Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-14
BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
General Sinllss Defends Himself Agatas
Charges by General Meade.

I
eral Meade, dated in 1870, to Colonel Ben.
edict, OF Burlington. Vt General Sickle.
says " General Meade's letter must have
been written without deliberation, without
revision, and without comparison with Off
ciai records. II contradicts his own official
report of the battle, made by Meade in Oc-
tober, 1868, and his testimony before the
Committee on the Conduct of the War in
March, 1864. General Meade is altogether
mistaken in speaking of charges, insinua-
tions and attacks upon him by me. | have
never spoken of his conduct at Gettysburg
except i'll my testimony before the Commit
tee upon the Conduct of the War in Febru-
ary, 1864. General Meades testimony was
given in the following month and
| with full knowledge of all my
statements, none of which were con
| tradicted by him when lie testified
| The report Of the Committee upon Conduct
! OF the War justified me and censured
General Sleade. 1t must not be supposed
! that General Meade had controversy with
! General Sickles only. Other corps COM
manders made protests when l was silent.
| will only speak now of one or two as ex-
| amples. Immediately after General Neade's
| reports of the battle OF Gettysburg. Major
| General Slocum, commanding the right
wing of the Army OF the Potomac at Get
| tysburg, in an official communication TO
1 General Meade, arraigns him for a series
| OF inaccuracies, To use the mildest phrase,
in General Meade's report of the battle OF
Gettysburg, by which great injustice was
done TO General Slocum, and the corps
under his command. After reciling so
much of General Meade's report as relates
to the operation, of his (Slocum's) COM
mand, General Slocum said: Yet the
facts in the case are very nearly the
IN ~ rfa- :,
rectly in contradiction to the facts
as set forth in the reports of Generals
Geary and Williams Brigadier- General
Williams commanding the Twelfth Corps
in an official communication to Major
General Slocum, dated December 26 1863
points out four serious misstatements in
General Meade's Official report relating TO
the operations of the Twelfth Corps on the
I'd of July. l could amplify similar proofs,
showing the characteristic inaccuracy of
General Meade in his official reports of his
military operations. General Meade knew
nothing OF Gettysburg. and be so stated to
the Committee upon the Conduct of the
War. | assisted IN this by moving my
corps twelve miles from Emmettsburg to
Gettysburg on the afternoon OF July 1st to
help Howard after Reynolds fell Also
by my letter to General Meade, written at
Gettysburg at 8 o'clock on the night of
July 1st asking his approval of my
march, made without orders and urging
him 10 come TO Gettysburg with his
army, describing it as q good place
TO fight battle, and pointing out to him
that its weak place would be on his left, as
1t proved to be the next day, when l was
left unsupported for two hours to resist
Longstreet's assault. After General Meade
had brought his forces up to Gettysburg
and had reconnoitered the position, he was
dissatisfied, and frequently spoke of it on
the I'd of July as no place to fight battle
He so expressed himself in a council of war
held on the night OF the I'd. After this
council had decided to stay and fight it out
General Slocum thus describes what took
place General Meade said: "Well,
gentlemen, the question is settled.
to say that I consider this no place to fight
battle" This was after the combats OF
the 1st and I'd of July. and after 10000
Union soldiers had fallen in that field
General Meade seemed to manifest resent
ment against this corps 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 these officers, except Reynolds, who
W
ure, or were dismissed with the seantiest
recognition of their heroic conduct. In
Howard's case, Congress interposed 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 sought
service in the West under Sherman. where
both gained so much distinction. General
Meade was surprised by the attack of
Longstreet on us on the left on the after
noon of the I'd of July. No preparations
whatever were made by the commanding
General to meet Longstreets assault. There
was no order of battle. General Meade
had not personally reconnoitered the posi-
ton, though frequently solicited by General
Sickles and General Hunt and in the re-
port of General Tremaine it is stated that
not only was no preparation made by
Meade to meet the attack upon the left
position 1 held, but he deprived
me and himself of the only effective sup
unaccountable withdrawal of Buford's di-
vision Of cavalry, which held the Gettys-
burg road and covered oar left flank,
including the Round Top, until a late hour
on the morning of the ID. General Gearys
division of infantry had been withdrawn
from the left very early on the morning of
the Cd. These dispositions imposed upon
me, thus weakened by the Withdrawal of
two divisions, the whole responsibility
of resisting the formidable attack
of General Lee upon our left
flank. The first support that
reached me was Birds division of
the Fifth Army Corps, that got into posi-
ton at ) o'clock in the afternoon, two hours
after the battle opened General Sickles
then quotes fiom the Count De Paris book
to sustain himself. and adds General
Meades whole attention was practically
fixed upon his right flank. He did not be-
lieve that the enemy would attack his left,
although Hancock and myself had each
pointed out that his left was the vulnerable
point of attack. AT o'clock in the after
noon of July 2d, few moments before
Longstreet opened his assault, Meade said
to Halleck: l am satisfied that the
enemy is endeavoring to move to my rear
| shall fall back to my supply at West
minister Here General SIckles stopped for
a moment, then inipressively added " He
had already sent Buford there two hours
before General Sickles, lin long statements
seriaten, says In conclusion, allow me
to repeat that General Meade's recently
f, published letter, so far as it relates to or
ders and instructions, therein alleged to
/ have been given me, Is fatty contradicted
by his own testimony before the Commit
/ tee Upon Conduct Of the War
|
! THE RISK OF CLEANING PIcrUREs.-The
question of picture cleaning is one of the
| most complicated that can be- Suppose
you see, can you possibly see, what the
artist painteT A AseJ1raIly NOT Ard WHY