Career United States Army officer (1830-1887) who served in the Indian Wars, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and as Chief Signal Officer of the US Army; his most famous service was defending 'Hell's Half Acre' at the Battle of Stones River in 1862. ALS signed “W. B. Hazen,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.5 x 9, October 24, 1879. In part: "I have returned from a two months leave in the National Park and find your kind and highly appreciated notes. I am of course too late to think of the meeting of the Army of W. V. although it would have given me great pleasure to have been with you. I have no photographs with me, but will send you one when I can…No one who knew me could have believed the Stanley charges. The most remarkable thing about it was the bias of a majority of the Court, by which they so ruled, as to practically try me, without the right of reply, and to excuse him…from trial on the points where he was most culpable, that is his elaboration of facts. He was only required to excuse himself by showing that somebody else had said so. The Belknap matter helped it on, but Stanley was and is the real culprit." In fine condition. Hazen offered testimony in the Belknap corruption scandal that rocked the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, and resulted in the resignation of Secretary of War William W. Belknap. The scandal was also tied to other disputes that concerned promotions and squabbles over credit for victories in the Civil War. One such dispute was between Hazen and Major General David S. Stanley over the precise location of the monument at Stone's River. Stanley, also busy fighting other generals over credit for the Union victory at the Second Battle of Franklin, argued that the monument was in the wrong place.
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