The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-01
The Rattle Of Ge.,yssurg. ]
LETTER FRok GENERAL LoNGsrREEr TO A RELA
TIVE SOON AETRp ira nrcranAsrr
~ = r n'0.'s NFThs ITO USCUHHEFCE.
from the New Orleans PepybIIcan

! from the New Orleans Republican,
| We republished from Scribner on Satur.
day letter from General Lee to JEFF. Davis,
| written on the 9Th Of August, 1863, in which
the Confederate cheftain assumed oil the re.
| sponsibllity for the disasters to bis army at
Gettysburg, and asked to be relieved from
the command. There can be no doubt that
this letter ia genuine, and that General Lee
was entirely sincere in making the sugges.
tons 1t contains. With this letter and the
Generals reasons for writing it we have no.
thing further to do ut present than call at
tention to the strong correboratory relation
it bears to one written By General LoRgstreet
fifteen days before the former was penned.
While Longstreet was encamped at Cul.
pepper Courthouse be received letter from
his uncle, DR.. A. B. Longstreet, LII. D., of
Columbus, Ga, in which the Doctor urged
bis nephew TO publish some Of the facts con.
nected with the battle of Gettysburg that bis
correct position and connection with that
affair might be known. The General wrote
to his uncle An answer, from which the SUBJ
joined extract is now published for the first
time.
General Longstreet was opposed to- the
policy of attacking the Union army at the
cemetery, aud so expressed himself to Gen
eral Lee, but was overruled by his com.
handing officer, and did the best he could
to turn the mistake into success. His corps
was first in readiness and first to make the
attack. Other Confederate commanders were
so tardy in coming into action that the day
was lost. Lee saw and acknowledged bis
error, thus doing full justice to the survivors,
though he could not restore to life the thou
sands Of brave men slain ia attempting to
carry out his rash policy. Appended to
General Longstreets letter is an extract from
one written him some time ago by Captain
Il. J. Goree, bis ade-de-camp at Gettysburg:
"CAaP, CCLrErER COURTHOUSE, July "a,
1S63.-My Dear Uncle: As to our late bat.
tie l cannot say much. l have no right to
say anything, in fact, but will venture lit.
tie for you alone. If it goes to aunt and
cousins it must be under promise that it goes
20 further. The battle was not made rs I
would have had it. My idea WAS to throw
ourselves between the enemy and Washing
ton, select strong position, and force the
enemy. to attack ua. So far as it is given to
msn the ability to judge, we may say with
confidence that we should have destroyed
the Federal army, marched into Washing
ton, and dictated our terms, or at least held
Washington and marched over rs much Of
Pennsylvania as we cared to, bad we drawn
the enemy into attack upon our carefully
chosen position in his rear. General Lee
chose the plans adopted, and he is the person
appointed to choose and to order. consider
it 4 part of my duty to express my views to
the commanding General. If he approves
and adopts them it is well; if he does not, it
is my duty to adopt his views and to execute
his orders as faithfully and as zeaously as if
they had been my own. ! cannot help but
think that great results would have obtained
had ms views been thought better of; yet |
am much inclined to accept the present con-
diton as for the best. hope and trust that
it is so.
"Your programme would all be well
enough were it practicable, and was duly
thought of, too. 1 fancy that no good ideas
upon that campaign will be mentioned that
| did not receive their share Of attention and
consideration by General Lee. The few
things tina! he might have overlooked himself
| I believe were suggested by myself. As we
failed of success, | must take my part Of the
responsibility. In fact, | would prefer that
all the blame should rest on me. AS General
| Lee is our commander, he should have all the
support and influence that We can give him
| If the blame-if there is any-can be shifted
| from him to me, shall help him and our
cause by taking it. | desire, therefore, that
all the responsibility that can be put upon
me shall go there and remain there. The
truth will be known in time, and | leave that
to show how much of the responsibility Of
the attack at Gettysburg rests upon myself
Most affectionately yours,
d. LOSGsTREET.
DR.. i. 3. LoagStreet LID, Columbus
Ca"
General Lee, in letter wr tten to Genera
Lopgstreet in January, 1864, says: CHAD
taken your advice at Gettysburg, instead Of
pursuing the course l did, how different al
might have BEEN" Captain T. J. Goree, OIL
Houston, Texas, III letter to General Long
street, says: "Another important circum.
stance, which distinctly remember, was in
the winter of 1864, when you sent me from
East Tennessee TO Orange Courthouse with
some dispatches to General Lee. Upon my
arrival there General Lee asked me into his
tent, where be was alone, with two or three
northern papers on his table. He remarked
that he had just been reading the northern
official reports Of the battle OF Gettysburg
that he had become satisfied from reading
those reports that il be had permitted you to
carry out your plans on the third day, nsteae
of making the attack on Cemetery Hill, WE
! would have been successful"