Middletown transcript., 1877-08-25

Ewell was to cooperate. EWell OF
dered johnson to attack at an earl,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Longstreet woult
do the same. Longstreet delayed. III
found that a force of the enemy occu
pying high ground on their left woulC
take his troops in reverse as they ad
vanced.
Longstreet was then visited by Gen
Lee, and they conferred as to the mode
of attack. 1t was determined to adhere
to the plan of attack by Longstreet
and to strengthen him for the move
ment he was to be reinforced by Heth's
division and two brigades of Pender's,
of Hills corps. These, with his three
divisions, were to attack. Longstreet
made his dispositions, and General Lee
went to our centre to observe move
ments. The attack was not made as
designed. Pickett's division, Heth's
division, and two brigades of Pender's
division advanced. Hood and Nc
Laws were not moved forward. There
were nine divisions in the army seven
were quiet, while two assaiIed the for
tilted line Of the enemy. A. P. Hill
had orders to be prepared to assist
LOngstreet further if necessary. An
derson, who commanded one of Hilps
divisions, was in readiness to respond
to LOngstreet's call, made his DISPOSE
tions to advance, but General Long
street told him it was of no use--the,
attack had failed.
Had Hood and McLaws followed or
supported Pickett, and Pettigrew and
Anderson have been advanced, the de-
sign Of the commanding general would
have been carried out-the world not
be so at loss to understand what was
designed by throwing forward, unsup-
ported, against the enemy's stronghold,
SO small a portion Of our army. Had
Gen. Lee known what was to happen,
doubtless he would have maneuvred
to force Gen. Meade away from his
strong position by threatening his COM
municatiOns with the east, as suggested
by but he felt strong enough to
carry the enemy's lines, and 1 believe
success would have crowned his plan
had it been faithfully carried out.
As previously stated, / obtained ac-
cess to the archives Of the War Depart
pent, U. s. A., and have taken copies
Of the original returns of our army. |
On the 31st of May our effective
was 6S,352 but one brigade,
Petrigrew's, joined the army after this,
and to Offset Pettigrew, Coree's brigade,
IF Pickett's division, with oneregiment
ofNorth Carolina troops (of Pettigrew's
BRIGADE remained at Hanover juno
ion.
Pickett had but three of his brigades
1t tGettysburg. Iamsurethatthe causes
llready mentioned reduced Gen. Lees
Elective strength at Gettysburg, inclu-
ling stuart's cavalry, to sixty-two
thousand men. Perhaps had better
% more into detail. The return allu-
led to is the nearest to the invasion
indeed made but a few days before the
.rmy advanced. The strength Of the
Iarious arms were as follows: Infant
y, 54,S56; cavalry, 1886; artillery
!, ,46O-of all arms, 1882.
At the time Of that return the army
Tas divided into bat two corps or wings
-One under Longstreet, and the other
ackson's old corps-under A. P. Hill.
he former embraced four divisions,
lcLaws's, Anderson's, Pickett's and
Hoods; and the latter the same num-
er, viz: A. P. Hills, EarIy's, RhOdes's
nd Johnson's.
Just before we advanced the army
as reOrganized into three corps-the
rst under Longstreet, second under
well, and third under A. P. Hill. The
rst corps embraced the divisions of
LcLaws, Pickett and Hood the sec
nd those of Early, Rhodes and john
IN, and the third those of Anderson, :
[eth and Pender.
The last two divisions Of Hills corps {
ere formed by adding Pettigrew's brig
le, which had just then Joined the t
my, and Davis's Mississippi brigade G
ormed for him by bringing together |
Iississippi regiments from mixed brig
les) to the six which constituted A.
Hills old division, and dividing the d
ght into two divisions of four brigades E
leh. The army remained the same n
to brigades, except Pettigrew's as i,
fore mentioned, and received no adj I
tional re-enforcements from any /,
uroe. On the 2Oth of July, 1868, /,
ter our return, the army numbered c
1888 effective, exclusive of the cav a
ry, of which no report is made in the d
turn last mentioned. Allowing 1912, 6,
fair estimate for the cavalry, and the a
ective total Of the army on the 2Oth Il
July, 1868, was $4,000 showing a "
IS of $4,000 in the campaign.
Concerning the strength of the fed
Il army. Gen. Meade testified before ii
! committee on the conduct of the o.