New Orleans Republican., 1873-08-10
LONCSTREET AT GETTYSBURG
LETTER FROM GENERAL MLAWs
pfNDLEI0N'S STATEMENT REVIEWED

u,rch-Ionastreet..C ,. Corps ON the Night
Of July I in Camp Three Miles in Rear
Of Gettysburg EweII's and hii's
COrps Between Him and the Enemy
He was in Condition to support but
nm, IN AssauIt-The ImpOssibiliiy OF
His Having Received any cFoer 10
Attack.
General Lafayette McLaws has written
a letter in answer 10 the statement OF
General Pendleton. a staff officer OF Gen
erai Lee. made several months ago in rela-
,icu to the Gettysburg fight, and the part
taken therein by General Longstreet and
his corps. General Pendleton is reported as
having said:
General. Longstree. was directed to at
! tack the enemy at Gettysburg at Gay.
| light on the morning OF the second
| Of July. and failed to 90 II. mao
made recon- o. slnce on the evening
preyious. and had found an assault was
! perfectly practicable and promising the
! hest results, so reported to General Lee,
| and he ordered General Longstreet TO
make an attack at daylight the next morn,
| ing 1.-THE sec0nd), but not only dld he iaii
10 90 that, but sat on his horse until about
! p. NJ. of that day, and could plainly see
| the reinforcements OF the enemy arriving
! hour after hour On the field, and not until
| after that did he assault at all, and the
| failure to assault at daylight was the cause
| Of the loss Of the battle.
| This statement Is carefully reviewed by
| General McLaws. who at the time CT that
famous battle, so disastrous to the arms Of
the COnfederacy, commanded division IN
Longstreet's corps; and the writer narrates
| with remarkable perspicuity the events
of the second day of July, which rendered
| it impossible that the statements Of Cen
eral Pendleton could be true in the un-
| qualified manner in which he presents
them.
| General McLawe. the writer of this
sketch, was graduate of Wes: Point OF
| the class of lS42, and at the commencement
of the war resigned captaincy IN the
| Seventh Infantry to follow the fortunes
| of the South. He beat his sword into a
poughshare when the war closed, and is
now enjoying the oti"m cum digni'ate OF a
planters life in Central Georgia. He was
| an officer Of high order of merit in both
| armies, and with those who know him his
testimony. which we present herewith to
the public, will have great weight:
GENERAL M'LAws' LETTER.
I do not know that General Longstreet
ever received such an order, but have every
reason to think that it was recalled. if ever
given, before the time came for executing
| it, because do not think General Lee would
have ordered main assault to be made at
daylight on the second from information
gained by hasty reconnaissance OF the
first, before the enemy had concentrated
! his forces. General Lee was, OF course.
aware that he had not engaged but por-
| ton Of the federal army on the first, and
that if they. the federals, had determined
to make stand on the heights beyond
Gettysburg, their forces in the rear would
be arriving in concentration during the
whole night. and would be put into posi-
! tions about which he could know nothing
| until after examination to be made after
daylight on the second.
| General Pendleton does not state at what
| place he made his reconnaissance. but it is
| to be supposed that it was done somewhere
| at or to the immediate right or left OF the
cemetery. and if so, or in fact wherever it
| was, it is clear that very different state OF
affairs existed on the morning Of the
second from that which was on the evening G
of the first, for at sundswn on the first
! there was nothing but confusion anon g
| the tederals. They had been defeated, had
lost heavily and could not get have de-
te,mined whether or not to concentrate at
Getty sburg and give battle there with their
| whole army, or to fall back to some other
| position; while on the morning Of the
second it was fair ~ presume that If fou2d
f.; in position their whole force would be
| there. or were to be momentarily expected
! To order us under these circumstances to
! make q main assault against the enemy
| very strongly posted, without previous ex
animation Of the locality to find out the
the positions and probable strength OF the
force opposed to US, would have shown
| degree of recklessness which the occasion
did no. call for.
| 1t can not lie doubted but that the enemy
| expected us to attack, ii we attacked at ali
on the morning of the second, either about
the cemetery, OK at least somewhere along
the from, of the positions held by our troops
when darkness closed around the two
armies Oh the first. and therefore they were
| prepared tor us from these directions; anu
do no: suppose General Lee would have
ordered his army to attempt that which the
enemy expected and wished US to do,
especially when there were other and better
ways to attack him.
NV division camped on the night Of the
frs: abou: three miles from Gettysburg,
and moved early on the second to the front,
and the head of my column was halted jus.
before arriving upon the heights OF Semi!
nary Hill, where Genera! Lee was. and
from which the enemys position could be
outlined. AS came up General Lee sent
for ine: he was then sitting ON a log
with a map before him. General Long
! stree. was walking back and forth ie"
wards OF. General Lee, pointing to she
map. asked .ne if could place my division
IN position az a place he designated on :ns
left o: the federal iine itheir lett. told
him that knew Of nothing to prevent me-
General Longst,eet then came up and re
marked tha. he wanted my division IN
posi,ion-pointing to 1t on the map-whict
was perpendicular to the one marked by
General Lee. General Leo remarked. mo
General: l wish it placed Is ] have told
General McLaws:" which was parallel te
the enemy's line. General Lee then re
marked that he had ordered reconnols
sance for the purpose of finding out way