The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-14
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
General Sickles Replies to the Lately Pub
lished Letter of General Meade.

General Sickles Replies to the Lately Pub
lished Letter of General Meade.
Nzw YORK, Aug. 13.-General Sickles has re-
piled to the letter recently published in the
Philadelphia Weekly Press from General Meade,
dated in 1870, to Colonel Benedict, Of Burling-
ton, VT General Sickes says: General
Meades letter must have been written without
deliberation, without revision and without COM
parison with the official records. 1t contradicts
his own official report of the battle, made in Oc-
tober, 1863 and mis- testimony before the COM
tnittee on the conduct OF the war In March, 1864.
General Meade is altogether mistaken in speak
ing of charges, insinuations and attacks
his conduct at Gettysburg, excepting in my tes-
timony before the committee upon the conduct
of the war in February, 1864 General Meade's
testimony was given in the following month, and
with full knowledge of all my statements, none
Of which were contradicted by him when he tes-
titled. The report of the committee upon the
conduct of the war justified me aud censured
General Meade 1t must not be supposed that
General Meade had controversy with General
Sickles only. Other corps commanders made
protests when / was silent l will only
speak now OF ono or two as exam
pies. Immediately after General Meade's
report Of the battle of Gettysburg,
Major general Slocum, commander OF the right
wing of the army of the Potomac at Gettysburg.
in an official communication to General Meade,
Arraigns him for series Of inaccuracies, to use
the mildest phrase, in General Meade's report of
Gettysburg, by which great injustice was done
to General Slocum and the corps under his com
mand. After reciting so much of General Meades
report as relates to the operations of his tSlo-
Sum's command. General Slocum said: Yet
the facts in the case are very nearly the reverse
of the above in every particular, and directly in
contradiction to the facts set forth in the re-
ports of Generals Geary and Williams Brig. gen.
Williams. commanding the Twelfth Corps,
in an official communication to Major-genera
Slocum, dated Dec 26, 1863, points out serious
misstatements in General Meadea official report
relating to the operations of the Twelfth Corps
on the I'd of July. could produce similar
proofs showing the characteristic inaccuracies
of General Meade In his official reports OF his
military operations General Meade knew moth
ing of Gettysburg, and he 30 stated to the COM
mittee upon the conduct of the war. | assisted
in this by moving my corps twelve miles, from
Emrnettsburg to Gettysburg, on the afternoon
of July ]. to help Howard, after Reynolds fell;
Gettysburg, at 8 o'clock. on the night Of July l,
asking his approval of my march, made without
orders, and urging him to come to Gettysburg
with his army, describing IL as "a good place to
give Dattle, ana pOlnting out 10 nlm tnaJ It's
weak place would be on his left. as it proved to
be the next day, when / was left unsupported
for two hours to resist Longstreet's assault.
After General Meade had brought his forces up
TO Gettysburg and reconnoitered the position he
was dissatisfied. and frequently spoke of it dur
ing the I'd of July as no place to fight battle" !"
He SO expressed himself in the council OF war,
held the night of July q After this
council had decided to stay and
feht It out. General Slocum thus
s6aC~v hiatt %nnl> nj q
''Well, gentlemen the question is settled; we
will remain here. but wish to say that l con-
slider this no place to fight battle This was
after the combats OF the 1st and I'd of July, and
after 20, 900 Union soldiers had fallen on that
field. General Meade seemed to manifest re-
sentiment against every corp commander who
had been instrumental in the choice of
Gettysburg as our battlefield. He owed
his splendid position then to Buford. Rey.
nolds and Howard, and the divisions of
Wadsworth Doubleday, and Robinson, yet all
of these officers, except Reynolds, who was
killed, suffered marks of his displeasure, or were
dismissed with the scantest recognition of their
heroic conduct. In Howard's case Congress
inte-posed to do him justice when he received
their formal vote of thanks for his choice of our
position on Cemetery Ridge, the Gibraltar of
Gettysburg Nevertheless neither Howard nor
slocum were welcome, in Meade's army, and
man, where both gained so much distinc-
tion. General Meade was surprised by
the attack of Longstreet on the Union left on the
afternoon of the I'd of July. No preparations
whatever were made by the commanding general
10 meet Longstreets assault Then it was no
order of battle. General Meade had not person
ally reconnoitered the position, though fire.
luently solicited by General Sickles, General
tMeades chief of artillery and Warren, his chief
of engineers to do so This appears III the tes-
timony of General Hunt and in the report of
General Tremain. my senior aide-de-camp. Not
Dnly was no preparation made by General Meade
10 meet the attack upon his left, the position
held, but he deprived me and himself of the
only effective support he had upon his left flank
by the unaccountable withdrawal of Buford's
division of cavalry, which held the Emmetsburg
road and covered our left flank, incuding Round
Top, until late hour on the morning
Of the ID General Geary's division of
infantry had been Withdrawn from the left very
early in the morning. Upon me, thus weakened
by the withdrawal of two divisions, rested the
sole responsibility OF resisting the formidable at
tack Of General Lee upon our left flank. The
first support that reached me was Barnes's di
vision of the Fifth army corps. that went into
position at o'clock in the afternoon, two hours
after the battle opened
General Sckles then quotes from Count De
Pariss book TO sustain himself. and adds: "Gen.
Meades whole attention was tactcal.y fixed
upon his right flank He did not believe that
the enemy would attack his left, although Han
cock and myself had pointed out that his left
was the vulnerable point Of attack At o'clock
on the afternoon Of July q few moments be-
fore Longstreet opened his assault, Meade tele.
graphed to Halieck: II satisfied, the enemy is