The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-11-28
GEN. lee AND GETTYSBURG
HOW HIS MOVE WAS MADE.

HOW HIS MOVE WAS MADE. -
aat 8lflW rc ~ l-r
Exsaevernsr Curtin Lately Discovers
the Unknown Scouf who Report
ed Lees March From Cnam-
bersbufg. Rev. stephen
t w. PVmerOy.
The latter part of June, 1868, pre-
sented the darkest days of the great
civil war in Pennsylvania. General
Lee had gathered the strongest army
that he ever commanded for an ag-
/ gressive campaign to transfer the
ravages of war from Virginia to
Pennsylvania, and he confidently
counted on the defeat of the Army OF
the Potomac that could then, for the
first time, be met with equal num-
/ bers and guns, and on the open field.
h 1t had just suffered dispiritirg de-
/ feat at Charlottesville; it was de-
moralized by want of confidence in
\ its commander. and Lee expected
that his army, flushed with victory,
would surely defeat an army whose
spirit was greatly impaired and that
would be compelled to face an equal
force of the enemy 1853
As is well remembered, Lee march
ed the major portion OF his army to
Chambersburg. where he made his
headquarters for several days, and
Generals, Early and Rhodes pushed
his wings down as far as Carlisle
and York, and the insurgents flag
came SO near Harrisburg that 1t was
visible from the cipola of the Capi-
tol. Lee, of course, cut off all com
munications with the hostile coun-
ty that surrounded him, and the
Government at Harrisburg was for
nearly week in painful suspense
as to his objective point and the
government at Washington was in
equal ignorance OF the purpose of
Lee. 1t was evident that he intend
ed to deliver or receive the decisive
blow of the war, and his movements
enlisted the intensest interest of
governments and people. He guard
ed with scrupulous care all his lines
.abeut Chambersburg, to conceal as
far as possible his plans. There were
no telegraph lines in operation at
any point in the cumberland Valley
east Of Chambersburg, and the pas
sage of Lees lines was regarded as
next to all impossibility.
The pIinful anxiety about Lees
tintended movements had been borne
for nearly IL week, when dispatch
dated Port Royal, up the Juniata
some fifty miles from Harrisburg,
was brought 10 Governor Curtin 5
Executive Office, about one o'clock
in the morning, stating that Lee had
Just commenced the movement of
ibis army 10 coccentrate toward Ger
.ysburg. The dispatch was unsign-
| ed, but it gave details fthe authors
Journey from inside of Lees lines in
! Chambersburg, over the North
Mountain and down ruscarora Val
lev to Port Royal, and assured Gov
ernor Curtin, to whom the dispatch
was addressed, that Lee was on the
march toward Gettysburg. There
were present with Governor Curtin
in his efiice, General Couch, Com
mander of the Department; Colonel
John A. Wright, of the Governors
staff Colonel Coppee, now of Lehigh
University Mr.. Mcclure, now of the
Times, and probably one or two 9th
ers. Attorney General Meredith
and Secretary Slifer were in Phila-
delphia, ostensibly to prepare for the
removal of the government to that
city. but in fact to get Mr.. Meredith
awav from danger. He was quite
! infirm, but he refused to leave the
Capital, regardless of the danger
of capture, and lie left only under
orders from the Governor to perform
a public duty. The long absence of
news Of Lees movements made any
thing on the subject profoundly in
teresting; but the dispatch was un
signed all efforts to get information
OF the scouts identity failed the
distance he claimed TO have travelled
was startling, and there were grave
discussions as to the reliability OF
! the news. Rumors were as thick as
| leaves on the trees, and a report from
an unnamed author was open to the
suspicion of imposture or OF error.
Maps of the country through which
the unknown scout claimed to have
passed were carefully examined, and
his telegram correctly described To-
calities. Although far from satlsfac-
tory, it was welcome and in the alb
sense of more definite information,
IL was acted upon. General Badly
Smith. who was between the Sus-
auehanna and Carlisle, was reached,
and he reported that he felt the enc
my retiring, and soon after signal
fires were discovered on the South
Mountain. These facts cOrroborated
the report OF the nameless scout, and
the information was promptly trans
mitted to the President That dis
patch from Governor Curtin, based
upon the report of the unknown In
former, was the first information the
President received of the march of
Lee for Gettysburg, and it was, of
course, promptly communicated to
General Meade, then just chosen to
meet Lee in the most desperate and
decisive battle of the war.
Subsequent events proved that the
unknown scout had reported the ex-
act truth from the inside of Lees
lines to Governor Curtin, but the
battle of Gettysburg was fought, and
the war closed and twenty years
passed, but the Governor remained
in utter ignorance of the identity OF
the man who had so heroically
brought the first news of Lees move
ment to the State and National Gov
ernment. Governor Curtin had often
spoken of the strange circumstance,
and only a few weeks ago, the once
unknown scout heard of the Gov
ernor's inquiries about him, and he
addressed letter to Governor Curtin
from the pea ceful mountain palson-