Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-07-22
The Three Days Battle at Gettysburg
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT.

ISpecisl correspondence OF the Boston Journal
NEAR GETTYSBURG, July 2.
How poor, how tame, how Insignificant
are ali descriptions OF q great battle. Vic
tor Hugo stirs your blood with his des-
cription OF w aterloo. Kinglake gives you
the battle of the Alma In detail, with ii
minuteness that wearIes, and yet neither
of them has produced a picture much like
the reality. | shrink from the tack OF
attempting even an outline OF the series OF
battles at Getty sburg. where nearly two
hundred thousand men have met upon the
field. | cannot picture the ground, the
hills, ravines, fields, houses, roads, rocks,
trees, the little things OF locality ali i'm
portant 10 q military commander; neither
can | place the men In proper position IN
line OF battle, behind walls and fences,
sheltered by hillocks, gathered in groups
IL some all important position, the holding
o: which may turn the tide OF battle.
Then there are the batteries in play, flash
ing and laundering, hills smoking like vol
canoes, and ho.iows RENTING flames, as If
subtsrranean fire were bursting upward.
All this to the sight, aud quite as much
to the ear-the rolls OF ma5ketry, like
ocean breakers on the beach the rafting
fire, which is as you have heard hailstones
upon q window pane, or the great drops
OF a summer shower upon ROOF. There
Is the screaming OF Ehe shot, the explosion
of sLells, the terrifying whizzing Oh pieces
in the air: and then there are the groans
of the wounded, which touch ones sensl-
bilities, and ii he be not lndGrated to
scenes of suffering it takes his strength
away and unmaus HIM.
GETTYSBURG.
1t is the county seat of Adams, Penn
sylvania. Nearly forty miles, little
north OF east from Frederick on the head
waters OF the Mou0cacy. Rock creek,
which in spring time leaps over huge
granite bouldeIs, runs south, mile east
OF the town, and is the main stem OF the
Monucacy. Being "a county seat, liz Is
also grand cen ire for this section or the
State, contains six or eight thousand in
habitants,F and has beautiful location
surrounded with scenery OF quiet beauty,
hills, valleys, the dark outline and verdure
clad sides OF the Blue Ridge IL the west,
and the heaved up, bllowy Cacoctin range
on the south. Ii Ii a focus Tor roads
north, east south, west, from nearly all
points of the compass. You are reminded
Of spider, or . bug, or an old daddy
long legs, with It's numerous limbs reSch-
Ing in oil diI ootion1.
s. Notice is locality The Cacoctin range
of mountaiEs is south OF It-6noils, here,
but ten miles down, over the State line,
they become mountains OF respectable
size There ere two raDges-the CacOc-
tin, and the South mountain, with mar
row valley OF surprising richness, fertile
ty and beauty between. Gettysburg is at
the head OF this valley. Down IN Mary
land, the mountain walls have few gate
ways, so lew that Lee having maSsed his
army at Gettysburg, could not be thanked
through those passes except by very
large torce. To attack him there from the
South, or from the direction of Hagers-
town would oe q complete division OF our
army, II would be comparatively an easy
ma. ter for him to fall upon our interior
force, debouchiDg through the South
Mountain passes and annihiiate it, because
1t would not be in supporting distance OF
sny force moving upon him from the east
at Gettysburg. Or, if "a superior force
went To move through those passes to at
tack bin, he being st the head OF the
mountsin range, would have an open road
10 Baltimore.
/ make this explanation in regard To
locality that the motions, the marchings
and the concentration OF the UCion army
may be clearly understood. Lee chose
Getty sburg tor a battle ground because he
knew he could not be thanked on the
South, that any attempt TO flank him
there would be just what he would ike
to see. Chess players sometimes set traps.
Perhaps he thought Meade would rush
through those gaps TO cut him OF from
the Potomac At WIIHamsporJ.
On Saturday last the army was at Fred
eriok. and Meade was placed IN command.
= l.
i ork and on the Susquehanna, threatening
to cross at the Columbia bridge. Rhodes
and johnson of his corps were IN front of
Harrisburg. Philadelphia was greatly ex.
cited for fear that Lee was about 10 make
grand dash for its capture. The army
must be maneuvered TO circumvent him.
Ii he crossed at Harrisburg, Meade must
cross below to preserve has short line OF
march TO keep the inside of the track and
get In ahead. Or If he was not intending
such scheme, It was necessary TO keep
the army IN position 10 head him of from
an advance upon Baltimore aud NashiDG-
ton. II may be easily seen that If Meade,
alarmed tor Philadelphia, should throw
his entire army over TO the SuSQuehaGna
north OF Baltimore, that by a rapid march
TO the mouth OF the MougCacv, he could
keep Meade at bay, and hence Baltimore
and Washington would be st his mercy.
Some such considerations as these doubt
less were elements III Lees calculations
Bat the Union army has not been thrown
over 10 the Susquehanna, neither has Bal
timore or Washington been uncovered,
but has been so anPavered that 1t could
be concentrated right Or legt, as cigcuu>
stances might require.
THE MOVEMENTS.
On Sunday, the 26th Of June, the First
and Eleventh corps were st Aiddletown,
i'll the valley between the Cacoctin and
the Blue Ridge. They were moved east
to Frederick, and then directly up the
Monocacy valley, On the west side of the
stream, through Mechanicstown and EN-