Unknown to George W. Randolph, September 18, 1802

Hon. GEoRGE W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War: :

In the personal interview with the President and yourself explanatory of the errors of judgment which I am considered by the Government to have committed (as stated in the order of August 22 past), I understood that the Government was satisfied that I was opposed to the surrender of the army of Donelson, and that in regard to the surrender my error consisted in not accepting the command when turned over by General Floyd to General Buckner for the purpose of capitulation and myself fighting it out (if I believed that was practicable), or of surrendering the command and myself with it. I have stated in my correspondence with the Department that I consider the action of Generals Floyd and Buckner in determining that the command could not be saved but must be surrendered was binding upon me, and that I refused to accept the command to carry this determination (by a surrender) into effect. ‘The decision of the President upon the point settles the question, and I accept that decision as the law of the case, and acknowledge myself relieved of a question upon which (suddenly sprung upon me) my mind was never free from doubt.

The other error, as I understand your explanation of the order, consisted in the order I gave after our army had driven the enemy from all his positions in front of our lines, where he was slowly falling back upon his large fresh force of 20,000 men at the gunboat landing.

My order was to draw off from further pursuit, and’ for our forces to return to our line of defenses. This order was given to ayoid a conflict, after a long and bloody battle, with the enemy’s large body of fresh troops, which I was satisfied would be brought to the field, and which I knew we could not withstand in the exhausted condition of our small force. I had kept up the fight with the forces under my immediate command for the last two hours by carrying ammunition in boxes upon the heads of details from the command for that purpose, my supply of 60 rounds having been exhausted in the long struggle, and no wagon could go to the battle-field on account of the thick undergrowth and want of road. The order that I gave had no other object, and when its object This order of mine did not prevent the command from retiring from

the position on the retreat towards Charlotte and Nashville, for the reason that it was not ready nor in condition to assume the march. I solemnly aver before God that I never understood it to be the purpose, object, or determination of the general officers, or of any of them, to ` march in retreat from the battle-field if we won it. So far from it, and as an evidence that we ali so understood it, the command went into the aetion without the necessary subsistence and covering for along march over a country scarcely practicable for infantry and deemed impracticable for anything else, covered as it was with a deep snow and sheeted over with sleet. The army could not have taken the field for battle, encumbered with the necessary rations, blankets, knapsacks, &c., for the march. . Neither in the council of the night of the 14th nor at any other time was it understood or even suggested that we should march from the field of battle on retiring from Donelson. General Buckner seems to have understood it differently, but he never explained to me this view of his, and I did not know that he so understood it until I read his official report. I was in the midst of his troops several times during the after part of the battle and after they returned into the work, and I am satisfied they had not the rations and other necessary preparations for the march. /

It will be recollected that the first purpose was to have fought the enemy on February 14; but it was deferred, at my suggestion, as being too late in the day. General Buckner never reported himself ready for the march nor intimated to me after the battle that my order had inter- – fered with his views or intended action. No orders had been issued to the eommand, either written or verbal, to march from the field; no preparations had been made for that purpose.

The battle of the 15th was fought to cut up the investing force before the fresh forces could get in position to open the way to Charlotte, but it never entered into my head that we were to.mareh from the field of battle without any subsistence, blankets, or knapsacks, leaving all of our wounded upon the field of snow, with the different regiments and brigades broken, mixed, and scattered, leaving behind the artillerists in the river bottoms, the two regiments at that place as a protecting force, the four regiments of Heiman’s brigade left in its position in the line of works to proteet General Buckner’s right flank, and all the pickets along our whole line then drawn back into the works to hold them, while the main army contested the field outside of the works. To none of these forces had orders been given. Neither had any of our field artillery been taken outside of our works before the battle was won. Its participation in the conflict was from the inside of the works. General Buckner’s artillery was left in his part of the works, and the piece ordered by him into the field after the battle was fought was taken from my portion of the works.

I ieel confident General Floyd will sustain me in this view of the sub- . ject. This point (deemed to involve error on my part) is raised by General Buckner’s report; was unknown to me until I read his report, and Iam persuaded that upon a full view of all the circumstances the Gov- ernment wil see the injustice done me in ascribing to me an error of judgment. My order for the army to be called off from the pursuit and brought back into the works alone saved it from being crushed by the large, fresh force of the enemy which did in a short time afterwards attack and carry a portion of-General Buckner’s rifle pits.

For these reasons the order of the Government ascribing to me error of judgment I feel is unjust, and I respectfully request that part of the case may be held by the Government for further information, which I hope to present to the Department in the future. I also ask that the Department will, in writing, specify the points of error ascribed to me as stated in our verbal conversation, believing that, when the errors are stated in order, they will be less injurious to me than the general ascription of errors without specifying them. I cannot believe the President or yourself will do me intentional injustiee, and yet, as the order now stands, I feel that it is more hurtful to my reputation than if the errors were pointed out.

Respectfully, ;