Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-09-25
lanraster t,,teiLgs11cer.
SATURDAY EVENING. SEPT. rs. 1880.
Faisifying History.

In the heat or political campaign a
good deal of vituperation, a good many
misstatements, and a perversiOn of
good many historical facts, are to he
looked for from editors and orators of
both political parties; and yet who.
would expect to see in an old and hereto
fore reputable newspaper like the Ger
mantown Telegraph fiat denial of some
of the most incontestible facts of history
facts known to thousands if not hun
dreds of thousands of living witnesses,
and sworn to by many of the most emf
nent patriots who fought and bled for
the Union during the late rebellion. In
its partisan zeal the Germantown Iele-
graph does not hesitate to fly in the face
Ofall contemporaneous history and at
tempt to pluck from Gen. Hancock brow
the laurels which he gained by his gen
ius, his bravery and his blood at Gettys-
burg. That we may do no Injustice to
the Telegraph we will quote its own
words and then disprOve them by docu.
mentary testimony. The Telegraph
says:
"On the first day Of the battle Han
cocks corps had not arrived, and the
strong defensive position Was selected by
his wound in the desperate battle of the
that he aeas not an tile Third days battle at
all. The awful carnage of that third day
was, therefore, committed in his absence
His corps was the pivot of the victory, but
he was not in command Of it.
Hancock did his duty well, and his
corps, being largely composed of Pennsyl-
vanians, sustained very severe assaults.
But the greatest glory Of the corps was
won OH the third day, in the annihilation
OfPickett's division of Lees army. Thus
the first and third day of this great battle
were fought in Hancock S absence
"Thc two men, therefore, chiefly ell
gagged in forcing a battle at Gettysburg,
were Meade and Reynolds. But the crisis
of the struggle was on the third day, when
Hancock was not present. "
g 1t was this third days carnage that
wrecked Lees army and caused its hur-
ricd retreat into Maryland, in haste to get
back to Virginia.
Now, nobody will deny that it ras
the g thirds day carnage that wrecked
Lees army" and our only purpose here
shall be to prove that that carnage was
in HancOck's front, and that he was
there and in command until the close of
the third days fight. WeGuote from the
testimony taken before . the committee
on the conduct of the war;" OF which
Hon. Ii. F. Wade was chairman. Maj.
Gen. Geo. &. Meade, commander-in-chief,
testified March 9Th, 1860, as follows
(page 330):
son the 1st Of July. my headquarters
being at Taneytown, and having directed
the advance Of two corps the previous day
to Gettysburg, with the intention of occu-
pying that place-about 1 or o'clock in
the day | should Think received infor-
nation that the advance of my army under
Gen. Reynolds, of the 1st corps, on reach
ing Gettysburg had encountered the enemy
in force, and that the 1st and 18th corps
were at that time engaged in 4 contest
with such parts of the enemy as were
there. The moment l received this in
formation directed Maj. Gen. Hancock,
who was with me ut the time to proceed
without delay to the scene of the contest,
= and make an examination of
the ground in the ncighborhood of Gettys-
burg, and to report to me, without loss of
time, the facilities and advantages Or dis
advantages of that ground for receiving
battle. furthermore instructed him that
in case upon his arrival ut Gettysburg-a
place rhtch Ihad neCer seen an my life, and
had no more knoeledge Of than you hare
noc-he should find the position unsuitable
and the advantages on the side of the en-
emy, he should examine the ground crit-
cally rs he went Oat there, and report to
me the nearest position in the immediate
neighborhood of Gettysburg where con-
vantageous than at Gettysburg. Early in
the evening of July l, | should suppose
about & or o'clock, receiced report
from Gen. Hancock, l think in person, Civ
ing me such an account Of a position in the
neighborhood of Gettysburg which could
be occupied by my army, as caused Inc at
once to determine to fight a battle ut that
point
Thus it appears that Meade a,loptcd
for battle the ground that Hancock had
selected, and there are whole pages of tes-
timony of other officers who distinguish
ed themselves at Gettysburg to the same
effect. AS the Telegraph graciously ac-
knOwledges that Hancock was in the
second days fight July q, and "did his
duty well,'' we shall say nothing about
the fighting on that day, but hurry on to
the third day of the battle-the day on
which the Telegraph declares :: Hancock
was not present." Gen. Meade on March
d, 1851, testified rs follows (page aS333):
"About 1 o'clock in the day July 3, as
near rs can remember, the enemy opened |
upon our lines with, Ishould Judge, about
l25 guns, a severe cannonade, and which was |
kept up one or two hours, and which was
directed at my left and leit-centre, prin-
cipally at my lcft-centrc. The object of
this was to demoralize my command by
the severe fire, the enemy hoping that they
would he enabled to drive us back from
our lines, and to injurc our artillery: and
then intending, as they subsequently, did.
to make grand assault which should Sc
cure them the victory. This assault was
made about ) clock in the afternoon and
acas directed principany against that po,tion
Of tile line commanded by Major General
Hancock, on tile left-centre. =
This assault, which was made in three
lines Of battle, which were apparently over
. mile and a half in extent in front.
was entirely and successfully repulsed.
The next day, which was the
4th OF July, it was reported to me from the
extreme right that the enemy had disap-
peared from Our 'front.'
Maj. Gen. Buttertield, Meade's chief
Of Staff, testified before the committee