The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-07-12

MtAN kNt NnNulY ~ LNfN Wi ~ hAAhhN
Tor artillery; ours the short, inside lines
for manoeuveriug and reinforcing; ours
the cover Of stone walls, fences and crests
Of hills. The ground upon which we
were driven to accept battle was won
derfully favorable 70 us. A popular de-
scription of il would be 90 say that IL
was in form an elongated and somewhat
sharpened horseshoe, with the toe to
Gettysburg and the heel TO the south.
Lees plan IL battle was simple. He
massed his troops upon the east side of
this shoe of position, and Numbered on
IL obsiinately to break it. The Smelling
of our batteries from the nearest over.
looking hill, and the unilinching courage
and complete discipline Of the Army of
the Potomac, repealed the attack. II was
renewed at the point of the ehoe-re-
newed desperately ct the norwest heel
renewed on the western side with an
effort consecrated to success by Ewells
earnest oaths, and on which the fate Of
the invasion of Pennsylvania was fully
put at stake. Only a perfect infantry,
and an artillery educated in the midst
of charges of hostile brigades could
possibly have sustained this assault.
Hancock's corps did sustain il, and has
covered itself with immortal honors by
its constancy and courage. The total
wreck of Cushing's battery--the list Of
its killed and wounded--the losses Of
officers, men, aud horses Cowen sus-
ta~ined-and the marvellous outspresd
upon the board of death of dead soldiers
and dead animals-of dead soldiers in
blue, and dead soldiers in gray--mOre
mary, lous TO me than anything | have
seen in WARFARE a easily and shocking
testimony TO the terrible fight of the
Second corps that none will gsinsay.
That corps will ever have the distinc-
tion Of breaking the pride and power of
the rebel invasion.
From the New York Herald, July 6.
THE ERR1F THREE DAYS Attic OF
GETTYsBURG-THE GREAT VICTORY OF
FRIDAY.
The great struggle of Gettysburg, in
Pennsylvania, which commenced on
Wednesday, the LIST of July, and ended
on Friday, the Sd, at 3 o'clock p. M, ter
minating in victory for the Union arms,
does not equal in duration the seven
days fight on the Chickahominy, but
outstrips il in severity. Indeed, in point
of reckless prodigality of human life and
desperate valor, it will rank with the
most celebrated battles of the world.
FROM his experience at Antietam and at
Gettysburg, Lee must be thoroughly con-
WINGED by this time that that il is a very
different thing to fight Northern troops
on their W soil from fighting them in
Virginia. Each time, the further he
moves North the worse he fares. If the
War Department will only do its duty
now, this will be not only the last rebel
invasion Of the North, but the last great
struggle of the rebellion.
The dispatches of our correspondents
from the battlefield, taken in connection
with the official dispatches of General
Meade, leave not a peg on which to hang
a doubt about the result of this last ter
rible conflict. On Friday night, accord
ing to our advices, Lee took advantage of
| the darkness to retreat, and was in full
flight ON Saturday, after a loss of from
thirty thousand to fifty thousand men
in killed, wounded and prisoners. Our
| own loss is great particularly in Off
GERS, but does Eot equal that of the enc
my. If the figures of the rebel loss are
not greatly exaggerated, Lee is so Grip
pied that he will consider himself very
fortunate if he can escape into Virginia
with even a remnant of his army.
A good deal depends on whether Lee
has fought with his whole army, or has
any considerable reserve. He has fallen
I-I-- Al. D,ovaf,sp, Af a. n-l.
land Valley, in which it was supposed
from the beginning he intended TO give
battle, if he could only draw the army
of the Potomac into that region, which
was the object of all his m%anouvering on
the Susquehanna. 1t is known that be
holds the passes of those mountains,
and it may be that they will be sufficient
to cover his retreat to the Potomac. If
his losses are exaggerated, and if, as has
been asserted, he had with him when he
crossed the Potomac one hundred and
twenty five thousand, or even one hun
dred thousand men, he will be in a posi-
ton TO still make a formidable resist
ance.
If, on the other hand, his army did not
exceed from sixty TO eighty thousand,
and he has lost from thirty TO forty thou
sand men-in other words, half his army
lit will be impossible for him to main
tain himself in Pennsylvania or Mary
land, and he will undoubtedly make a
rapid retreat into Virginia, if be can get
away. But we learn that Gen. French
has destroyed his pontoon train at Will
Transport, and the Potomac is rapidly
rising. Perhaps, too. COUGHS division,
and perhaps Gen. Dix's corps, may each
have some important part to play in pre-
venting his successful retreat, or in cut
ting his communications.
But from Gen. Meade's dispatches. as
well as from the various reports from the
battle field, we conclude that Gen. Lees
strength is still considerable. The re-
porters say that the rebels at every point
outnumbered the Union troops and
Gen. Meade says hat during the battle
of Friday, his cavalry, in attacking the
TANKS of the enemy, encountered supe-
rior numbers, both of infantry and cav
airy. So strong, indeed, in point Of num-
bers were the rebels, that, according TO
our intelligent correspondents, at the
the critical juncture, about III o'clock in
TIE forenoon of Friday, one or two bril-
gades Of the New York militia arrived,
and were immediately thrown into posi-
ton to reinforce the right wing, which
was being 30 badly pressed. "Phis as
s~istance determined the fate of the day"
The inference is that Lees army is still
large enough for mischief, and cannot be
despised with impunity.
General Meade has done nObly, and