Harper's Citation for Bravery

http://www.civilwarhome.com/ewellwilderness.htm

Source: Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Chapt. XLVIII, p. 1075. The entirety of the OR has been scanned onto the web and is available on Cornell University's "The Making of America" site.

Wikipedia entry on Ewell: "Ewell led his corps in the May 1864 Battle of the Wilderness and performed well, enjoying the rare circumstance of a slight numerical superiority over the Union corps that attacked him. In the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Lee felt compelled to lead the defense of the "Mule Shoe" on May 12 personally because of Ewell's indecision and inaction. At one point Ewell began hysterically berating some of his fleeing soldiers and beating them over the back with his sword. Lee reined in his enraged lieutenant, saying sharply, "General Ewell, you must restrain yourself; how can you expect to control these men when you have lost control of yourself? If you cannot repress your excitement, you had better retire." Ewell's behavior on this occasion undoubtedly was the source of a statement made by Lee to his secretary, William Allan, after the war that on May 12 he "found Ewell perfectly prostrated by the misfortune of the morning, and too much overwhelmed to be efficient."^[12]

Lee reasoned that Ewell's lingering injuries were the cause of his problems and he relieved him from corps command, reassigning him to command the garrison of the Department of Richmond, which was by no means an insignificant assignment, given the extreme pressure Union forces were applying to the Confederate capital."

May 12th was also the day that Jeb Stuart, Harper's old commander, died in Richmond. He had been shot the day before near Yellow Tavern defending the Confederate city.