The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-27


about Gettysburg. and would not have
committed such biunder.
No ERROR Or DATE.
II-By way OF rocOnciling General Lees
order to EweI headed. "Chambersburg
June .. 1868. 1890 a. NJ" with Marshall
statement and General Lees report, Col
onel Stribling suggests an error Of date
and that It might have been intended TOT
the 10Th. which Is equivalent 10 an ad-
mission that the order knocks Into
cooked hat the story of the spy. Accord
ing to all the rules OF evidence the pre-
sumption IS IN favor Of the cotempotah-
eous record. and the correctness OF the
date The report was written q mOhlh
afterward. The burden OF PROOF IS on
those who allege error. The evidence III
ternal and external susiains the theory
OF the correctness Of the date. behetai
Lee was "a careful man ana knew INC
value Of time in war. TT ne Woniu louN
at his watch 20 note the very hour ana
minute Of writing he would hardly make
a mistake about the day. lie had Sent
no orders 10 EweH since the one OF June
22d from Berryville; 1t is natural anu
probable that he would communicate with
him as soon rs he halted al ChaHuels-
burg and order n concentration OF the
Fuells moving back. or Hill and Long
streets moving forward II Harrisburg
was his objective point the delay al
Chambersburg is inexplicable; II It was
not. the order for Ewel 10 return cN-
Mains itself. The order shows that Cen
eral Lee know the day he got 20 CHAM
bersburg eth. where Hooker was and
saws. IL wrote YOU last night etc. III
10 should have been dated the 29ih, then
we must believe that General Lee waited
until midnight of the 2Sth before writing
a line to Eweu Time was precious,
either a forward. or a backward move
ment was the right thing 20 do. General
Lee did IT,.
UI-The only evidence offered in sup
port Of the contention that the d1ie or
General Lees dispatch IS wrong are eX-
tracts from the reports OF EweI. Rodes
and Early. As they were written after
the events 20 which they refer. they could
not. even II there were q conflict lwhlch
there Is nOO. overcome the pres umpiion
I'm favor of the accuracy OF the dispatch.
especially when 1t is confirmed by the in
herent probabilities Of the situation
Ewen says: "Trom Carlisle / sent
forward my eneincer. Captain Richard
son. with General jenkins cavalry. 10
reconnoitre the dcfences Of Harrisburg
and was starting on e. 29th for that place
when ordered by the commanding general
10 Join the main body 81 the army az
Cashtown-near Gettysburg. Ewti does
not say when ne received tho order. he
clearly means that he was ready TO start
or was on the eve Of starting. on the ~ h
when he got the order % march 10 Cash
town. lie refers 10 the letter OF 1870 A..
VI. Of the 2,th ordering him TO 20 TO
Casht0wn. which revoked the order sent
him the night before 20 move back TO
Chamborsburg. 80 doubt EWcl would
have moved on Harrisburg early on The
morning of the 23th il he had not re-
ceived the order TO return. He had been
two days at Carlisle. But IL the order
had been written late az night on the
2Sth. as IL Is now insisted Eweli could not
have received 10 before noon Of The 10Th.
II IS about thirty miles from Chambers
burg TO Carlisle. such an important dis
patch would have been sent under an
escort. being I'm tho enemy's country.
Now. If tho order IN tho records dated
40 A. ". June 18th. should have been
dated June 10Th. then Ewell would have
got 20 Harrisburg before he received f.
or one written the night before. The
dispatch Of the 9th caused a halt: that
of the morning OF the 2'th directed him
to Cashtown.
ROdcs says: ION our arrival n Car
Isle C21th) jenkins cavalry advanced to-
wards Harrisburg and had on the 29-h
made a thorough reconnaissance OF the
defonces of the place with view 10 our
advance upon Dr. Wh on was 20 have
been executed on The seth. but on the Goth
having received orders 20 move toward
the balance OF the army. then supposed
10 be at or near CashtOwu." etc.
SECOND ORDER.
lie here refers 20 General Lees second
order (2ath) under which the corps start
ed on the march TO Cashtown, he makes
no reference to the first order, for there
was no occasion for it. He does not say
a word about when the order was recev-
cd Neither Ewell. or Rodcs. makes men
ton OF General Lees dispatch of the
night OF the 9th informing Ewell where
Hooker was. IL Is claimed that the SOY
came in late al night Of the 18th and
brought the first information about
Hooker's advance. Before that General
Lee had written twice 10 Ewell telling
him where Hooker YVES. Colonel Striblng
says that Ewen Rodes and Early 'cOn-
cur in fixing the date Of the receipt Of
the order on the 2gth" Early did re-
celve a copy Of Ct on the 29th from Ewell
because he was thrty-siX miles away az
York. This proves that Eweu did
not receive II on the 29th. The magma
ton that could find evidence in Ewelis
and Rodes' reports OF their having re-
ceived IT on the 29th could also see.
'Helen's beauty IN brow Of Egypt"
Early SAYS: ION the evening OF the
10Th l received through Captain Elliott
Johnson. aide TO General EWen, a copy
Of n note from General Lee. and also YER
bal instructions. which required me 10
move back SO as 10 rejoin the rest OF the
corps on the western side of the South
Mountain: and accordingly az daylight on
the morning Of the 30th / put my whole
command in notion &c.
Major John w. Daniel OF Early's stan
informs me that the order was received
about 4 o'clock i'm tho afternoon. II
could not therefore have left Chambers
burg either that morning or late on the
night OF the 2Sth. On the march Early
met a courier from Ewell telling him no
was moving TO Heidlersburg. and direct
ing him TO move there II Is clear that
EWell had sent Early a copy Of the
first order from General Lee before re
ceiving the second; FOR Early says II di-
rected him 10 join tina corps west Of the
mountain. Early SAYS: 1T encampel
about three miles from Heidlersburg. and
rode TO see General Ewell az that point.
and was informed by him that the object
was TO concentrate the corps az or near
Cashtown and received directions 70
move next day 10 that point" II he had
intended when leaving York 10 20
10 Gettysburg he would have marched di-
rectely there on the turnpike and would
not have gone by Heidiersburg. The