The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-03
SICKLES AT GETTYSBURG.

From the n. u World
We gave in yesterday issue aclrcumstantial
account of the manner in which the insubor-
dination of General Sicllles resulted in such
terrible slaughter among the Union troops
at the second days battle of Gettysburg, and
came near occasioning the defeat and con-
sequent annihilation--for defeat would have
been annihilation-of General Meades entire
army The account is fortified in the most
conclusive manner by the evidence taken in
reference to the battle of Gettysburg by the
Committee on the Conduct of the War, and is
illustrated by diagram taken on the spot
and tallying precisely with the strategic in
formation furnished under oath by General
Meade and the principal officers of his COM
| mand.
The motive prompting Sickles to venture
| on so obvious blunder as the assumption of
the position indicated in our diagram has
| never been exactly known, though it has
been stated that he thought himself compe-
tent, by thrusting out his unsupported corps
to cut General Lees army in two and thus Sc
| cure for himself fame on the order of that
accruing to Wellington from the battle of
| Waterloo The ignominious manner in
which this vaingloriOus effort failed
was very fully set forth in our
article of yesterday, and with it appears
a curious fact in connection with this
sanguinary blunder that has not hereto
fore been brought into prominence. 1t is
known that the losses in Sickles COM
mand, the Sd Corps, were appallingly
| heavy; but from the fact that the battle of
Gettysburg extended over three days, it has
passed into a general acceptance that these
losses were the natural result of so long-con-
tinued struggle. Now from the evidence
presented, it is beyond question that the 3D.
Corps was not in action at all on the first
of the three days fighting, and but slightly
engaged, with very small loss;' says Gene.
| raj Blrney, who commanded it after Sickles
was wounded - on the third and last day.
All its casualties, or virtually ALL are there
fore directly traceable to the operations of
the second day. On this day, the testimony
is unanimous that the assault by the Con
fedelates began at 1 p. NJ and terminated at
about dusk, or at that time of the year-July
about seven o'clock. Within these three
hours, then, the fighting was done and the
corps sustained its terrific loss of so many
, thousand men. Besides the Sd Corps
r losses, nearly as many more men were killed
, and wounded in the other corps and parts
of corps that were ordered mp to save the
Third from annihilation, General Meade being
, forced to bring mp five TO one before he could
l which he had swooped as soon as the opportu-
a nity was given him. These men, then, of
these other corps fell as much vic
Tins to SicklGs as did the unfortunate
soldiers of his own command, and the
t aggregate is perhaps as bloody slaughter as
+ is chargeable in the annals of warfare to the
t incapacity on any one occasion of any one
S commander. In SicRles' immediate com
4 mand, the regiments participating in th'
f action are given by name and number in on
y article; and, as the fighting Of the 3d Corp
/ was from p. NJ to 7 p. NJ of the I'd of July
: 1868, those who lost friends or relatives il
o any of those regiments at Gettysburg ma,
y know very distinctly to whom the sacrifice o
It their kin-people and friends is due.
8 As to the last count in the indictmen
e against this epitome of vileness, it will b
d seen that, but for the tremendous efforts pu
G forth by fve-sevenths of Meades army t.
If hold Longstreets corps at bay, the result O
o Sickes blunder would have been the end o
Q the United States and the establishment @
If the Southern Confederacy. With the loss q
Gettysburg would have come the occupatlo
l. of Washington, foreign Intervention, tn
,e raising of the blockade, the perpetuation {
a. slavery, and the independence Of the Soutt
W -Heber G. Kimball left $50 900 to fifteen chi
- dren and forty wives. He had at one time an
u another siXty-three children but fOrty-eght det
lp which goes to show that poygamy is not health
u in its results.