The Sunday herald., 1882-03-19
cHANcELLoRsvILLE AND aErrYs
BORG.-4IV.


General Doubleday has been fercely as
sailed In the New York Herald and In tho Register OF
this city FOR his statements as to Meado's gloomy
frame OF mind at the close Of tho second days light
ing that ho Interpretations retreat and that to
tho generals In the council OF hold that night
who had voted to remain aud hght II ont ho said;
" Havo It your own way, gentlemen. but Gettysburg
" IL no place to hght battle iu,'' Meads's testl-
mony before the Committee ON the Conduct OF the
War Is cited evidence Of the alsy OF Douboday's
statements But these writer's seem tohave overlooked
the pregnant admission with which Goncral Meade
closed his elaborate and solemn denal
utterly deny ever having intended or thought for
one instant 10 withdraw that army, tHises the
military contingencies ibhfch he T,,tnrs sSonH
develop d,rfng fs co,,gss IN he igv jobt r, s a
mailer of necessity That the army should be tOih.
drdt0p.
Now significant admission pretty wen neutraiizes
the whole statement. General Butterneld, who was
Meades chief OF staf, aud was wounded there, test-
ned tina under Meade direction he drew up detailed
order 70 retreat. General A. T.. Hove, then com-
mandlng the sccoud division OF the 9Th Corps, now
lieutenant colonel Second Artillery. who was brrvctc1
In Mexico for COntreras AMI Chctubnsco, and three
times during the Civll War Tor Malvern Inn Salem
Heights. and pappahannock station testified that
whom the nghting appeared to he over for the day he
asked General sedgwlck to let him give the men
chance to get coffee and rest:
10 me- ~ " Is little early vets they
back TO Westminster. ~ General serdwIck
gave me to understand that our army would ptohaly
move back TO Westminster.
After the battle Of Gettysburg Meade was popular
and powerful, and most Of the generals doubtless
thought 1t wisest TO say as little possible about his
vacliatng disposition and feeble policy at Gettys-
burg. General Howe was promptly relieved from
service In the Army Of the Potomac, and to he pre-
suHed that this passage In his testimony did him no
Tk.s.. l.
Ills ttnthfnncsS nor that OF General Doubleday and
when the latter speaks Of subjects which must have
been generally known IN the army by officers OF his
rank II Ia to be presumed that he speaks correctly
The variance between Meade's admission and Double
days assertion Is not very grea and the latter In the
present volume only adds 10 the already sufficient
evidence that Gcaeral Meade was not In the sanrnIne
frame OF mind necessary to reap the hest fruits from
the blood OF his splendid soldlery lie was All the
while looking backward, rather than forward.
All the evidence accessible shows that Meade was
h" only nnPropared for the battle at Gettysburg, but
that his mind having been fixed on the Idea OF
hemlng at Pipe creek, he was 10th to lot It 60 and
that hc had so little grasp events that the battle OF
Gettysburg really fought itself aud was very FUN
bling and accidental affair far Meade was con-
cerned According to Archduke Charles, the general
who wants TO give cnergy to his roors must live with
the advanced guard Meade was more badly Infected
thah Mcclellan with the commandment. chief Idea,
ahd SO the moment for decisive action always slipped
away before he, ut his secure position in the rear
discovered that 1t had arrived. There could be no
stronger evidence of his ncapac,y and total lack OF
true genius for war than Is found In his presence at
raneytown 81 many hours after he had learned that
bd'lo was raging at Gettysburg. There at the front
was the place above all others get information and
from which TO Issue orders. Yet we find Buttcrneld
whiting to setiswick at 1880 l.. NJ. July L. to march
t. Gettysburg, ana directing him to report at Tane-
tnwn In person. adding:
lie Mcsdel Is waiting see you here before going
to the front.
What are these but the ear marks OF barren and
lrres"ute nindY with the Information we know he
possessed we wonder that General Meade was not at
Gettysburg as early as noon on that day When wa
read that at nighfa he Is waiting In the rear to see
sedgwck, wonder sinks into feeling which Is not
| res Get
inefal John rufurd had written 10 plelsonton at
twenty minutes past three when u gallant remnant
OF the First Corps was still holding Seminary Ridge
against overwhelming odds: 'In my opinion there
" seems TO be no directing person.
