THE REMINISCENCES OF CARL SCHURZ
low me, but that they had been held back by superior orders; that therefore I had no troops to take to Geary. There was a moment's silence. He broke it by repeating that he had given me the order to march to Geary two hours before, and that I should do it now. I asked him whether my two brigades held back by his superior orders were now at my disposal again. He answered that they were, and rode away. I doubted, and my officers, too, doubted, whether he was in his senses.
At once we were in motion, Colonel Hecker's brigade leading. On the road Colonel Hecker told me what had happened. He had promptly obeyed the instruction brought to him by my chief-of-staff, to follow my second brigade, Colonel Krzyzanowski's, in marching to Wauhatchie. A little while after the head of our column had been fired upon from the hill on our left, he observed that Krzyzanowski's brigade halted, presumably by order. But he, Colonel Hecker, having received no such order, continued his march, passing by Krzyzanowski's brigade through an open field. He had hardly done so when Major Howard, of General Hooker's staff, brought him, too, a positive order to halt at the cross-roads, one branch of which led to Chattanooga, and to form his brigade front towards the hills. He had not time to do so when General Hooker himself appeared, and Major Howard said: “Here is General Hooker himself.” General Hooker asked: “What troops are these?” Hecker answered: “Third Brigade, Third Division, Eleventh Corps.” General Hooker asked further: “Where is General Schurz?” Hecker replied: “In the front; one of his aides has just been carried by here wounded.” General Hooker then instructed Hecker so to form his brigade that it could easily change front towards the right—the valley—if necessary. He thereupon inquired about the troops standing nearest to Hecker, and was informed that it was the
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