The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-10-17
Did Hancock Advise . Retreat nom
gettvsburR?

partisan pufbOseS, "~s ~ Z.
denied by General siocuM and others
who know the facts; but we have seen
no effort to give The official statement.
We have before us volume L., OF "Re.
mort on the Conduct Of the War, 1860"
IN which prominent soldiers Of The Army
Of the Potomac give their sworn tes-
timony 10 reference to the facts connected
with the battle Of Gettysburg, and they Iul'y
establish these points;
1. General MEADE did not intend TO b9nt
at Gettysburg, but along the line oil "f'pe-
CLAY creek,v and issued an order to his
corps commanders 10 that effect on the
morning OF the LIST Of JuIy-the day the
battle opened at Gettysburg, but before ne
had heard OF IL.
9. So soon as MEADE heard OF REYNoLoss
fight, and Of his death, he ordered HANCOCK
to hurry to the front, assume command Oh
all troops on the field, and to decide VINE.
Their the troops could be withdrawn, anu
whether the ground was suitable Tor gen.
eral battle.
2. HANCOCK found everything In great
Iconfusion. the First and Eleventh corps.
uuder REYNOLDS and HOWARD, and the ca"
yalry, under BuFoRp, having been very
badly whipped by portions OF A. T. BILLS
and EwELL's corps OF the Army OF Northern
Virginia. Although both HOWARD ana
sycKLEs. which latter came up soon after
with his corps, ranked HANCOCK, yet HAN
COCK assumed command by virtue OF spec'a'
orders from MEADE, and soon restored Or
der and presented a bold front along tue
heights.
4. He carefully reconnoitred the ground IN
company with General G. X. WARREN, cher
OF engineers, and sent a dispatch TO Gene
raj MEADE to the effect that he could hold
the ground until night. and that there
would then be no difficulty in withdrawing
to the line OF Pipe-Clsy creek, which Gene
raj MEADE had selected, but that he thought
Gettysburg the place to fight, and wouil
by all means advise the concentration OF
everything on those heights.
8. At 6 O'Clock p. NJ, General sLocUM
came ND, and HANCOCK turned over the
command TO him and galloped back TO re-
port In person 20 General MEADE, and urge
him TO make the fight at Gettysburg instead
OF falling back to his chosen line. 6enefai
MEADE Yielded TO II ANCOCK's views, and the
bloody repulse of the Confederates was the
result.
These points are proved by the sworn
testimony of Generals MEADE, SICKLEs,
DOUBLEDAY, WARREN, HANCOCK, BUTTER
FIELD, and others, and by the official re-
ports, orders, and letters.
But we have only space to give the FOL
lowing extract from the testimony OF Gen
cral GEORGE G. MEADE, which settles the
whole question beyond peradventure:
"Ou the LIST Of July, my headquarters being at
Tanpyfown, and having directed re ADVANCE OF
two G. ,r)s the previous day to Gettysburg WIN the
Intention of occupying that place, about L or z
O'Clock in the day. should think received ihior-
naiion tnat The advance OF my army, nnoe ar
reaching tieuysburg, had encountered the enemy
i'm force and that the First and Eleventh corps were
at that l. me engaged In contest WIN sucs portohs
of tho enemy as were there The moment received
this lp for nation directed MaJor-1enera fahcocs,
who was with me at the time, TO process WHICH, ,.
DELAY 10 the scene OF The contest; aud, having III
view this preliminary order which iiad issueu 10
him. as well as TO other corps COMMANDERS. ulreci-
ed him 10 make an examination Oh ','e sIo n, ~
the neighborhood of GettS sburg ana 10 Ieport 10
me without loss of lime, The fnciliilts anu anNah-
ages or disadvantages OF that ground ioI receiving
battle. | furthermore instructed nun that IN cuse;
nDon his arrival al GeitySburg-a place WDIcn niu
never seen IN my life. and had no more knowIsuse
Of than you have nOw-he shouu hnn 'ne -, ,S
unsuitable snd the advantages on the size Oh lne
eneny he should examine The ground crlucdny as
ne went out there and report 10 me the heafes. DO
sition the immediate neiehDofhooa VI 49, he
Lurg where concentration or the army "ouu NC
more advantageous than at GettysDufg' ,...
=. Early In the evening of July /, SHOULD suppo s
about q or O'Clock, received report from 6ehe-
raj Hancock think In person, giving me suen an
account OF position in the neighD0rhood OF oet.
iysburg, which could be occupied nv ls al ,y az
caus9 me at once TO determine IN nght oatl'e at
that point, having reason 10 believe, from the ac
connt ri ven 10 me Of the opera Ions oil Jny hat
the enemy were concentrating inefe. i M
without any reference TO but entirely ghorinp w,
prelu mary order. which was mere con.inteu.s
and in'euded only to be executed ahaer tber
fore the order fell 10 the ground the army was W
dered nme lately TO concentrate, ana mat nan
did concentrate, on the hed o! hel tyspurs' ""''N
| the battle was eventually fOught out
| There cannot be the shadow OF doubl
that TO HANCOCK, more than to any olhei
man. was due the credit Of holding the al
most impregnabe position at Gettysburg
instead of falling back to the much weaker
one which MEADE bad selected along Pipe
CLAY creek. And yet it Is due to the trutf
of history to add that II General LEES or
ders to press on and occupy those heights
the evening OF the first day had been oDeyed
or il LoNGsTRsET had attacked. as ordered
early in the morning instead OF at 4:30 L
Nj. on the second day, or il he had obeyet
orders to attack simultaneously Will
EwELL at day break instead OF In TIT
afternoon on the third day, or II he hat
obeyed General LEES positive orders Il
make the final assault with the three divi
sions OF his own corps and too OF A. Z
HILLS instead OF sending up PICKETT
and PETTIGREw's small divisions TO b.
slaughtered while the rest OF the army look
ed on with amazed admiration at their he
role courage, then neither HANCOCK's skill
10 selecting the position, nor his super'
courage in defending it, would have avail
ed; but the Army OF the Potomac wOul'
have sustained an overwhelming defeat
and the story OF Gettysburg, il not OF tn
Confederacy, would have been different.
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The Dispatch has no warrant whateye
for ITS assertion that the Wing" has declared