ry of War, for
dismissal. I was told some correspondence arose over the matter,
in which Generals Sheridan and Wright approved my action fully.
This incident serves now to enable me to remember that Wright
proposed to attack Early at 12 M.

Two or three statements of Sheridan deserve special mention.
Speaking of his appearance on the field, he says:

"When nearing the Valley pike, just south of Newtown, I saw about
three fourths of a mile west of the pike a body of troops, which
proved to be Ricketts and Wheaton's divisions of the Sixth Corps."

And speaking of a time after he had met Getty and Wright, he says:

"I ordered Custer's division back to the right flank, and returning
to the place where my headquarters had been established, I met near
them Ricketts' division under General Keifer and General Frank
Wheaton's division, both marching to the front."(14)

The distance from Newtown to Middletown is five miles. My division
was at no time on that day within four miles of Newtown. This is
also true, I am sure, of Wheaton's division. Sheridan was deceived
by false reports received before his arrival, and by the sight of
magnified numbers of broken troops of other corps, who had continued
to the rear. It was impossible for Sheridan to have met Wheaton
and myself leading our divisions to the front; besides, our divisions
were not at any time within a mile of his then headquarters.
Wheaton's and the right of my division were farther advanced than
any part of Getty's division. This is proved by the recollection
of Wright, Getty, and others, also by the reports written soon
after the battle by many officers.(15) Sheridan, when he wrote,
must have remembered meeting Wheaton and myself when we, together,
rode to him from the right to tell him of the position and situation
of our respective commands, and to assure him we could hold our
ground and advance as soon as ordered. This ride brought Wheaton
and me nearer Newtown than we were at any other time that day.
Sheridan was so impressed by the circumstances attending his coming
to the field, and by his first meeting with Torbert and Getty, and
the previous reports to him, that he assumed a condition of things
which did not exist. It has been stated that my division joined
Getty on his right. It, however, turned out that a portion of
Hayes' division of Crook's corps had united with Getty's right,
though not at first distinguished by me from the latter's troops.