Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-27
WHO BLUNDERED?
Gov. Fitzhugh Lee Gives Some Detail
as to the Battle of Gettysburg.

Gov. Fitzhugh Lee Gives Some Details
as to the Battle of Gettysburg.
J Gov. Fitzhugh Lee, in his Grafton on the oc-
casion of the dedication of the confederate
monument in Alexandria, Va, on Friday, COM
pared the confederate soldiers to the bravest of
the brave in other lands After reviewing the
most celebrated battles mentioned in history,
| he continued:
| I'm our day have we any instance which can
rival not only the daring deeds have described.
where the private soldiers did their full duty.
| even though they must have known that
| "some one had Numbered:
Leave Thermopyle, Waterloo, and Bala-
klava and go with me to the red heights of Get
tysburg. list Sd of july 1868; two hostile ar
mics we're in parallel lines and had been fight
| ing for two DAYS
The previous operations had demonstrated
the fact that the northern army was superior in
numbers and position was acting on interior
lines, and had both TANKS posted and pro-
tected as almost to be impregnable.
The commander of the southern army could
do but one of two things-retreat or attack. 1t
Is too late now to get around either flank of
the army in his front to attack either of
them with probability of success, so jutting
point of the Cemetery ridge was selected,
where there was a slight depression over which
road runs. The southern wedge must be
driven in and through the Federal left center
there.
SOME ONE BLUNDERED AT GETTYSBURG.
eff the Federal army could be cut in two, and
tie separate wings overwhelmed in detail, the
battle would be decisive. and the victorious
army might march to point between Balti-
more and Philadelphia, involving as possible
results the fall of Washington and Baltimore,
and large renforcements from Maryland. 1t
was splendid conception, Napoleonc in its
audacity, and worthy of the genius of the old
masters of war. The south was within a
stones throw of peace at Gettysburg says a
writer This battle turned the military tide
for it was practically lost to the confederate
troops The waters of southern success had
reached their high-water mark. and from
that time continued to ebb until lost in the sea
of eternity. Gems. Longstreet A. p. Hill and
Ewell were the corps commanders at Gettys-
burg. To the frst-named was committed the
assault. Col. Taylor. Gen. Lees adjutant-gen-
eral, as well as Colonies Venable and Long of
the same staff are on record as saying that they
knew it was planned by Lee for Longstreet to
assault with his ,choIe corps, to be supported by
half of A. p. Hills corps that being the next in
line to his left, and Hill in his official report
says that he was ordered to send one-half of |
his corps as
SUPPORT TO LoNGsTREET's CORPS
in such assault. 1t was the army -commander's |
intention to leave to the chief of his first corps
the tactical formation for attack but whether |
w.
then a regiment, to be followed by brgades |
and divisions, it was clearly his purpose that |
the whole corps should support their advance |
guard reinforced by half of the next corps |
aye, if necessary, with the whole army. He did |
not specify by name certain divisions to assault
Such matters of detail generally left to |
subordinate commanders AS the column of |
attack was organized. there was no more chance |
of writing success upon its brave banners than |
that the three hundred Spartans could kill |
Persians by the million, or six hundred horse |
men ride over the ramparts of Sebastopol, or |
the wings of the French eagles of the Old |
Guard of Napoleon could VIGOROUSLY flap over |
the whole army of Wellington Examine the |
formation of the charging column. Two |
brigades of Pickett's division-Kemper's and !
Garnetts-with Heth's division. under Petit |
grew, were placed in the front line Arni- |
stead's brigade of Picketts division was in the |
second line. well as the brigades of Lane |
and Scales, under General Trimble. who were |
behind Pettigrew's right. Wilcoxs brigade |
was placed in echelon on the extreme right |
of the line. and 1t seems was charged with the |
duty of protecting the right marching flank !
of the column from attack. He marched too |
much to the right and did not participate in
the charge. So it appears that there were five |
brlgades III the front line supported by three |
brigades in the rear. One of General Pick |
ett's brigades under our gallant General Corse |
was left in Virginia at Hanover junction.
The three brigades present numbered about
AGO men. Hills brigades had suffered much
on the first days fights and were depleted
They probably numbered with the two brigades
in their rear between seven and eight thousand
men. This would make the attacking force at
the start little over twelve thousand, but the
distance SO far and the ground so clear. the
artillery fire in front and both TANKS so ter
rible that by the time these devoted troops got
within musket range their numbers had greatly
decreased. A tremendous cannonade preceded
this movement, which exhausted the ammuni-
ton of the confederates, fact which Gen. Lee
says he did not know when the assault took
place.
PIcKErT's GRAND CHARGE
'The federals replied for time. but divining
the fire of the artillery was the prelude to an
infantry charpe wisaIv caasad frinr apd 70