The National tribune., 1901-07-11

ders to corps commanders to hold their
commands In readiness at q moments
n nssn: 6sGsyP' fo S5dfs to .ady @aFfe
move to the attack at any moment" meant
fight, It meant anything. Reynolds
doubtless SO construed II.
STUDYING IT OUT.
Now came the circular issued by Meade
on the memorable morning OF July l.
There was not SO much fight" discernable
between the lines as appeared in his pre-
vious circular. How should Reynolds CON
strue it? He must at least proceed to
Gettysburg, for such were his previous or
ders, and this circ places him there
with two corps. 1t was no longer Meade's
intention. ths circular said, to assume the
offensive. If the enemy assumed the Of
fenSivs and attacked it was his intention
to withdraw the army from its present po-
sition. For this purpose Gen. Reynolds,
In command of the left, would withdraw
the force present at Gettysburg, two
corps by the road to Taneytown and West
Minister" So far this was definite and
readily comprehended. Obviously Rey-
nolds should proceed to Gettysburg, and
if attacked hold the enemy in check "suf-
hciently long to withdraw trains" and
then retire to Pipe Creek.
The time for falling back" continued
the circular. can only be determined by
IClIGulISldHCeS. beNelOpIUeHIS may CAUSE
the Commanding General to assume the
offensive from his present position
| Obviously to a General like Reynolds,
always ready to meet the enemy and fight
him, this order so indefinite would be con
strued as tentative only, and not an abro-
CATION of Meade's previous circular, in
which there was so much fight appar-
ent between the lines.
Meade's information" was correct, for
on that very night Buford with his cav
airy had arrested Hills advance into Get
| tysburg, and caused him to withdraw to a
position west of Seminary Ridge, where
on the morning of July l Buford confront
ed him with a well-placed skirmish line,
! following the bluffs along the left bank
of Willoughby Run, and covering all the
roads leading to Gettysburg from the
west and north.
| Early in the day Hills skirmishers
moved to the attack, and the battle of
| Gettysburg began. Reynolds moved
promptly to Buford's support. Reynolds
being dead it is impossible, of course, to
divine the process of Interpretation of ''Or
ders' that governed his own mind. If he
gave them earnest thought, which was his
duty, be must have been sorely puzzled.
The attack" had commenced. Evidently
| the time" and necessity" to retreat could
not be determined before collision; nor was
he to rely upon his own judgment as to
the proper time to retire; for, says his in
StructlODS, whenever such circumstances
arise as would seem to indicate the neceS-
slty for falling back, notice of such move
| ment will at once be communicated to
these headquarters and to all adjoining
corps commanders. Developments may
cause the Commanding General to assume
the offensive from his present position
Reynolds would he clearly justified if
he concluded: The Commanding Gen
-al 8 Yb,, ti,.
and l am expected to resist that advance,
and when | am satisfied that it will be
necessary for me to fall back" | must
report to headquarters the apparent neces-
sity, and hold on with tenacity and dispute
every inch of ground until ordered to fall
back, because in the meantime develop
mentS may have taken place elsewhere of
which | know nothing, which may have
caused the Commanding General to deter
mine to assume the offensive from his
present position
l would not say that these "orders" are
not susceptible of a different interpreta-
tiOn. They are otherwise interpreted; that
such an Interpretation may have been
given them by Reynolds is manifest. The
important fact remains that they were
susceptible of different interpretations by
different commanders as their predilec
tions might be to fight or run.
At all events, Reynolds moved prompt
ly to Buford's support, placing the First
Division of his own corps in position, or
dering up his two other divisions, and
notified Howard and Sickles to come for
ward with ali haste. Reynolds's dispo-
stiOn of his men already on the field and
his orders to Howard and Sicliles all in
dicate that he at least was there to fight.
All of Reynolds's movements and orders
IL.
that he conceived il to be his duty not to
fall back" but to fight in obedience to
the instructions OF his chief as he, Rey-
nOlds, construed them.
On the contrary, Gen. Butterfield, Chief
of Meade ataff, when shown the order
of July !, demonstrated against it as being
an order to fall back" which, in his
judgment, would be demoralizing to the
troops.
That Gen. Sickles so considered it is
manifest from the fact that he did not
move to Reynolds support. SickIes knew
before he received notice to come to Rey
nolds's aid that the First Corps were
fighting. He was within hearing of Rey-
nolds's artillery. He, doubtless, construed
the circular to mean fall back" that he
was not to move until circumstance" or
development" should so clear up the
situation as to cause Meade to finally de-
termine whether to fall back" or '.ad-
vance from his present position"
Cen Slocum's Corps, the Twelfth, was
in line Of battle, within an hours march of
Gettysburg, and he must have listened all
that day to the battle raging in his front,
without marching promptly to Reynolds's
support. He evidently construed the cir
cular to mean fall back" and that he was
to move only upon the receipt of ''orders,"
for such was the direction contained in his
instructions for the movement of his corps
for July l.
Early in the day, even before his own
corps had been placed in position, Rey-
nolds lad fallen, a misfortune under these
peculiar circumstances most appalling. It
is, of course, idle to speculate as to what
might have been the outcome of the first
days fighting but for this calamity. 4
thorough soldier, cool. resourcefuI. he
possessed not merely the confidence, but
the respect and love of his valiant corps,
rank and file. In every respect he was
an ideal soldier to command; and we may
well believe that but for his untimcly
death, no such disaster as marked the
closing hours of that eyentful day would
have occurred.
Upon the death of Reynolds, Butter
| field assumed command only to relinguish
it to Howard after a brief interval. who
was thereafter III command until over
borne and routed; he retreated to Gene
terry Ridge, losing beside his killed and
wounded nearly 1000 taken prisoners.
FIRST DAYS FIGHTERS
The battle of the first day was fought
l l. II