The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-05
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lw. ii. Swallow, aa soasAsra Blsoaae.l

' tw. ti. swsssew, h soashera Hsseaac.l AS there has hssa mucA aczimcnioas consroversY on the Qusasioa a b wAr General Early did nos advance and ce- cupy Cup Hull oa Wednesday evening, the writer, who wes on the spes and wit. messed all tAas passed. wiA relate what he kuoWs about h. Before we met HAyA Captain HoscAkiss, wAo saw what was going on, turaed to tho writer and Cap. tain BcockenbrousA, sayins. will go as once and bring General Early" But when told that General Hays was ahead ot us. we rode up to Aim. The general was watching force of EedeFals iust then ln the cemetery and trying 10 reach .he pike. Hays would have moved his brigade and occupied Culps hiN had it not been that he and Gordon had re. ceived positive orders from General Ewell. through Early, not Co advance be- yond the town if they should succeed in capturing it,
 General Hays sen, for Early and pointed to the importance Of moving the whole division on CuipS Hill. and occupying not only 1t, but the Baltimore pike Gen eral E .riy thea said: |" am satis6ed that you are right; it should be occupied on the spot. but caanot d,sobey oEders," and thea, turning away from us tsw s cps said, moro to himselt than HAys; If ackson were on the field would act on the spot" General Hays then spoke A few animated words to Early. when the latter said: "You are risht. general. you are right. m send to Ewell for osders at once." EarlyS dlusion was now moved 90 as to support Hays in the oc. cupancy ot Cubs Hill as soon as the orders came trom Ewclt Moment attes moment passed away. They were tess- less and anxious moments to us. who were watching what was going on in our front. We saw the enemy drag a battery on the pike, followed by large force. and could sec from their movements their in. ,ent,ons. Regiment after regiment crossed the pike and took good position. They wtre lined up in short order. Ewell arrived, but 1t was now too late The afternoon was fAr spent, and Wards worth s division ot Reynolds corps were on the heights before us in line of battle. These were tho .me men who opened the battle in the morning at Wiltougho . Run. In this state of things |, was dc cided by General F. sell thu it was no, expedicnt to attack the enemy, While these things were transpirtng, Generals Lee and Longs.reet were in the rear oi the line ct battle.
 l The question now Is, why was not Culp's Hull occupied on Wednesd ,y even ing2 Where does the responsibility Tes, for this fatal mistake. the 6rst among the reasons why Lee los, Getty sbarg2 Fatal l fhiH m laE Ia iR NnllaaaMA hu others equally disastrous before the battle ended.
 General Lee says: "The attack was not pressed that afternoon, the enemy's force being unknown, and 1t being con- sldered advixabls 10 await tho arrival oi the rest Of the troops Orders were sent back to hasten theiT mach, and, in the mean time, every effort was made to ss certain the number and position of the enemy and find the most favorable poin, of attack"
 General Lon 2street, h his contribu. tions to the "Annals Of the War;" page 4,o takes us behind the curtain and re. cues the following incident of General Lee, in the afternoon of that day, which shows, as L1ngsueet says. that the com mandiDg general was enveloped ID doubt and anxiety which seemed to have weighed him down and destroyed hts equipoiSe.
 General Anderson was waiting with his division at Calhoun for orders. About ten o'clock he Eece,ved a poie from Gen esal Leo, stating that he wanted to see him. He found Lee in,eutiy lis,ening to the fire Of the guns, and very much dis tuTbed and depressed. Al lenRth he sad I'l cannot th,nk what has become oi Siuar,, 1 ough, to have heard from him before nov. He may have met with dis aster but hops not h the absence of reports from h,m, do not know what we have iu our front here. lt may be inc whole Federal army, or it may be only a detachment U it is the whole Feeder al force, we must fight battle here and fl we do not gain victory, those de6les and mountain gorgcs through which we have passed this morning sill shelter us from disaster."
 Oa the evening of July the ist, General Lee took up his headquarters On the Chambersburg road, about quarter O! . mile from the Seminary, in ,ront of the division of General Heth. The position gave him fall visw of Gettysburg, Of has own army and the enemy's line Of de- f.nse.
 In reviewing the results of the 6rss days york al Csttysbusg, 1t cannot bs denied that, taken as whels. t was a severe de- feat tos the Union army. If the disaster which beieii the enemy had been iol. 10 ~ed up by Early's division ss aay time between i've ana seven o'clock, there would have been no further battle.