Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-05-13

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his enemy designed crossing the Potomac into
Maryland, ozfalling upon the rear of the Union
army in case it should cross. While Hooker was
thus kept in suspense, the van of Lees army,
under Ewell, passed the Potomac, and, traversine
Maryland, reached Chambersburg The situation
of the Union army is thus depicted by Lee:
''The Federal army was apparently guarding the
approaches to Washington, and manifested no dis
position to assume the offensive In the meantime,
the progress of Ewell, who was already in Mary
land, with Jenkins cavalry, advanced in Pennsyl-
vania as far as Chambersburg, rendered it neces-
sary that the rest of the army should be within
supporting distance and Hill having reached the
Valley, Longstreet was withdrawn to the west side
of the Shenandoah, and the two corps encamped
near Berryville.
"Gen. Stuart was directed to hold the mountain
passes with part of his command, as long as the
enemy remained south of the Potomac and with
the remainder to cross into Maryland and place
himself on the right of Gen. Ewell. Upon the
suggestion of the former officer that he could dam.
age the enemy and delay his passage of the river
by getting in bis rear he was authorized to do 30
and it was left to his discretion whether to enter
Maryland east or west of the Blue Ridge; but he
was instructed to lose no time in placing his COM
mand on the right of our column, as soon as be
should perceive the enemy moving northward.
"On the 22d, Gen. Ewell marched into Pennsyl-
vania with Rodes' and Johnson's divisions, pre-
ceded by Jenkins cavalry, taking the road from
Hagerstown, through Chambersburg, to Carlisle,
where he arrived on the 9th. Early's division,
which had occupied Boonsborough, moved by a
parallel road to Greenwood and, in pursuance OF
instructions previously given, Gen. Ewell marched
toward York. On the 4th, Longstreet and Hill
were put in motion to follow Ewell, and on the
9th he encamped near Chambersburg.'
From the above extract from the report Of Lee,
it will be seen that Longstreet and Hill were at
Cbambersburg on the 9th Of June. Meanwhile,
however, Ewel had moved northward toward the
Susquehanna, where Early was operating at York
and Carlisle. The purpose of that move will be
fully disclosed in the following passage, which
throws an entirely new light on the purposes OF the
Confederate commander in the invasion, and also
explains great deal of manuuvring that is other
wise quite incomprehensible:
ut was expected that as soon as the Federal
army should cross the Potomac, Gen. Stuart would
give notice of its movements; and nothing having
been heard from him since our entrance into Mary
land, it was inferred that the enemy had not yet
left Virginia Orders were therefore issued to move
upon Harrisburg. The expedition Of Gen. Early
to York was designed, in part to prepare for this
undertaking, by breaking the railroad between
Baltimore and Harrisburg, and seizing the bridges
over the Susquehanna at Wrightsville. General
Early succeeded in the first object, destroying a
number of bridges above and below York but on
the approach of the troops sent by him to Wrights,
vile, body of militia stationed at that place fed
across the river and burnt the bridge in their re-
treat Gen. Early then marched to rejoih his corps.
The advance against Harrisburg was arrested by
intelligence received from scout, on the night OF
the 27th to the effect that the army Of General
Hooker had crossed the Potomac, and was ap-
preaching the South Mountains. In the absence
of the cavalry, it was impossible to ascertain bis
intentions but to deter him from advancing further
west and intercepting our communications from
Virginia it was determined to concentrate the army
east of the mountains.
From this passage the following remarkable facts
appear:
|. That Lee, owing to the absence of the caval-
ry of Stuart, who, making bad botch of his work,
had allowed the Union army to interpose itself be-
tween him and Lees army during the whole march
northward from the Potomac, and had therefore
not been able to follow out his instructions Of
''placing himself on Ewells right" was, on the
night of the 9th of June, at which time he was at
Chambersburg, not auare that the Union army
had crossed to the north side ofthe Potomac. In
point of fact this move had not only been made,
but on that day, 9th of June, concentration OF
the entire Union army had been effected at Fred
erick.
2. That Lees purpose in his march into Penn
sylvania was to cross the Susquehanna and move
upon Harrisburg, and probably Philadelphia. This
is stretch of audacity far beyond what has been
entertained by the Confederate commander Yet
it is rendered manifest by his own avowal: "Or-
ders were issued to move upon Harrisburg" The
expedition of Early to York had been designed to
prepare for this undertaking The vistas ofpossi-
bihty opened up by this bold design heighten our
conception of the magnitude and importance Of
that decisive action of Gettysburg, which checked
Lee in his invasive ardor, and compelled him to
seek safety in q retreat into Virginia.
8. That he was prevented from carrying this
plan into execution by curious error. He heard
through scout, on the night Of the 9th of June,
that the Union army, having crossed the Potomac,
was approaching the South Mountains" This
was movement that would menace the line Of
communication of the Confederate army; and, in
consequence Lee determined to concentrate the
army east of the mountains" This requires q
word of explanation. When Hooker had concen-
trated his army at Frederick, on the 9th, he from
that point threw out a force to advance westward
through the passes Of the South Mountain to
Harper's Ferry, at which point he expected to
have this force joined by the local garrison Of ten
thousand men, when he designed moving this spe-
cial column up the Cumberland Valley to menace
Lees rear But Halleck would not consent that
the Harper Ferry garrison should join this force,
50 it was drawn back to Frederick by Hooker.
Next day Hooker was relieved by Meade, who
moved his entire army northward, on the east side
of the mountains, toward the Susquehannah 1t
thus appears that at the time when, on the night
of the 9th of June, Lee received the information
of this movement which threatened his communi.
cations, the movement had been entirely aban
doned
The maneuvres just pointed out make plain the
train of accidental circumstances which brought
about the decisive conflict Of the campaign place
at Gettysburg-a place which certainly was the OBJ