New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-07


Lee TO his troops indicate previous design
on his part to fight the Army of the Po-
tomac at Gettysburg, but If the reader will
place one point of pair of dividers at Get
tysburg on the map, and make circle with
radius of the distance to York, it will be
found that all of Lees columns were within
this small circle OH the twenty ninth of
June, when the Union army first drew near
him; showing that Lee had chosen the
rugged country about Gettysburg as the
spot on which he could most quickly mass
his forces for battle.
General Imboden said in his article that
General Lees opinion was that he lost the
battle because Pickett was not supported as
he was to have BEEN" referring, of course,
to the last great charge on the third of July.
The truth is, Lee lost the battle because he
was compelled to give battle to the Army
of the Potomac, when he intended to con-
duct his march in such manner that he
could concentrate all his forces at any mo-
ment TO be in position, selected by himself
to receive battle; for although he knew that
he outnumbered our army many thousand
men, yet he knew also by sad experience
that he could not give open battle to the
Army of the Potomac.
On the first of July, while the corps of the
Union army were all swiftly marching on
the different roads, Buford's cavalry which
Hdu pdsseu through Ue'tysbuIg, gong WesC
on the Chambersburg pike, met the rebel
coSps of Hill and instantly gave battle.
DEmounting his carbineers, the gallant
Buford fought desperately, disputing the
ground inch by inch with the advancing
rebels, who swung line after line of in
fantry upon his TANKS, and pressed resist
lessly on the centre with troops in column
and batteries of artillery. The heroic
Reynolds, with the first corps, fastened on
toward the rear of Buford's battle, and,
dashing through Gettysburg, met the ex-
ultant rebels on Seminary Ridge beyond,
and threw his veterans against the over
whelming odds. Scarcely had the battle
opened when Reynolds, far in advance, was
killed by a discharge of musketry, and
Doubleday took command.
Let the reader imagine a broad turnpike,
running straight westward from Gettysburg,
across an open country slightly rolling,
with rich farms, orchards and scattered
groves. Two miles beyond Gettysburg, on
this highway, the first corps is stretched
across the pike and fields along a little
ridge, desperately fighting twice its num-
bers in the heat and dust of July day
Noon comes and passes, with no help for
the Spartan band, and the rebel lines are
steadily swinging further and further around
the first corps flank, when, at one o'clock,
Howard arrives Barlow and SchurZs di-
visions dash INTO line on the right of the
first corps, and Steinwehr's division halts on
Cemetery ridge. Untilnearly four clock the
decimated divisions struggle against Hills
sixteen thousand men, and not until the
corps of Ewell came in from York and
struck our heroic troops in flank and rear,
did they yield the field. There were now
forty thousand rebels against less than six
teen thousand of our men, and soon the
hard pressed lines gave way, and, finally,
broke into retreat and rushed tumultuously
back through the town; but just as all hope
seemed lost, the guns on Cemetery ridge
blazed forth, checked the wild pursuit and
enabled the weary columns to reform.
The losses mad been awful The Iron
Brigade which went into action in the morn
ing with over 1900 men, reached Cemetery
Ridge with only 700; and the brigade at it's
side which counted 1900 at noon. lost 1880
before the sun went down. The rebel Gen
eral Hill, who had been ordered by Lee to
take and hold the ridge at all hazards
amazed at the splendid fighting of our
handful of brave men, made no further
efforts to carry the chosen position, and
thus lost to Lee the battle line of Gettys-
burg. All the next day he made desperate
efforts to seize the decisive points in our
inc, but was everywhere met and hurled
back, and the morning of the second of
July found the two great armies facing
Zach other across an extended plain COW
cred with heaps of dead and wounded,
swollen and bIackening in the hot summer
sun.
On the evening of the second, Just after
he sixth corps had so magnifcently re-
pulsed the last desperate charge of the
,nemy at Round Top, Meade gathered his |
generals about him, and the anxious inquiry |
vas, what shall we do now 2" AS vet |
nobody knew whether the whole of the |
ebel army was in our front or not, and it |
vas said that while Hill and Longstreets |
Orps were holding the army of the Potomac |
It Gettysburg, Ewell, with Stonewall Jack |
on's famous fapking corps, was marching |
,ast our right and rear upon Baltimore and |
Washington; and had General Lee been the |
,reat general his friends would have the |
world believe, that is just what he would |
lave done. Had he done so. the army of |
he Potomac would have had no alternative
mt to fall back, and that with the &C
of defeat and prospect of |
liter ruin. No one felt like sleeping that |
light, and while general Headquarters were
'usy planning for the coming morrow, the |
'ecret Service Department was closely
xamining every prisoner brought in for
Information from the enemy. About nine
clock a fresh squad of prisoners was
rought in from the front, and as one of |
General Sharpe's staff was questioning
hem, the General suddenly started up, ex-
tanning:
"Why that mans regiment is in EwelFs
orps Prisoner, what's your brigade ?"
Hays Louisiana brigade, replied the
IAN.
"Whose division p
General Early's."
~ told you So" cried Sharpe to the group
f officers about him, "Ewell is here; the
Thole rebel army is in our front, and / am
# to tell General Meade;" and springing
pom his horse he galloped away to head
uarters. Other prisoners confirmed the
tory, and that information removing all
bought of falling back, daylight found our
mes all strengthened and resolved to fight
out then and there.
All are familiar with the great battle of
he next and last day. Had time, i should
Ike to describe fully the scene as it ap-
cared on that July day. What picture
light be drawn the groups of rebel horse
len beyond the valley-evidently officers
tudying our positions; white-topped wagon
'ains far beyond the openings in the
'oods, moving slowly along; the bands
laying among the troops, and everybody
ordering if there would be another fight.
hen the signal of attack. the terrible ar
llery fire, the splendid advance of the
,bel columns, the magnificent cavalry en-
agements on the right, between Custer,
nj Gregg, and Hampton; the desperate
larges of the old third cavalry division,
nd the regular brigade ton the flank of
Ongstreets charging columns talthough
eneral Imboden says in his article that no
ivalry attack WAS made upon the f1anks),
nd the final repulse and defeat of the rebel
'my-all this / should like to give in de-
lll-but must hurry on over the noun