, as shown
by the artillery fire, and stragglers commenced coming across towards
the back road. These were stopped and formed as far as possible by my
headquarters escort--the Fifth U.S. cavalry. About this time Devin's
brigade (my Second) was ordered to the left of our line to cover and
hold the valley pike.

"About ten o'clock, the remainder of the First division was moved to
the left of the infantry line and disposed so as to connect with the
infantry and cover the valley pike. This was soon done, the Second
brigade (Devin's) occupying the right, the Reserve brigade (Lowell's)
the center, and the First brigade (Kidd's) the left of the division
line of battle.

"This is the account of the first part of the battle taken from my
report written at the time. The movement of Lowell's brigade and your
own by agreement, and without orders, was impossible. We had all been
posted where we were as part of a line of battle, and any soldier who
took a command without orders from one part of a line to another
subjected himself to the penalty of being cashiered, as such action
might jeopardize the safety of an army.

"The principle of marching to the sound of battle when you are
distant and detached and without orders that contemplate the
contingency is well defined, but for a commander to leave without
orders one part of a line of battle because there appears to be
heavier fighting at another is all wrong and could not be tolerated.

"I should be glad to renew our acquaintance and talk over the war,
though as I have intimated I am sick of the fiction written with
reference to it.

"Truly yours,

W. MERRITT."

General Merritt in his letter omits one clause in his quotation from his
report written at the time which seems to me to have an important
bearing upon this question. The clause is as follows:

"The First brigade was at once ordered to the support of its picket
line."

Or to quote the passage in its entirety:

"About 4 a.m. on the 19th an attack was made on the pickets of the
First brigade near Cupp's ford, which attack, coupled with the firing
on the extreme left of the infantry line, alarmed the camps, and
everything was got ready for immediate action. The First brigade was
at once ordered to the support of its picket line, while the Reserve
brigade, which had the night before received orders to mak