The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-17

General Lee never intended 10 nght a pdt-
tie at Gettysburg. until he was dragged
there by Hill and Heth, Is wrong. IL was
as much in defense Of General Lee repu-
tatiOu as a soldier as Of stuart thdt
was the first 10 publish that TACT. TO
speak OF the report TO Mr.. Davis OF the
result Of the battle as a confidential dis
patch is mere quibbling. BY conhden-
tial dispatch / meant aD order 10 DO some
thing which IL was desired that no one
should see except the person addresseu.
The report Of July 4th. Of what had
already occurred is not cotemporaheoua
evidence. but as much eXpost facto as
the two subsequent ones Of July Jlst ana
January. "a. II the report had been cap
tured en- route to Richmond II would
only have told the enemy what they
knew. Now this report Is not only con-
tradicted as to events preceding the pat
tie bv the cotemporaneOus record-the
res gestae-but also by the reports OF
Ewel Rodes Early, HILL and Heth. Ew-
ell Early and Rodes. all say THAT on me
morning Of July 1st they were marching
away from Gettysburg i'm the direction OF
Cashtown when a letter from lilil IN
duced EWeu 10 turn his column toward
GETTYSBURG As 1t IS as far from Heidiers-
burg, where they had camped TO CASH
town as TO Gettysburg. they never would
have marched by way Of CashtoWn
to 90 TO Gettysburg If col Stribling
Is right EWcl would be disObeylng orders
IN going 10 Cashtown. Hin and Heth say
they went 20 Gettysburg TO make a recon-
naissance. II so they only went there TO
get information and intending 10 return
10 camp that day Going there 10 make
q reconnaissance IS altogether different
from going there 10 occupy and hold the
position. In making reconnaissance
barely enough force Is applied 70 compel
an enemy 10 display himself. When this
is done the attacking force retires. me
kind of reconnaissance that Hin ana heth
made Is novelty in war. j once shared
the popular belief. as all the histories OF
the war said so, that General Lee had Sc
lected Gettysburg as the place or concen-
tratlon. and that an his column on July
LIST were converting on that point. Gem
eraI L0ng-his Military Secretary-in MS
memoirs Of Lee states that just before
starting on the campaign General Lee
showed him a map on which the lines
Of march were traced, and Gettysburg
was marked as the battle-ground. IL Is
As pure fiction as anything In the Ara
bian Nights.
Colonel striblng thinks that the quo
tation 1 made from General Lee report
that al Chambersburg Longstreet. E~eN
and Hill We're ordered 10 march 20 Gets
burg should be conclusive evidence that
ID was the point whore the army was or
dered 90 concentrate. \ supplemental
volume of the War Records just issued
has Lonestreets's orders 10 his division
commanders on June 10Th nj Chambers
burg and on July LIST at Greenwood. II
must be remembered that General Lee
marched with LOngstreet. ana or course
his orders would conform To- General Lee $
These orders do not mention Gettysburg.
Pickctts division had been left behind az
Chambersburg. At Greenwood ar l0 y.
NJ ON July lst when Hill and Heth were
fighting az Gettysburg. LOnEstreet order
cd his division commanders "tO 90 into
camp ON the other side of the Mountain
Not word about battle. or Gettysburg.
Just before leaving Greenwood General
Lee wrote 10 lmboden: My head
quarters for the present Will be az
Cashtown. east of the mountain Can
anyone believe that if General Lee had
thought the army was going 70 Gettys-
burg he would have selected for his head
quarters place eight miles away from
there? In Belfords Magazine October
November. 1S9D. ] published an article IN
reply to Longstrect. based on "a study or
the records. IN which J demonstrated that
the battle of Gettysburg was precipiiated
BY Hill and Heth against General Lee
order, and that he never intended that
place as battle ground. General Beau
regard wrote me that he had always
condemned General Lee for the Gettysburg
campaign until he read my Beltord arti-
Gle. This shows the truth as
wrote il is far more favorable ~ General
Lee as "A commander than Longs and
Marshalrs fiction. IN 1895 Longstreet pup
llshed his book. Although ne htd said IN
his report and 600 the Century that MS
corps left Chambcrshurg 10 go 10 GettNs
burg, yet in his book be says thit Gene
raj Lees orders did not contemplate I'M
mediate movements beyond Coshtown
Live and Learn" Colonel Strihling may
be able 20 reconcile Longstreets last &C
count OF the battle with his hrst-l can't
Heth too has seen the lisht. In Shines
II story OF the Army 81 the potomac there
Is a letter OF his saying. 80 he lGen. Leel
desired 10 unite his forces az CashtoWn.
I suppose that was the reason he marched
of from Cashtown before Longstreet ana
EWell could get there. TN trst attack
ever saw IN q newspaper on stuart was
bv Heth A Life of General Lee by
Prof. White has recently been published
the author Is a professor IN the JniNer-
sity of which General Lee was the presi-
dent-which says: Contrary to Lees
plan HH was delivering heavy battle
against the advance corps OF the Army
of the Potomac. eight miles farther from
the mountain than the neld selected by
Lee himself-at CashtOwn.' SO i do not
stand alone in differing from the report.
might wanes. the vapors round the
mountains curled, melt into morn and
Light awakcs the world"
As have said before, If General Lees
report IS right his biographer IS wrong.
At least can't reconcile them. The com
plant against Stuart was that the Army
was ordered 10 Gettysburg. and being
without cavalry. ran biindfolded against
the enemy. But the absence OF the cav
airy had nothing 10 do with Hilis ana
Heth's going there. There were no orders
to make a reconnaissance and no necessity
for making one. The unexpected thlng
was not the enemy being at Gettysburg
but Hits and Heth's going there.
VI.
Stuart's instructions on June I'D. were
to leave two cavalry brisades win Long
street in Virginia. and put himself with
three brigades on Ewolls risBt on me
susquehanna. The instructions contempla
ted his crossing the Potomac immediately
and leaving beth armies behind him. Gen
eral Lees July report says-"Generai
Stuart was left TO guard the passes OF the
mountains and observe the movements OF