being criminally negligent in not getting them.

It is an easy matter after the assault is over to see where errors have been committed; but of those I am charged with, where there was any in fact, I do not consider myself responsible, and hold myself unjustly charged; and I object to being put forward as a blind to draw attention away from the main issue, which is the conduct of the campaign in East Tennessee under General Longstreet.

I assert that the enemy could have been brought to an engagement before reaching Knoxville; that the town, if assaulted at all, should have been on the first day we arrived, or on the next at farthest; that when the assault was made on Fort Loudon it was not called for by any line of policy whatever; but, on the contrary, no good results could possibly have been attained.

You will recollect that on December 29, ultimo, I forwarded to you a copy of an order relieving me from duty with General Longstreet's command. Before leaving I addressed a note to his headquarters inquiring the reason why the order was issued, and the reply was that, having exhibited a want of confidence in the plans and efforts of General Longstreet throughout the campaign on which he was then engaged, he (General Longstreet) was apprehensive it might be extended to the troops under my command, and as he could not leave himself, I was ordered to do so. This was the sole reason assigned at that time, and yet after my departure a charge of neglect of duty, with three specifications, was forwarded to your office against me, and in the letter accompanying the charges he writes I was not arrested for the reason he thought I might be of service elsewhere. I inquired why I was relieved from duty for the reason