The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-26
Special Corresr.ondence. /

| COUNT o. PARIS.
wing of the army: @lc,,les led HIS corps,
the Third; Howard c5ramanded his own
corps, the Eleventh. and for a time other
troops on the field: Doubleday and Newton
commanded the Frs. corps on different
days; Wright Was second in command to
Sedgwick in the ST.. corps and Gregg
commanded a cavalry uvision that fought
decisive battle with Stuart an action
that has been called 1. one great cavalry
fight Of the war. Non of these generals,
with the exception of Doubleday and
Sickles, has shown desire 10 fight the
bsttle over in print.
Siokles has writtc2 and spoken great
deal in answer 10 crl.l .isus in high places
on his conduct in thai battle, and Double
day has written to c, rup history. How
ard and Slocum, VIII. from the prominent
parts taken by them ! that field and their
nearnesS to the c nmanding general,
Meade, during the II st exciting periods,
should be qualified 10 give important tes-
timony, have kept sil. ut, except in one or
two cases where they we're appealed TO by
brother officers. Gre z, known TO all the
army as a silent mar has heretofore re-
fused to speak or t. write on what he
knows of most vital part of the wonder
full fight. The charm that has been potent
to open at last the lips of Slocum, How
ard and Gregg is tie invitation of the
Count of Paris, who beyond all else that
distinguishes him is an able, painstaking
and impartial student and historian of the
Civil war.
Whatever the handspring of this royal
Frenchman's ambition may be, he has had
the patience and the love of hard labor to
produce work of history that has few
parallels, and has 10 equal at all in the same
field. 1t is a common saying that men
cannot write acceptable histories of their
own times, but somehow the counts eXpe-
rience Tefutes this notion. Several vol
umes of his work have been before the
American public for years. and the men
about whom he has written the most have
been the first to recognize his power and
his spirit of fairness. They are ready to
add TO his material out of their own re-
sources, knowing the use that will he made
of it.
At the first thought it might be supposed
that a prince having the curious record
that lies back OF the present head of the
house of Orleans couid aS best be only
dabbler in any serious work and mere
pretender TO llingsh;p in the world of let
ters and confess that / went to Gettys-
burg as locker on expecting to see moth
ing more JAlr formal entertainment of
the count anna those wonderful scenes,
something that would leave useless me
mortal TO the eff. That distinguished mill
tary men had attended the royal visitor
over the field aud re more. This was a
80, l.. !. 1
the ground q couple Of hours, examining
that series Of intricate and aai.ing maneu-
vers known as the first days fight, Gen.
Slocum remarked, privately. that there
was nothing Of the novice or dabber about
the count, but that his military knowledge
and critical insight were of the best and
the keenest.
Men who fought IN TIE war and have fol-
lowed the counts descriptions Of scenes
and actions familiar 70 themselves, but
which the historian never saw. have been
struck with his fidelity in minor details,
such as the direction Of q fence or a creek.
the positions Of buildings. the ridges, ra-
vines and woods on the fields and ten
Thousand little things that the record con-
tains. 1t seems that iC IS not accident in
any case, nor exceptional. Either the count
has written nothing but what he has veri-
fed in some way, or he has verified every
thing and written it all down. His mem
DRY is also good. When the Gettysburg
guide. Capt Long who sat on the drivers
seat of the counts carriage, started on this
tour, ne began to point c-o the old land
marks just as be Is accustomed TO do with
all strangers. This went on for some time,
the count responding. Yes. Yes as the
objects were mentioned. Finally the royal
siGhtseer turned spok sman himself, and
on approaching a house or farm. or creek, |
would name il accurately, and tbs captain, /
who is fu!l of his story, relapsed into ST. |
lence until called upon, which was usually I
by Others Of the psr =
While going ov.rth different positions 4
On the field the cOuG. was alwavs accom- 4
panied By the Union general who COM I
manded there feXCep..E- IN the case Of 1
Hancock : field. AM lie furnished infor- I
nation when called Z 81. The questions 4
asked usually were VII they, as command /
srs, did certain tbin-s or why thay did not 1
make certain possible moves. The knowl- \
.dge be sought for vss persona and ex- I
plsnatory; descrir-ioe lie carried in his i
head, and had obs them from the 4
OF l.sst-~s Al LlGl i
records treating Ci =. subject During 1
he survey OF Gen. . ms lines. some Of
he party aSs.eI ;hl rral where ne had 4
lsd hrs artillery Al = ord sine there were
% few good positions for It visible OF the
me. The count answered promptly. On I
Powers hill. - while Slocuu Was turning
o point out the spot beiore naming II.
The locality thar aroused the most spirit
among the generals was the scene OF
Sickles' famous bacJle. the sc1iol which
President Lincoln call. z = CodSsn3. for TIE
'eason that il insured Sgh- - the finish
Il Gettysburg The criticism CT SickleS =
hat he went too Tar forward and present
u two lines, or Al angie, 10 the enemy /
Tne count fads some sgulr with che state
# affairs in his history. h-, puts the hlau,
lpon Gen. Meade During tEe eIamias
icn OF this ground Gen Howard rensr&e4I