The National tribune., 1882-11-30
counsels. Her place Is at our side, and thers
we should always be proud to havs her.
The Gettysburg Campaign.

The Gettysburg Campaign.
We open the history of the campaign
which had its bloody denouement OF the
Geld of Gettysburg with carefully pre-
pared resume Of the cavalry movements liz
Virginia which immedisteiy precodsd the
advance Of both armies from the line ef tho
RaPpahannock.
OF aho thras great armies Of the eenfed-
sraoy, under Lee, Bragg, and PembertOn, the
former only could be relied upon for sR
offensive campaign. Psmbertop wns be-
sieged by Grant at YickEburg, Bragg was
lying behind his 6efenoes st TUllahoma Rna
6belbyyine, in .Tennessee, al poweriess 10
inAict injury upon his antagonist RoseoraDa,
az he was TO re-enforco Johnston's suCcoriEg
army at jackson, Mississippi
With defeat staring them IN the face il
tho Wess the confederate leaders formed the
bold determination to assume the offensive
In the East, and, by sudden mOvsmens to
the rear Of the Amy Of the Potomac, force
the Federal Government to loosen its hold
upon Virginia
Tho question of subsistencs for an amy
which aggregated, on the 3Ist Of Nay, 1885,
689 men, present and absent, had for months
cauged grave anxiety In the minds of the
confederate leaders, and it YVES believed thst
If the movements should result in nothing
beyond an extensive foraging expedition, It
would prove of advantage TO ths waning
oAuse
There were ressons, however, for the belief
THAI general engagement would result IN
victory to Lee's army. His effective strength
on the S1st Of Nay wss nearly 10000, and
to an experienced general At ths hsad OF
suoh foroe nothing appears inpossibls.
An arny Of few thousand moro might be
met and vsnquishod. The tide of battle Is
easily Turned. TIE failure 70 deliver sa
order ut critical emergency, t sudden panic
In tho ranks, the capture OF an ammunition
train, the death of the commanding general,
the loss Of an important strategic position, or
more trivial causes, have been known &c
snatch victory from the jaws of defest,
The defeat Of tho Army of the Potomsc IA
a great and decisive battle would open tbs
doors OF the North TO the Army Of Northern
Virginia There was no other srmy to sub
stitute Tor ths Army of the Potomac if that
should be defeated Never did greater Is-
sponsibility fall upon commanding general,
and never did more tremendous issues hang
upon the result Of single battle.
Victory st Gettysburg meant TO TIRE coz
federacy al entrance into Philadelphia and
Baltimore, tbs utter Generalization of the
troops that opposed Lees victorious army
foreign recognition of the southern cOnfed-
eracy, aud the removal of the seat OF the
confederate government from Richmond 30
Washington. Whatever may have been the
view taken of the success of the enterprise
at Richmond, where the plan Of the csIn-
paign had been mapped out, there was cause
for grave concern at Washington, where it
could only be coniectured.
II Lees movement aoross this PotomGc
nsant an attempt upon Washington, then
his advance into Pennsyavanis was but
fslnt 30 draw troops froa the dofenoea Of
the National Capital
lion the other hand, ne WAS moving upon
the true line of his campaign, and his OBJ.
jecttvc point was the rich graiu-helds Of
Pennsylvania, the necessity eziated for In
terpOsing the Army Of tbs Potomao between
his army and the seaboard citlsa while
moving against It,
.