Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-11-16

ments,dof the armies of the Potomac aud
iNorthern Nirginiaffrom the time they. left the
banks of the Rapidan until.they confronted
Eesch other in, line of battle at Gettysburg
sIn,sketehiug the progress of the three days
battle the speaker quoted largely from the re-
! ports otaGeneralsa Lee and /. Meade, the op>
Il posing; ;commandeIs-in>chief,: as we'll as from
bSwin TOMS history !of. the war, but NO new his.
toriealv facts wsrel developed. In regard to
/ General Lees failure tosattaek the federal
forces al daylight of the second day, Major
l6Dmielsaid ~ fas5 sa e.
LEES FAILURE To-ATTAcK AT DAYLIGHT OF
ia o. asit9s' THE SECOND DAY.
s"I have searched in vain all accessible
sources of information for some explanation
of General Lees failure to carry out the plan
resolved on the night before-a plan emf.
uently sagacious in itself, and which, had it
been pursued promptly at dawn, would doubt
less have resulted in tho disastrous overthrow
of tho federal army. For Little Round Top,
| passing strange to say-had not been
occupied by ths enemy, would have fallen
into our hands, and the key of victory gained
without struggle. Nor was it occupied uu.
til later in the day, whom our troops were mov>
ing upon it. The secret of that fatal delay,
which to my mind was the great mistake or
forever buriedi in our commanders bosom. 1
apprehend that the tardiuess of Gen. Long
streets movements, and the prolonged alb
sence1 of Pickett's division, was tho cause
but lest injustice may be done to Gen Long
street torbear expressing an opinion. At
any rate tho fault was not Lees, for ho was
anxious to attack at dawn he sent back or.
ders to hasten the march of tho absent troops,
and some oyerruling reason must have stayed
his hand. But alas the opportunity was lost
forever. Opportunity, saith the old adage,
has hair in front behind she is bald Catch
her by the forelock and little child can hold
her; but ouce gone, Jupiter himself cannot
catch hor again And such was our expe>
rience at Gettysburg."
A Tn1BuTK TO THE LouIs1AN1ANs
Rcciting the details Of the splendid charge
of Hayes's Louisiana brigade on the second
day, which brought down from. the crest of
Cemetery Hill four regimental standards
seized from the caunon's mouth, and after
final hand.to. hand wrestle with tho federal
infantry which defended them, the speaker
said a
"Brayc spirits of Louisiana Leading ono
Of the rogimeutes that climbed the summit of
that terrible crest was Davidson B. Penn,
nutive of Virginia, aud now, by tho voice of
EASN'NNAS
of the Pelican State. Tako heart, brave
loader and people Tonight your old COM
radcs of tho Army Of Northern Virginia
send you fraternal greetings. No longer sop
arated from each other by line of FIRE, tho
hearts of the liberty>loviug people of this
great nation, whether they once beat under
the Confederate gray or the Union blue, now
beat in sympathy with your brave endonvor to
restore Louisiana to the sisterhood of States,
with government worthy of the republican
name and of tho Caucasian race. The gallant
sonls who met you in the shock of battle know
as we'll as We who oheered you on that the stout
arn which drove the bayonets'through the fod.
erSl lines on that wel>fought field were filed
with blood that can never how in tho feeble
pulses of sycOphants and slaves. Side by side
tho boys in blue and The boys in gray are COM
iu!; to your rescue and over the tumults of the
pcSls We hear the pibroch ringing; and in 1876,
VIXEN tho guns are heralding the hundrcdth
Anniversary Of freedoms birth, they will sound
| 20; Louisiana the dawn OF its resurrection"
ai4 ~ CONCLUSION.
| Having told the story of the battle of Get,
| tyeburg, Major Daniel concluded his address
as follows 'T HFH
"My chief object has been to state facts
which viii stand as landmarks Of Confederate
history, rather than TO attempt mellifuous
phrases which would roll away like rippliDg
waters And these-selected from mass-
ore related only in the hope of stimulating
further researches and expositions, and not in
the vain belief that they comprehend even the
half of these sad but brilliant annals
"For many reasons it is important to you
and to our people that the truth respecting
this great action should be studiously explored
and fully recounted. Fought at the further.
most northern point TO which our armies pen.
etrated at any time, It is projected into a
conspicuousness which belongs to no other
field. It's result increased in tho North the
prominence impaired to isbyits geographical
location, and Northern painters, sculptors,
csssyists orators and historians have exhaus-
| ted the resources of art aud language iu pic
I turing its actors aud its sccues, aud in ceIe>
brating the real, and too frequently the fcti-
tious, exploits which the Union troops per-
| formed.
''Above all, it marked decisive turn in
the fortunes Of the war. 1T was,' as Mr..
Swinton styles it, fthe high-water m ark Of the
rebellion It was, indeed, what the historian
Hallam go finely says of the victory won by
Charles Martel over the invading Saracebs be.
tween Tours and Poicticrs, zone of those few
battles of which the contrary event would
have essentially varied the drama of the world
in all its subsequent scenes For had the
grand assault on Cemetery Ridge been COM
Pensated by results proportioned to the genius
which directed, and the courage which made
it, Baltimore and Washington would have
been its prizes, foreign recognition its reward,
and the establishments of the Confederate
Statessa au independent nation its final fruit
age. Throughout the North, on the 4th day
of July, 1868, the telegraphic wires were