Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-11-18
THE es1rYssURG BATTLEFIELD.
4 Maine Man Writes Of His Visit TO This
Famous Place.

The member of Mr.. Merricks G. A. r
party, who favored the Journal with i
number of delightful and interesting let
ters during the party's recent southern
trip, has sent the following description OF
Gettysburg battlefield and the events
that made il famous:
Editors kennebec Journal:
In laying out the route for his party
Manager Merrck displayed most excel
lent Judgment in including the world
famed battlefield Gettysburg, for "A two
days' stay. 1t is true that one particu-
larry interested in Gettysburg, say 4
participant in the battle, could well EN-
ploy whole weeks time in locating the
different positions of his regiment or bat
terry during the three days tight-now -
easily accomplished by the aid of the en-
during markers, tablets and monuments s
set by the government to the number nf
50l-but still two days is amp.e for a sur.
vey of the whole field and for a good
general idea Of the plan and scope ofsthe
battle. especially when. as in our case,
that prince of guides, the easy and fluent
talker. Capt. l.. w. Minnigh. has been
pre-arranged for by the ever thoughtful
Merrick. our manager.
we arrived at Gettysburg before nine
o'clock Tuesday. after a two hours ride
from Hagcrstown, where we had passed
me night and AIKEN breakfast at the
baldwin" one of the incest. most up
to-date hotels in the entire South-ard
the most like the best hotels in Maine
That ride will remain as a revelation to
>
wiidnoss. its enchanting beauty, the ricn
hess of the country traversed, and the
VIDE expanse Of view in that most beau
in reality, Gods own country. unsur,
passed BY any other section in the writ
er's knowledge.
The Eagle hotel was our objective
point. and being well domoiled for the
remainder Of the forenoon, the city OF
Gettysburg was looked over the points %
the compass were fixed in mind, and the
n % nj h.. I'm.
advance OF Lees army asce-tained, as a
| Z, NJ. carriages for the whole party
were to be taken over the scenes OF tn.
hrst days conflict.
Gettysburg exists just the same as b..
llarbor does, and from the same source.
its visitors; and like the latter came ac-
industry whatever in the City save only
Touring mill Seventy five out Of
every one hundred OF its people are ven
ders of " souvenirs. or i'll some way
fixed. so that before one has been In iowa
many hours they will MAKE ii evident
that a battle was fought here in 1853 and
severe Il fight for the almighty dollar a.
was then waSed. only let us hope without
loss of life
Reference has been made to the acri
dental prominence of Gettysburg and It
was indeed accidental. for General Lees
plan was not to fight unless actually
forced to. as the historians both North
and South now state, but TO march hi-
army via Chambersburs to Harrisburg,
Il miles northerly from Gettysburg. de
stroy that city thence to Philadelphia.
Baltimore. and lastly, Washington. when
il this program was sucC cSsfullY carrie
out. he was morally certain that the Con
tederacy would be recognized. Dr suti
ciently 50 to throw CONSERVATION upon
the people of the loyal North, and pro
portionately to cheer and aid the South.
Let ii be remembered in passing thar
Lees army had just been reorganized
into three corps. undoubtedly equal to
any army. in drill and discipline, evcr
marshaled, and their great commando,
thought them equal to the accomplish
ment of his purpose. which was by on-
grand movement to overthrow the gov
ernment. Another reason was that the
term of enlistment of the TWO years men
in the Union army was Just expiring, and
Lee thought that, after the terrible
slaughter at Fredericksburg the previous
winter. and especially after the calami
tous affair at Charlottesville, dismay
and fear would cause the partial dis
integration of the Union forces. Notice
the superior organization of the Confeu
crate army when Lee commenced his
nOrtherly march. nine divisions y brig
AIDES, lS3 infantry regiments. ~ regiments
of cavalry and 81 batteries Of artillery,
.g3 rannon-(nearlv, 80 900 men WITH an
army of 90.0o0 men under Hooker. there
were ~ divisions. 81 brigades. ~ infantry
resmGnrf 50 of resmt 81 caTn9E cann9S ana
The accident comes in this-that one
month previous TO the great battle 'i
Gettysburg, Lee started his army for
HARRISBURG and it was about one week
before Hooker caught on to the move.
ment and then it was nip and tuck
Harrisburg and the other cities men
toned should have paid tribute to
Gen. J. +. E. stuart. with his cavalry.
was assigned the duty of masking Lee
designs and to delay Hooker-and Stuart 5
defeat by General Pleasanton not oniy
SURPRISED Lee but changed the whole pro.
gram, and necesstated a battle-that b2,
lie was the battle of Gettysburg. ana the
First Maine Cavalry was an important
factor in Stuart's defeat.
These side facts may he already KnoHn
to the Journals readers. but IT seemed
lifting to the writer 70 mention them ~
50 prominent in the very preliminary
battle that made general engagement 4
necessity and an accident.
June :Dth. Longstreets : First Corps was
at Chambersburg. 25 miles northwest
from Gettysburg; EWel's Second Corps
Il, Heidlersburg, l. miles northeast
Fayetteviiie. and sluart's Cavalry at
Dover. 4 miles northeast. The nion
forces We're as follows: Doubleday :
First Corps at Marsh Creek; miles
south of GettysburG; Hancock's Second
Corps Uniontown, n miles south; sick
les Third Corps, Bridgeport L miles
south: Sykes Fifth Corps. Union Mills
lG miles southeast: Sedgwiek's sixth
Corps Manchester. 81 miles southeast; I;
Towards Eleventh Corps. EmmittsburS
10 miles south Slocum's Twelfth Corps.
Littiestown. 10 miles southeast; and The
cavalry at Gettysburg, and At Nechan-
icstown, Westminster. and Hanover. rt
spectivelv Is miles. n miles southeast.
and II miles east of the town OF GettES-
burg. Such was the disposition of thr
Union and Confederate forces when inc
great batlle opened on the lirst uaE oI
july 1861 the battle of al the age,
when the descendants of the Lees. the
Washingtons. the Nadisons. the Carols
and the SumterS, met the descendants Oi
the Adamses. the QuincN>. the PutndnlS.
the Warrens ana the Aliens. when ElN-
mouth Rock was pitted against james ,
town. wnen the ddshing cneNalier tacti
the stern Pilgrim, when the CiNliizdtioA
Of the schouihoust was assaIled DI Una
of the slave pen. when the best Amer
can manhood and citizenship dvidei
against itself. was put to its supreme
test who can wonder that GettNSDur1
* the shrine where worship today ~
friendship the actors. North ana Snuth.
alike. proud that the V5lor displayed on
This immortal field hut served tn SHOW Z
the world the high quality ~ American
citizenship
II seemed To be in orGer 70 govern thlS
great battlefield. where american man
hood was divided and ciashed against !,
sell. beginning with the first day ; hghL
Wednesday July /, 1861 Fdr Maine Wa
in il. not only the first day, but also the
secord dad the third: Alpha ant
Omsgl.'-the beginning aud the end-and
The Ola iEe Tree state never was tFIEt