Howard was In command of the twa corps and
that was equivalent 10 having head. Hancock at
5:"5 reported the state OF afts TO Meade ending his
despatch with the words: Howard s,ys that Double
"diy's command gave way.''
baser slander than this was never uttered, for
| Howard knew that DOubeday's command had Be-
First Corps encountered INNS brigades about 10 A.
NJ, and 1t WAS after T.. NJ. before the Eleventh
Corps were engagedand that after the Eleventh Corrs
hHh been driven In confusion the First Corps was still
holding Its ground about The Seminary No soldier
eau blame General Doubleday for hlsrighteOus ndig
nation at the lying message Howard sent to Meade
early In the day, and the lie he poured into Hancock
car to cover his discontinue at the ptiful aspect of
his own disordered command on Cemetery HILL The
writer OF this had been living
In one of tie improvised hospitals p the village when
The air began TO smell of disaster. With some other
wonhded officers who were able 10 walk he got In
the street ana 8toVo To do some good by stopping the
straggers that began pouring by In Increasing num-
hers. They Eleventh Corps Germans and n
pretty unmanageabe lot. The effort, continued for
some time was finally given up hopeless, and We
hobbled along after the crowd beginning to be over.
taken by some of tile First Corps men OF our own
brigade as We climbed toward the cemetery where
battery on the right OF the road beginning to fire
over our heads at the pursuing enemy This incident
Is only menlione to show hoIo this writer knows that
| the Eleventh Corps which went in hours after us,
was ahead of the First Corrsin the retreat The men
Of Cuters brigade, who helped OF their wounded
oucers up this HILL had returned In good order along
tue railroad grade Into town, and had thrown ont
skirmishers to cover their retrograde movement.
This must have been about clock In the afternoon
Gen. Doubleday has allowed himself be led Into an
error when he speaks Of the retreat OF regiments
OF this brigade who were outfanked and withdrawn
under orders at the beginning OF the battle as some-
what disoideily." Otherwise the circumstances
are correctly stated. Three regiments OF Cutters
brigade, the li7h New York, seth Pennsylvania and
10th New York, were marched at double quick across
The railroad, faced the loft and advanced to the
brow OF the hili, where they encountered at close
quarters Dayis's brigade Of Heth's division, which
was also advancing. The opposing forces then came
i'm tlntt I,nv
skirmisheis nor made any reconnaissance. Rcy-
| nolds who had ordered the movement, was at that
inonisnt with the skifmishers OF NTOrrOw's Iron
brigade at the edge OF the woods the other side
the road. The 10th New York was thus the ex-
treme right of line OF battle But as the breades
which encountered each other at right came to-
gether the 10th was overapped by nearly the whole
front OF the t6th North Carolina, while 1t and tile
other two regiments were engaged directly In front
by the I'd and i2d Mississippi The right regiment
being thus taken full In flank well la 'front.' was
melting rapidly away, and the order issued to fall
back which was done In good orde. by the 78th New
York and seth Pennsylvania but the commander of the
ll7th New York being wounded Just he received the
order, his regiment remained and fought heroIcaly
against the force which swung around It until It was
extricated by the rest OF the brigade the other
side OF the railway cut and the 9th Wisconsin. In
this opening contest OF the day the 10th New York
lost, In killed and wounded, is officers and ISL men,
the ii7tb New York lost 2O7 Of $780, and the seth
Pennsylvania lost 70 out OF 235. The writer of ihs
who was wounded. accompanied the retreat until the
regiments moved back again and retook their original
position and 1t was not disordery, and by means
hasly OF he could not have kept along with II In his
crippled and exhausted condition. 1t this same br
gadewhieh, having fought In positions
and captured nearly regiment with Its colors after
O'Clock In the afternoon retreaed In Order stated
before along the railroad grade, and threw OUT
skifmishers 10 the Hank left exposed by the
rout OF Howard's corps. Tine dIsordered condition
In which the remnant of the First Corps appeared ON
Cemetery Ridge that evening due the unay0Id-
able mixing OF Tie commands In retTeating through
the town. The great fight made by the First Corps
on this day Is attested by the length Of time It
tinued against a force large enough TO enyelop It
and by Its heavy losses In killed and wounded. The
roster printed as an appendix by General Doubleday
shows an extraordinary loss OF field ofhcers, ma
ority OF the regiments having had their commanders
Nulila