OFFICIAL REPORTS.
We will next look at the Official Reports bearing on the subject. (See Vol. XIX, Part I, Official Record, War of the Rebellion, U. S. Gov’t printing office.)
I. In Lt.-Col. Fillebrown’s[17] report (10th Maine) there is no mention of the event, nor is there anything else that has the merit of being both true and worth recording. (See page 489.)
Ordinarily he was one of the most genial and accommodating of men; but when sick and vexed, as plainly he was when he made that report, he could dash off just such a jumble, and send it in to head quarters before the ink was dry.
It is due to him to say that he was run over and kicked in the bowels by Col. Beal’s horse just at the moment Col. Beal himself was wounded; and when, but for the untimely kick, “Jim” might have led us on to victory and covered himself with glory.
II. In Col. Jacob Higgins’ (125th Penn.) report we have—
“Previous to this Gen. Mansfield fell, some of my men carrying him off the field on their muskets until a blanket was procured.” (Page 492, Vol. XIX.)
It cannot be determined from the report, exactly when or where “this” was; but it was plainly early in the morning and before the 125th entered West Wood, where (and not in East Wood) they fought.
This report annoyed me much when I first saw it in 1887, but Col. Higgins has written to me that he knows nothing personally of the event but reported it because officers whom he trusted assured him it was so.
III. Col. Knipe, (46 Penn.) who made the brigade report, simply mentions that Mansfield was wounded.
IV. In Gen. Crawford’s report we read:
“Gen. Mansfield, the corps commander, had been mortally wounded, and was borne past my position to the rear.” (Page 485, Vol. XIX, Part I.)
This “position” is not defined further than to state that it was “Miller’s” woods, or “East woods,” as we now call them.
V. Gen. Williams, commanding 1st division and succeeding Mansfield in command of the corps, says:
“While the deployment [of the 12th corps] was going on and before the leading regiments were fairly engaged, it was reported to me that the veteran and distinguished commander of the corps was mortally wounded.” (Page 475, Vol. XIX.)
VI. Gen. Geo. H. Gordon, commanding 3d brigade, 1st division, says:
“Gen. Mansfield had been mortally wounded at the commencement of the action, while making a bold reconnoissance of the woods through which we had just dashed.” (Page 495, Vol. XIX.)
VII. We find the following in the report of Gen. Edwin V. Sumner, “commanding 2d and 12th corps.” He also commanded the 1st corps upon his arrival in our part of the field, about 9 A. M.:
“General Mansfield, a worthy and gallant veteran, was unfortunately mortally wounded while leading his corps into action.” (Page 275, Vol. XIX.)
VIII. Gen. Hooker, commanding 1st corps and having the 12th under his orders, makes no mention of the wounding.
IX. Gen. McClellan, commanding the Union army, thus refers to the deployment of the 12th corps:
“During the deployment, that gallant veteran, Gen. Mansfield, fell mortally wounded while examining the ground in front of his troops.” (Page 56, Vol. XIX.)
It should be stated that Vol. XIX was not published until October, 1887—twenty-five years after the battle.
Besides these unsatisfactory official reports, we have the following authentic accounts, that have been made public from time to time, and should have furnished the world with the truth. I noticed that the newspapers of the day had little to say about the event; accordingly, a few weeks after the battle I wrote an account and forwarded it to my father, who sent it to the Hon. Benjamin Douglas, a prominent citizen of Middletown, Conn.—Mansfield’s home. Mr. Douglas acknowledged the receipt, and showed his appreciation when we were publishing our regimental history,[18] by furnishing gratis the portraits of the general. This letter was published in the Portland, Me., papers.
The regimental history, published in 1871, has a very minute account of the event. About 700 copies of it were sold.
The report for 1862 of the Adjutant General of Maine also has a narrative of the battle, embraced in the report of Col. Beal, who returned to duty before the end of the year. (Page 74, main report.)