The sun., 1897-02-22
ths .soond dirisIon rnmninnd N tho intrench.

| the second division remained In the fntrench
possession Of our works was due entirely TO III
skin OF Gen. Greene and the heroic, valor Of hi
tained Its position and held the enemy In checl
| until the return Of Williems's division.
Den, Meade answered Gen. Slocum's protes
| in detail. Touching tho omission TO mention
tho commendable service rendered by Greene
brigade, he said; am not prepared to admit thi
| as an error. 1t was impossible for mo to recapitu
late and do Justice to each brigade and division
in detail, and hence refer TO tho sub-reports.
10 scn 5nk
says that many Of his critics overlook thos'
very, essential facts: =.
| Gen. Sickles was a conspicuously weak one. il
ran along hollow and string m out his forces a, 81
ne he had boS n9 nn plumber
=, "Second-By advancing his line 800 yards Gen
sickles found higher ground, much better adapt
hold tho Emmottsburg pike, which to have sur
rendered 70 the enemy without q struggle would
three oeen II bs an 81 on M
"T6ird d~Mcadc's refusal to examine sIcklos,.
tack tho Confederate loft, and because he ox
pected and predicted that tho Confcderates Sc
es t S o bs
enemy were moving to our left, and that the
Third aE Corps " would be their objective point.
day Of Buford's Cavalry on our left flank, mis-
takc which Meade himself admits, thus expos.
s bbs s1s @ ana Of
"Fifth-That Gen. Meade expected sicklcs,
successfully an attack made by twohfths OF the
Confederate forces, the aggregate number of
equal, as later authorities ali seem TO agree.
:" In 1888 and 1893 Gen. James Longstreot, one
OF the few surviving Lieutenant-Gencra OF the
Confederate forces at Gettysburg that battlod
with Sicklcs, declared with emphasis that
position nor on the PIKE
taken; that had the Union General held his
original line, his left resting on or near tho
have turned our left flank, but would
I fhd %nS
in the direction Of Baltimore.
"It must be remembered, also, that at the time
tho conflict on the I'd OF July began, the Fifth
right wing, which Meade had for a time contSm
plated taking from its position to attack the
corps %ss on It's way to Ss rd The % tmo
eonsumcd, therefore, In driving slcklcs from the
Emmettss6urg road back to tho 70, R Round m Tops
for by this delay ample opportunity was given TO
Meade to throw the Fifth Corps over from our
right to the loft and TO enable tho Sixth Corps
to reach tho battle ground.
Had Sickles held on TO the original line, had
he diffused his corps along the untenable swalo
which the Commanding General intended he
should, but one result would have followed in
evitably-tho Confederate horde would havo
through a cornneld; our left would have bcon
turned, the Round Tops would have passed into
the hands OF the enemy. and before the
Fifth and Sixth corps arrived tho field would
have been lost to the Union cause for.
ever. Notwithstanding the desperate resist.
brigade OF scklcss Corps, Barksdalc's brigade OF
Mississippians broke through his lines, after
frightful slaughter What the result would
natural advantages afforded by that on the Em-
mettsburg foad. Is matter 1t isn't necessary TO
=" Another New York General lwho has just
died at his home in Binghamton, had every rea.
son to foel aggrieved ut the treatment Gen.
Meade accorded his division, as will be seen by
his report Gen. John c. Robinson commanding
under, date OF Nov. 10. 1858. wrote GEN Meade
"'f feel it is my duty to inform you OF the in.
tense modification and disappointment felt by
my division on reading your report OF the battle
Of Gettysburg. For nearly four hours, on
wheming numbers, repulsed repeated attacks
Of the enemy. captured three flags and u very
large number S Of G5iso1ers and were the last 20
Of the line OF battle OF tho First Corps, and
during tho whole time had to fight the
flank (the division OF the Eleventh Corps
being at no time less than half u mile In rear,.
We went into action with less than twenty-five
hundred men, and lost considerably more than
half our number. We have been proud OF our
efforts on that day, and hope that they. viii bo
ItCOkuHcu. IL Uut NATURAL we snOulu tesl dis
appointed that wo are not once referred to in tho
report OF tho commanding General
New York has every reason to feel proud OF
the services OF her sons at Gettysburg. On every
day. In every phase Of the conflict, New York
eral or carrying the rife Of tho private soldier.
distinguished themselves. In the first days
fight the first shot was fred by New Yorker
q member OF the Eighth New York Cavalry. II
was a New York General, Slocum, that command
cd the right wing OF the army. 1t was another
Now York General, Sickles, who COMMANDED
the left corps Of the army. Another New
Yorker, Gen: Daniel Butterfeld, was chief OF
staff to Gen. Meade. Had IL not boon for Gen.
Greene and his heroic little brigade OF New York
soldiers, the back OF Meade's army would have
been brokon and his centre vitally pierced from
the roar. Another distinguished New York
General OF the Engineer Corps of the regular
army, Gouverneur X. Warren, by his great milf
tary foresight, saved the Round Tops al a critical
moment In the conflict from falling into the hands
of the enemy. And II was u New York General
Stephen H. Weed, who threw his brigade under
Warren's command at that juncture and saved
these formidable heights for Union troops
again, II was two New York regiments tho
One Hundred and Fortieth. commanded by tho
young, intrepid engineer officer, Patrick H.
ORorke-who, like Weed gave his life on that
spot-and the One Hundred and Forty-sixth
that reinforced Vincent's Brigade when It's right
was giving away under the desperate assaults
Of Hoods vehement followers. On the third day
II was another son OF New York, Gen. Alexander
s. Webb who commanded the brigade that re-
ceiyed the savage and heroic onslaught OF Pick
etts brave Virginians."