The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-01-27

found in the course of the morning in q
peiphboring field, open, robbed of its most
valuable contents, and the rest saturated
with rain. Major Moses trunk was also
| found in the same state.
WHAT LEE SAID:
1t was a dismal night. The fire was
kept up and protected from the rain by
continually piling on fresh wood, and it
was roaring one, yet / wondered that it
was not extinguished. 1t lighted up the
scene with strange glare.
Lee and Longstreet stood apart engag-
ed in earnest conversation, and around
the fire in various groups lay the officers
of their stats. Tired to death, many
were sleeping, in spite OF the mud and
drenching rain and l well remember one
long log of wood-a fence rail-which
was much covered as pillow. Once Ma
jor Moses, unable to sleep, got up and po-
litely offered me his share of it.
accepted and lay down, but the edges
were very sharp, and each time l fell off
into doze l began to dream so wildly
that my head was being cut off, that at
last I could stand it no longer, and re-
turned the Majors part of the bolster with
thanks. Again and again during the
night reports came in from Law, McLaws,
Ewell, &C., stating that the enemy had
retreated, and that they had nothing but
cavalry in front of them.
General Lee said, few days afterwards
that he had hesitated whether he should
not oountermand bis own retreat, which
he certainly would not have commenced
if he had anticipated such dreadfully bad
weather. But the wagon trains were now
well on their way to the rear, and their
safety might have been compromised if
the army had not followed them. By 8
o'clock next morning the whole wagon
train had got past us, and the troops be-
gan to move. 1t had ceased raining, but
the road was Sea of slush and mud, and
we got along very slowly. ~
l. and / visited General Lee in the
afternoon, and he spoke very openly on
the subject of the late campaign.
Had he been aware that Meade had
been able to concentrate his whole army
for which he deserved great credit-he
certainly should not have attacked him !:
indeed it had not been his interest nor his
intention to bring on great battle at all /;
but, led away, partly by the success of the
first day, believing that Meade had only
portion of his army in front of him, and
seeing the enthusiasm Of his own troops,
he had thought that successful battle
would cut the knot SO easily and satisfac-
torily, that he had determined to risk it.
His want of knowledge of the enemy's
movements he attributed to Stewart hav-
ing got too far away from him with his
cavalry. @t -... 4-ii
Had the strong position of Gettysburg
been stormed, no doubt cannon and colors
and prisoners would have been taken, bat
at great sacrifice of life. The Federals
would have fallen back, and probably have
taken up still stronger position few
few miles to the rear. Lee would have
had to retreat all the same, especially as,
after the third days fight, ammunition
particularly small ammunition-was get
ting short. Had there been only por-
ton Of Meade;s army at Gettysburg, and
that portion had been overwhelmed, Of
course it would have been different
thing; and, as Gen. Lee said himself, it
was under the impression that he had only
a part of Meade's army to deal with that
he fought the battle.
SOUTHERN TRAIT.
The Southerners are of course not nearly
so commercial race as the Yankees, but
still they are much given to Grading"
amongst each other, and the other day at
an hospital in Gettysburg, an artilleryman
whose leg was to be taken off, no sooner
knew that the amputation was decided
upon by the doctors, than he turned to
another wounded man in the next bed,
and before the operation was performed
had "traded " the boot which was hence
forth to be OF no use to him.,