The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-02

Commanding cavalry. cc''
"concral.-I have Just received Soui
| note OF 7:45 this morning 10 ,ha
Iongstreet I judge the tHo''S 80
enemy Yesterday were TO arrest o"'
sress and ascertain our Whereabouts
80 bn wili stoal a march on US ana se'
! across the Potomac before we are a"a .,,
~ ven find that he Is moNIs "O' -
- .nd that two briea1es can su"'u
| the Blue Ridge and take 'd'V u 80
- Won can move the other thicc im.o
MARYLAND. and take position on H". 90,
right place yourself IN 'oi'','' -, 49,,
with him. guard his hank' anu NJ -
| informed Of the enemy nv ~, 90
go coicc, All the supplies you can ~,
an" - tro army one column or
| c..,ral Twclrs army will probably move
,a,,',-1 The susquehanna by The Emmlts
| - ,oute another by ChambersDurs
etnart IS here given discretion as "
~ rovto he should go; but the orders
a. teavo Longstreet and 81 30 EVEN are
| ncrcmutory Stuarts headquarters "ele
! n, 81 R.ctor's Cross Roads, about u
~ cast of the Ridge. These letters
Te,ooosfrats how erroneous are the STATE
| ,conts of Generals Longstreet ana Heih'
ard of Long In the romance ne puDlsh-
"a and called the Memoirs OF Gcherai
90 that Stuart was ordered 10 march
o,, Tho dank OF the column with winch
General Lee was present. lie cou'uh
no an E,weifs flank on the SuiquehahhA
and Longstretts flank on ire fotoih"C
al the same time. Neither would Long
street have ordered Stuart 10 remain
with him. knowing that General Lee hau
ordered him to Ewell All OF stuart
critics have ignored the fact that Gen
cal lee ordered Stuart to ielve him ana
GO 10 Ewcu. General Longstreet wrote
IN
June %. 1863. 1890 P. NJ.
econ p Z Lee. commanding, &c;
"General.-Yours of 4 o'clock this after
noon is received i have forwarded your
letter 10 General Stuart, with the sus-
gestion that he pass by the enemys rear
if he thinks he may get through. we
have nothfng of the enemy to-day Most
respectfully, .-..e...,,,.,,,,
tsigned9 JAMES LONGSTREET.
Lieutenant General commanding.
IoNGsTREET TO STUART.
In the correspondence during this pc
riod between Lee Longstreet, and stuart
This is the first intimation about taking the
route I'm rear OF the enemy. ana II seems
that General Longstreet suggested IT,
This is his letter to Stuart:
wildwood. June %. 1863 p. NJ
"Maior-Gen. J. II. B. Stuart, commahu-
ing cavalry:
"GeneraI-General Lee has inclosed 10
me this letter for you. to be forwarded
10 you. provided you can be spared from
my front. and provided, think that you
can move across the Potomac without
disclosing our plans. He speaks OF your
leaving via Hopewel Gap, and passing by
the rear of the enemy. II you can set
through by that route, I think that you
laf tn
plans are than # you should cross by
passing to our rca~. | forward the letter
of instructions with these suggestions.
Phase advise me Of the condition Of a1-
fairs before you leave and order General
Hampton. whom ] suppose you Will leave
here in command. to report 10 me at
Minwood either by letter or in person, as
may be the most agreeable 10 him. Most
respectfully,
JAMES LONGSTREET.
General.
"N 3. ] think that your passage OF the
Potomac by our rear (Shepherdstown),
at the present moment, Will in measure
disclose our plans. You had better not
leave us therefore. unless you can take
the proposed route in rear of the enemy.
In his book General Longstreet says:
THE extent of authority with me, there
ing should be made at the Point of
Rocks. or around Hopewell Gap. east Of
the Union Army" The Point Of Rocks is
nowhere mentioned in the correspondence
and Gen. Longstreet's own letter is proof
that II was not considered as "A place for
Stuart's crossing. He tells Stuart that
IL is better to go by the rear Of the enc
my than by our rear" Now at that
time Longstreet and Hill were in the
valley fronting east; the Point Of Rocks
is IL miles east Of the Blue Ridge their
rear way. then. OF course toward the
west In crossing at Point of Rocks
stuart would not have been in rear of
either army. but in front OF both. II, on
the contrary Stuart had come over the
Blue Ridge and crossed the Potomac at
Shepherdstown. he would have passed in
our rear General LOngstreet says. In
the postscript three points are indicated:
First, the move along my rear 10 the
crossing at Point of Rocks" As Long
street was west Of the Blue Ridge fac
ing east. and Stuart was east of the
Ridge. il is hard 10 see how he would
pass Longstreet's rear in moving to the
Point Of Rocks. The Point Of Rocks is
not mentioned in the letter. Second. my
preferred march on my flank to the Shep-
herdstown crossing" There is no such
preference shown in the letter: just the
reverse, as Longstreet urges Stuart not
to cross in our rear" which would
have been at Shepherdstown. Third.
the route indicated by General Lee" But
in his letter Of the ed, TO Stuart, Gen.
Lee indicated no Toute-he merely order
ed Stuart III General LOngstreet could
snare him from his 'front.', 10 JOIN Eweh'
OF course. he couldn't join EWeA-slay
with Longstreet as they were 10 miles
apart. and the distance widening. lie
further SAYS Especially did he (StuarU
know that my orders were that lie should
ride on the right of my column. as origi-
nallv designed, to the Shepherdstown
crossing" Stuart didn't know anything
of the kind-neither did Gen. Longstreet
The record is against him. The very let
ter that Longstreet forwarded TO stuart
from Gen Lee told him to leave Long
street and 90 TO Ewell.
LEES FINAL INSTRUCTION.
But General Lees final instructions TO
Stuart. dated June 23d, L. NJ, SHOWS
what choice Of routes was given 10 stu
art General Lee says. IF sen. Hooker ;
army remains inactive, you can leave TWO
hricades 10 watch him. and withdraw
with the three others hut should he not
appear 10 be moving northward, ! think
Won had better withdraw this side OF the
maintain tomorrow night, cross at
SheDherdstown next day, and move over
20 Eredericktown You will, however be
able 10 Judge whether you can pass
around their army without hindlance. DO
ING them all the damage you can. and
cross the river east OF the mountains.
In either case, after crossing the river,