The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-20
LoNGsTREETaT GETTYSBURG.
VIVID DEsCRIPTION OF a CELE-
BRATED CHARGE.


r
Gen. McGIashan's Address Before the
Confederate veterans Association.
A Personal Narrative of How Men
Fought and Died on That EventfuI
Day-The Address Full of Devotion
10 the Lost, Cause and Its Heroes
and Yet In I<eeping With the Pa
triotIsm of the Reunited and Vie
tOriOus Republic.
The address of Gen. p. McGlashan before
the Confederate Veterans Association at
the Guards ha4-iast Tuesday night on
"Longstreees Charge at Gettysburg" was
one well worth preserving. II was not only
a vivid description Of. one of the noted fca-
lures of the great battle, but was marked
throughout by style and sentiment of
high order.
While paying loving tribute to the heroes
of the South Gen. McGlashan expressed
patriotic sentiments thoroughly in keeping
with recent history, which both sections
of the united country have helped to Gre
ate ~
After having been introduced by Mr. ].
R. Saussy Gen. McGlashan said:
In adding my humble contribution to the
series of addresses gotten up by the Savln-
nah Confederate Association in the interest
of history l do not hope to rival the elo-
quence and splendid descriptive power of
Maj. Gen. McLaws our Judge Robert
Falngant and Judge Twiggs in their ef-
forts before the public, but trust by a
personal narrative to interest this audi
ence as it were by tales around the fire.
side, the great American hearthstone
around which we are all now gathered,
North and South with common hopes and
aims.
In approaching the subject of Long
streets operations at Gettysburg, July 2,
1868, 1 do not propose or expect to throw
any additional light on the strategic fea-
lures of this great engagement. The re-
ports of the commanding officers on both
sides on that occasion leave moth
ing more to be said on that
subject; but these reports, full and accu-
rate as they may be, and doubtless are,
convey little idea Of what really happened
on the fghting.s line during that terrible
struggle. Those narratives Of charge and
counter-charge, of Individual and collec-
tive valor have always a charm that in
terests and attracts every nation that
looks TO the sword and the valor and eour-
age of their children to guard their rights
and liberties and uphold their honor and
glory. Then as an humble participant and
observer Of what passed on my front and
around me, / desire tc add my personal re-
collections to those who have far more ably
ana eloquently spoken and written on the
subject
The battle of Gettysburg was not de-
feat or rout, but a grand repulse of the eff
s,ffh he
carry the nights around Gettysburg. For
Gen. Meade, appalled, by the vigor of the
onslaught and terrible loss inflicted on his
men, made no attempt to attack in turn
when the hitherto invincible Confederate
line fell back to their original position, nor
even when he swung his magnificent army
through South Mountain Pass to intercept
Gen. Lees retreat and deployed in line
near Hagerstown did he dare to attack
that force he had so heavily repulsed al
Gettysburg, that sublime army of superb
ly disciplined men,, who never to their
numbers had their match on this or any
other continent. For let IL be remembered
that brave antagonist, and whoever
doubted that the g9llapt Army of the Po-
tomac was anything else, In a strong, COM
manding position and on the defensive,
had a tremendous advantage over any at
lacking force of equal or even superior
numbers.
According to verified statistics Gen Lee
had 50 900 men on the field of Gettysburg.
while Gen. Meade defended the nights
with $4,000 men. The losses were nearly
equally divided between the contending
armies amounting TO nearly or quite So
900 men Including thirteen generals. from
the Army of the Potomac and seventeen
generals from the Army of Northern Vir
ginia, nearly 80 per cent. of the whole
number engaged.
Gen. Lee in his report states that on the
retreat Of the Federal forces under Gen.
Hooker from charlottesville they reoccu-
MED the ground north of the RanDaban-
mock opposite Fredericksburg. when #
could not be attacked except al great dis
advantage.
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