Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-02-01
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
New YORK, January %, 1897.

NEW Ohh, Jauudiy 20, 1OSi.
TO The Editor Of tie alexandria Gazette:
Dear Sir: l recently went over the
battlefield of Gettysburg, that mighty
Lstti, field, covering an area of over p
square miles. l shall no5 attempt to
write description Of that horrible
battle fought July, 1868, inasmuch es
histories are accessible, but I want to
throw out few disjointed remarks
how the field and description impressed
me, non-military man. 1t is evident
that General Lse was goaded into that
battle by pressure that was well nigh
irresistible. l will only mention two
causes among the many. First, he de-
sired to save the South from the neces
sary horrors of war by making the
North the theatre Of conflict instead oi
the South. Secondly, l read from
good authority that the Confederacy
vas given to understand by several for
eign governments that if Lee would
win one great and very decisive battle
north of Mason aud Dixon's line they
would give the Southern cause very
substantial help. So Gen. Lee st&ked
much on that battle, but the odds were
100 many against him. The mystery
to me is how the Southern boys held
out as well as they did. They were
0oorly fed, poorly clothed and poorly
armed compared with the federals.
Going over the field and having the
various positions pointed out by the
guide, who by the way was union
captain in the late war, could not
out he struck with the very evident
'lc; that the federals had he choice OF
positions; to assail which caused such
awful loss to the Confederates. The
ground is very billy, rough and rocky,
and was even worse at the time OF
the battle than what it is now
How those sharp stones must have cut
their feet is sad to contemplate, when
one has the authority Of Union soldiers
that the Confederates in many Cases
were nearlyor quite barefooted, could see
that the remarks of my guide were ia
vora0le to the Union side but neverthe-
less ne paid many fine tributes to the
Southern boys. He told me that in the
charge of Pickett's men their courage
was perfect; that they marched on in
be face of that frightful storm of lead
and iron as if it had only been shower
of rain, Nor, as he acknowledges,
could anything exceed the desperate
hand to hand fight made by The gallant
end doomed Louisiana Tigers in their
assault on Cemetary Hill. Another
powerful factor in the Unions favor was
their superior telegraph and signalling
arrangements by which means they
we're able to anticipate Lees move.
ments. Not only did the Federals have
superior equipments, more and better
arms and ammunition, clothed better,
fed better, better positions, but We're
also more numerous. Yet despite oil
these and other odds against them tn
defeat was not rout. Lee simply r.,
tired because his ammunition was about
exhausted and it would have been folly
to have sacrificed more men in such au
unequal conflict.
In those three disbolical days OF the
battle 175,000 soldiers were engaged, +,
10000 of whom were stricken down.
General Hunt, chief of the Union ar
tillery estimates that there was expend-
in that battle $50 tons OF deadly mis-
siles including all the different kinds Of
shot, shell, scrapnel, canister and
ball, then known to this country or
Europe. During the night of the sec
ond days battle the soldiers of both
sides mingled freely at Spangler's
Springs iu obtaining water for the poor
wounded. The weather during those
awful three days was intoleraly hot and
the men suffered terrible from thirst.
The guide pointed out modest, peace
ful, gentle stream on the battlefield that
ran like stream of blood during the
conf ct, so many were the wounded
brought there. He pointed out pretty,
green plot of ground and said: "Ifever
there was hell on earth, it was in that
Identical spot. The dead and wounded
of both sides were there piled up four
or five deep" One young lady, Miss
Jennie Wade, was killed accidentally
bv Confederate ball, her house being
on the field of action. There were
many advantages and victories gained
by the Confederates, the Importance OF
which they did not know, as they lack
ed the necessary telegraph and sienall-
ing facilities. Hence they were cautious
about following up their advantages,
For Over Fifty Years
A., ~, IN ,<, WITT .TprrD PrNrDy