No surprise of Johnson.
General Johnson was not surprised, nor were his troops surprised on the Morning of May 12th, but the disaster of the fearful day was due entirely to the withdrawal of our artillery from our line on the evening of the 11th. Of this I shall take occasion to write at [24] some future time. I can say this, however, without the risk of taking up too much space at this time. After the disaster of the 12th, General Lee said to General Ewell, in my presence, that he had been misled in regard to the enemy in our front, by his scouts, and that the fatal mistake was in removing the artillery on our line. He and General Ewell both spoke in the kindest manner of General Johnson and commended him for his bravery and the faithful discharge of his duties, General Ewell saying that he never failed to carry out his orders, both without question and with intelligence, and they both exonerated him from any blame for the disaster.William W. Old, Norfolk, Va., August 1, 1905.
