Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-28
THE GREAT MISTAKE GETTYSBURG
Vigorous Pursuit Would Have Annihilated
the Rebel Army.

Right here a conversation with Long
street comes to mind, says writer in
the st. Louis Globe Democrat. 1t was
had while sitting upon the gallery OF
another summer hotel of the Blue
Ridge, but hundreds of miles to the
south-at Gainesville, Ga. The time
was two years ago. The General talked
of Gettysburg, of the Picket charge on
the third day, and of the hasty retreat
through these Pennsylvania and Mary
land valleys. This remark was offered
by way of interrogation:
General, it is said Grant upon one
occasion started to intimate friends
that of all the mistakes made by the
Union side the greatest was at Gettys-
burg
1T was" the response came from
Longstreet without moments hesita-
ton.
You mean that the mistake was
in not following up the victory?"
Yes"
"The day after the fighting ceased?''
mo. On the third day of the battle
Meade shouldn't have waited until the
next day: he shouldn't have waited ten
seconds. Pickett's division had been
knocked all to pieces almost wiped
out. The same was the case with A.
/. Hills corps, or at least two divisions
of it. There were three divisions
gone. They left a break in our line of
over mile. Meade shouldn't have
waited at all, but should have thrown
his army right in between US"
That would have ended the whole
thing?"
Probably, Of course we would
have tried to get together and
fought the best we were able, but that
was Whit Meade should have done.
Grant was right, think. The great
est mistake of the war on the Union
side was in Meade not making the
move | have indicated the third day of
the fighting"
Longstreet told how Lee insisted
that the charge should be made Three
times he tried to persuade Lee that the
thing to do was to get between Meade
and Washington, and force Meade to
make The attack.
No" Lee said, II am going to take
them where they are on Cemetery Hill.
| want you to take Pickett's division
and make the attack. | Will reinforce
you with two divisions of the Third
Corps
Longstreet replied to Lee: That
will give me $4,000 men. l have been
soldier, | may say, from the ranks
up to the position | now hold. [ have
been in pretty much all kinds of skir-
mishes, from those of two or three
soldiers up to those of an army corps,
and | think [ can safely say there never
was Il body of Is, 900 men who could
make that attack successfully"
Nothing more was said by Lee or by
LOngstreet but the latter arranged the
troops, and at the appointed time he
set them on that wild. forlorn-hope
charge. He followed the movement
with his glasses. He saw Kemper go
down wounded and Garrett fall dead.
He traced the progress of Armistead
and the head of the column into the
Federal line. He saw the Federal
brigades swing out and close in on
both sides of the assaulting force. Two
thousand men lay dead or wounded on
the ground and 4, 500 were prisoners.
1t was all over in thirty minutes.
AS the fragments came back, Long
street said he fully expected to see
Meade ride to the front and lead his
force to Il tremendous cOunter-charge.
Sending my staff officers to assist in
connecting the fragments OF my COM
mand | rode to my line of batteries,
knowing they were all had in front
of the impending attack, resolved to
drive them back or sacrifice my last
gun and man. The Federals were adj
Of ell iSh y,bi I
thought was the advance of their
charge AS soon as the line of skir-
mishers came within the reach of our
guns the batteries opened again, and
their fire seemed to check at once the
threatened advance. After keeping
It up a few minutes the line of skir-
mishers disappeared, and my mind
was relieved of the apprehension that
Meade was going to follow us. Gen.
Lee came up as our troops were fall
ing back and encouraged them as well
rs he could; begged them to reform
their ranks and reoroanize their forces.
1t was then he used the expression.
1T was all my fault; get together and
let us do the best we can toward saw
ing that which is left us
Your troops carried the rear of the
retreat from Gettysburg, General?"
Yes"
'Is it true that your ammunition was
reduced to three rounds, and that
vigorous pursuit would have destroyed
Lees army before it got to the Poto-
macp"
I'VE had more ammunition than
that we had considerable ammuni-
ton. My idea is that when Meade
failed to throw his army in between
our forces, when Picketts division was
crushed, the great opportunity was
lost"