The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-31

the SuSQuehpnna- Early coHunn"cV s"O
advance Of that one Of these columns 10
the eastward. and was directed TO com
municate with him as early as practical
BILE. after crossing the Potomac, and pace
my command on HIS right TANK IL WAS
expected | could find him In York.
Just here We may inquire. who Informed
Stuart that Early would command the
eastern column Of EweH's Corps? VINO
directed Stuart to communicate Win
Early? Who informed Stuart that ne
might expect TO find Early in YORK!
There is no hint OF all this I'm General
Lees two letters Of June I'D and 80 Is
Stuart romancing under the very eye OF
General r. f. Lee? But his report con-
tlnues.
THE REPORT
''The net spapers Of the enemy. my only
source OF Information. chronicled MS
drarly's) arrival there. and at Wrights-
Vile, on the Susquehanna. with great
PARTICULARLY. /. therefore, moved to join
hf1f In that vicinity. The enemy's army
was moving I'm n parallel with me. ! was
apprised of its arrival at Taneyto"n
when | was near Hanover. Pa; but be
ifevfng. from the lapse Of time. That our
army was already in York. or at Harris
burg. where IT could choose It's battie-
ground with the enemy, l hastenea u
place my command with IT, III ~ pehes-
ed that. had the corps of Hi and Long
street moved on. instead of hating near
Chambersburg. York could have been the
Mace of concentration instead of Geffys-
burg" A.
Stuart then proceeds TO describe inc
damage done 10 the enemy in men ana
material. the alarm caused In Nashihe ION
and Baltimore, the security OF the trains
of Lees army, caused by the Withdrawn
of the enemys cavalry from their front
to their rear. the detachment or fafse
bodies Of infantry, to protect commun'-
cation with Washington. and the delay 10
The whole Federal army, arising rum
these conditions. lie then proceeds
1T is not TO be supposed mat such W.
lay in his operations could have been so
eaecfuaHy caused by any other disposi-
ton of the cavalry. Moreover, consloe'
ing York as the point OF Junction as !
hsd every reason to believe that 1t would
be the route took was quite as nifect
and more expeditions. than the aiteiHe'e
one proposed. and there is reason 10 ne.
iiovo ON that route that my command
would have been divided up In the III
f.ront CANS OF South Mountain, covering
our nank. while the enemy. by concentta'
lion upon any one. could have greatly
endangered our baggage ana ordnance
trains without exposing his own
CARRYING at York, found tha' GEN. ,,t q,
Early haa gone, and II Is 10 be resret.,"
thot this officer failed to take any he"S-
ures by leaving an intelligent SCOUT W
watch FOR my coming, or a patrol 70 meet
nc 10 acoualnt me with his destination
lie had reason to expect me. ana han
hocr directed 10 look out for me. tie
hoard my guns az Hanover, ana correctly
contectured whose they were bht Iei, no
cline 10 his destination on leaving iViN,
,,rtoh would have saved me a long anu
,edtous march 10 Carlisle. and thence
h,cL "a gettysburg. | was Informed by
ci,i1ons that he was going 20 shippers
burg. ~. 80. army
- still believed that most OF our Amy
was before Harrisburg. ana 'dsiH
earded "A march 20 Carlisle as me ~.
likely TO place me in communication VIII"
The main army
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.
What reason had stuart 10 conS s,
York as the point OF Junction. "na'
right had he TO say thaf Larry hs1 II /,
- m evnact him in the vicinity OF 10TH
W. oo,,i1 instruct Early to look out Tor
s,,,ar, i'm that vicinity? Not the iaintest
taco Of All this can be found IN either o.
general Lees letters TO General Stua''
ga tho conclusion We must reach Is eitiei
~, stuart had further communiea
ton with General Lee after +. "a, Us
line 23d or he was deliberately ihiSiSp
rssantiny Even were he disposed 10 IA
10. would he dare to do so In the very
soce Of General Leef We can give ""'
ono answer 10 these questlohS'
II is proper that | should say III t'is
couuectiou that Ia the year 1910 "au
correspondence with General D. a r'a' !.
concerning that part OF Stu1't -,
,rbicb refers to him. General Early alu
W. consider that Sfuaft's remarks were
intended 10 reflect upon his CONDUCT ana
,yss not disposed to take offense at then'
slthoueh very ready to defend himself
Sbould any one attack him on that me.
~. assured me that he had receiver no
notice OF General Stuarts proposed move
s,.nts bod received no instructions 10
r,,oct him or I'm any way look our Tor
IA communicate with him; and had ne
heen informed OF Stuarts proximity 10
hin would rather have expected NOR
nation and assistance from stuart ''ai
have supposed that Stuart needed any
Information from him.
mn Colonel Marshall charges that Cen
eral stuart disregarded the restriction TO
the exercise Of his discretion which Cen
eral Lee had given him. lie says
.,FoY VIII see that whether stuart
should cross the Potomac at Shepherds
town. as General Lee directed, OF III the
exercise OF the discretion gwen MN 10
mass around the rear OF the enemy shonla
cross the Potomac east OF the noun
tains. he was ordered Internationally
after crossing the river 10 move on ana
.fssl the right Of EweiI's troops, collect
ing information. etc.
This explicit order precluded any move
..fllA
from feeling the right Of EweH's troops d,
aft~r crossing the Potomac. and it was
the last order General stuart receiver
before leaving Virginia.
at will also be observed that General
stuart was not permitted to make this
movement around the enemy's rear, IN
LESS UE COULD PASS AROUND TIE
FEDERAL ARMY WITHOUT HIN
pERANCF. and there was the same con-
dition annexed to the order OF General
STUART rs ] have shown. In any case
General Stuart. after crossing the Ioto-
mac. was TO put himself on the right nahN
Of General Ewell. and that any move
ncnt on the part OF the FORMER nhic"
tended TO prevent this was ehlirey neon
sistent with General Lees reiterated IN
structions so that under this restric-
tion General stuart was practically IN
structed not 10 cross the Potomac east or
tho Federal army. and thus interpose
that army between himself and the fight
of General Eweli
There we're places where the Potomac
could be crossed between the enemy ;
amy. a. or near Edwards Ferry and
the Blue Ridge. east % the latter and
General Stuart had discretion to use the
fords east OF the Blue Ridge. but he had
no discretion to use any ford that would
Mace the enemy's army between him and
the troops Of General Ewell.
DOUBTFUL MEANING.
have read these paragraphs again and