I believe that it has never been satisfactorily explained (or, if it has, I am not aware of it) why Major General Alexander McCook, a Regular Army officer and former instructor at West Point, failed to immediately notify his superior, Major General Don Carlos Buell, that his troops had come under a severe assault at Perryville. It was not until 3:30 P.M., one and one half hours after the attack had commenced that McCook finally sent Major Caleb Bates directly to Buell's headquarters to flatly state the condition of his corps.
At 2:30 McCook sent directly to Sheridan of Gilbert's corps to guard his right. It was 3:00, when, McCook stated, he found the enemy outnumbered him, he sent his aide, Capt. Horace Fisher, to the nearest commander for assistance. (Fisher was redirected in turn from Schoepf, to Gilbert, and, finally, to Buell, whom he reached before Bates.)
While Buell and Gilbert bore their share of culpability in the battle, the Buell Commission also found "that McCook's failure to send up instant notice of the attack upon him in force was equally culpable." Amazingly, however, and even though McCook testified for four days before the Commission, he was never once asked WHY he did not send to Buell sooner!
Does McCook's first, direct contact to Sheridan, a division commander in Gilbert's corps, and not to Gilbert, to look to his (McCook's) right shed any light on McCook's thinking? Or was that just impulse.
Van Horne wrote in his history of the Army of the Cumberland that, "that the suddenness and impetuosity of the attack upon McCook did not permit him to delay for a moment in asking aid from the nearest troops, and it was General Gilbert who sent one of McCook's staff officers to general Buell, as he could not at first give him reinforcements."
I would be much interested in hearing from any of you as to your thoughts, speculations, or opinions regarding the reason or, perhaps, reasons that McCook failed to immediately contact his chief about the Rebel attack.