National Republican., 1884-10-18

OF that eliminating episode in tho late
civil war, In which was forced back the
invading army of Lee and which left the
army Of Gen. Meade in not much better
plight for fighting than its opponents,
do not even pretend to give history or
description. II was square stand-up
fight, and there were many mistakes on
both sides. Let, then, tho professional
historians settle to their hearts content
oil these matters. write simply to give
tho recollections Of man In the ranks
aud those which he heard from his COM
rades after the battle was thing Of the
past.
But first IL Is necessary, in order to
explain the object of this article, that l
should give my "reminiscences of the talk
that prevailed In the confederate camps
efter tho retreat of Lee into Virginia,
and also what heard afterward from
men about the headquarters of Gen. Lee
himself.
may say, first, thai the battle Of Get
tysburg was not fought as Gen. Lee
planned IL, owing to the carelessness or
the want of ability or the rascality of the
man who commanded the right wing Of
the army. 1t Is difficult to believe that
1ongstreot was a traitor, and yet his in
excusable disobedience Of plain orders is
hard otherwise to be accounted for. 1t is
more charitable to think that he was
self.sufficlent fool in whom Lee placed
too much confidence.
The histories tell how tho advance OF
the confederates met the troops of Rey-
nolds aud Howard aud beat them on the
first day in front of Gettysburg. Soon
afterward the corps of A. p. Hill nd
Gen. Ewell came up and renewed the
combat, which only ceased because Of the
darkness. Longstreet got up within sup
porting distance about midnight, and had
conference with Lee and the other
corps generals. There is not the slightest
doubt about it that then and there Gen.
Lee ordered Longstreet to get his men
into position as soon as might be and
attack as soon as possible after daybreak,
but to sweep around and envelop the left
wing of the enemy, and, to use the words
of Gen. Lee, roll them up like SCROLL"
Longstreet, according to his own ac.
acknowledgement, thought Gen. Lee had
.ost his splendid mental equipoise."
Longstreet thought also that the cam
paign should be "otiensived defensive. !"
He pdidn't want to fight. He
deprecated the command of his su-
perior officer, who ought to have ar
rested him instantly, as did Sheridan
Gen. Warren at the Five Forks battle,
and instead Of attacking at daybreak, as
he was ordered to do he spent the fore
noon in sluggishly reconnoitering (he was
a slow-moving heavy minded man at any
time, as the writer knows pers onally).
and about 2 o'clock p. IN. on the second
day of the fight he made his savage and
successful, but utterly inconsoquent fight
on the salient which was made by
Sickles's corps thrusting itself forward
from the main body in the historic peach
orchard"
Now. although Gen. Longstreet was
apparently successful he had actually ac-
complished nothing. Lee had ordered
him to attack and envelop the flank of
Meades army, and he had only struck the
main line heavy and brutal blow.
And this brings me to the fact that
Picketts division of Longstreets corps
was not up in the second days battle.
This division and Pettigrew's division
were on the march from the rear up to
nearly 2 o'clock of the morning of the
third aud final day of the battle. Couriers
had been sent again and again to hurry
up these men, and they had taxed nature
to her utmost IN reply. AS tney "r.iveu
in the positions assigned to them, con-
Quoted by staff officers, they fell down in
their tracks and slept the sleep Of exhaus-
tion.
1t will be remembered by those who
have read in histories about this great
battle that Gen. Lee had massed in front OF
Cemetery hill about $50 cannon, which
kept up until late in the third day OF the
fight continuous rain OF shot ana shei
on the opposing lines Now, l mean tc
saw that only portion of Picketti
division were lying behind these guns or
their faces, waiting iOr the word to ad
vance. There were present Hunton's
Armistead's, and Kemper's bfigades, bu
the right brigade of the division (Corse'sl
which was in point of organization TN
Oldest of them all, for it had been sue
cessively commanded by Longstreet, A
p. Hill, and j. l.. Kemper, was guarding
the bridges over the North Anna river
and acting as u movable shield from raid
made against the line of railroad between
Richmond aud GordOnsville.
Picketts division, when tho brigade
were all together, never numbered NOR
than six thousand fighting men, and witt
Corse's brigade away it did not numbe
four thousand. 1t was Lees purpose t.
break the center of the federal line. an
while fighting on each wing he ha
massed the divisions OF Pickett and Pet
tigrew for the grand assault. But ther
was one point in which Longstreet de
liberately, and it would seem OF malic
advance the batteries in the intervals {
the brigades, and to fight them at inter
walls. Had this been done the South Cal
olinans might not have given way on a,
count of the artillery fire from Lift
Round Top, nor would the Virginiar
have been forced to fly when unsupporte
from the breastworks and batteries whic
they had captured.
Corse's brigade, to which the write
Lal. tl,.,h hatt1 10 ,ntt tl.a Ia.
brigade ut Winchester, and the charge
Gettysburg and its incidents were ii
prevailing topic for q long time around Il
fires of the bivouac.
/ will say here that l am only givin
as far as l can recollect, the outline of til
talk. While the tremendou, cannonat
WAS in progress the men Of Cons Picke
and Petugrew hau been lying on the
faces Just in rear of the line of gun
They had suffered from hunger thirs
and the weariness of the forced marc
the night before. 1t was lato in 81
afternoon, when the fire OF the batteri
had ceased for q moment that Adit. Ge
G. Moxley Sorrelle, Of Longstreet's sta
rode along the line and, with pleasa
nod to the men of the regiments. sal
"We'll be in for it in a few moments, boys
Longstreet then rode along the lin'
accompanied by Pickett and his stati, ar
after some examination through the
glasses Of the hill In front, Longstre
and his staff went to tho rear. Th
Pickett, with his face blazing like
comet and his long black hair danci
with the motion Of his horse went {
along the ranks saying in u very IL
words that his men were called upon
do very desperate action, and he knt
they would not fail him, and he intend
to lead them. Orders were then Civ
for oil mounted officers, from brigade
generals down, to dismount aud lead tn
Coinmands on foot Every officer u