A typewritten copy of this reply of the Philadelphia Brigade Association,
before being placed in the hands of the printer, was sent to the Military
Order of the Loyal Legion, Commandery of Massachusetts; to the Wisconsin
History Commission, and to the Governor of Wisconsin, asking if they had
any explanation to make as to the statements contained in Haskell's
"Narrative," advising them that we would gladly give it in our printed
book.
As yet no reply has been received from the Loyal Legion of Massachusetts,
and for this grave discourtesy we are at a loss to account, unless it be
that after consideration the facts submitted did not warrant them in
defending the position in which they were placed, and to acknowledge
themselves in error would, to some extent, at least, stultify themselves.
The Governor of Wisconsin, who is an ex-officio member of the Wisconsin
History Commission, writes under date of February 24, 1910, scarcely
referring at all to the matter under consideration, i. e., the conduct of
the Philadelphia Brigade in the Battle of Gettysburg. He does, however,
say that the purpose of the Commission is to publish such material as from
considerations of rarity or general excellence it is deemed desirable to
disseminate. Haskell's book certainly comes under one of these classes. We
do not believe that among any writings of either Union men or Confederates
in all the United States, such a rare book as Haskell's can be found. The
Governor of Wisconsin says that Haskell in his story to his brother puts
down in his letter "what he saw, or thought he saw."
It would seem that comment on this is useless. That history should be what
the writer "saw, OR THOUGHT HE SAW," is at least novel.
Chas. E. Estabrook, a Comrade of the Grand Army, and its representative on
the Wisconsin History Commission, and its chairman, under date of February
17, 1910, while writing a somewhat lengthy letter, neglects, also, to
write of the matter under consideration, but says, among other things:
"The subject of the criticism of the Eleventh Corps, by Haskell, in
his account of Gettysburg, was considered by me, and I contemplated
writing notes, OR GIVING THE LATER, AND WHAT I THINK THE MORE
ACCURATE VIEW. I, however, concluded, in view of the rule which we
adopted, to have the other and later account of the Battle of
Gettysburg prepared by a Wisconsin man, from the Wisconsin point of
view, and some months ago asked a staff officer, who served in that
Corps, to write an account of the Eleventh Corps at Gettysburg, which
he consented to do. This will be published as soon as practicable
after the same is delivered to the Commission."
It would seem from this that Chairman Estabrook, Past Department
Commander, of Wisconsin, Grand Army of the Republic, does not believe the
statement made by Haskell in his "Narrative," and that it is necessary to
have another book published to state truthfully what the Eleventh Corps
did. It would seem that it is also needless to make any comment on the
position taken by Comrade Estabrook, Chairman of the Wisconsin History
Commission. It is to be hoped that this staff officer's book will be
written from the stand-point of what he saw, and not from what he thought
he saw.