The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-06-12


tysburg as Southern Waterloo, and
occasionally we fnd Southern writer's
and speakers who make the same mis-
take. Any one acquainted with the
history of the two battles and their
results, If he stops to weigh his words,
will fully realize the utter inaccuracy
OF such an expression. In truth the
worst defeat suffered by either Of the
great opposing armies on any field
during the war between the States fell
far short Of the overwhelming ruin
which overlook the army of France at
Waterloo. The army of Napoleon
fed from that field in utter rout, leaving
in the hands Of tho victorious all;cs
227 cannons. twas a rout unparallel-
cd in history. Never could even the
great Napoleon rally from that blow.
The disaster was absolutely irrctrieva-
BILE.
Let us take a brief review of the
battle of Gettysburg. On July l,
1868, General Ewclls corps Of Lees
army encountered the two corps Of
Reynolds and Howard and drove them
through Gettysburg with heavy loss
to the Federals in killed and wounded,
besides more than 5,ovG prisoners. On
July the Confcderatca attacked the
heights, to which the Fedcrals had
retreated after their defeat of the
previous day. In this second dag 8
fight Longstreet's corps, though fail
ing to capture the Round Tops, drove
the corps of General Sickles from it's
position with heavy loss, its command
er being severely wounded, and at the
close Of the day held the DEVILS Den
with it's woods and the Emmettsburg
road, with skirmishers thrown out as
far as the Trostle house.
Horace Greedy, in his American
Conflict" says that ''the ground on
which Reynolds had fallen was now in
the center of the Confederate army.
They held that also on which Howard
had been cut up, and that from which
Sickles had been driven in disorder.
True, they also had lost heavily, but
they had reason for their hope that
the morrow's triumph would richly re.
pay all their losses Up to this
stage of the battle the loss Of the
Federals was double that of the Con-
federates.
Encouraged by the results of the
second days battle, General Lee de-
termed to continue the attack. The
battle was renewed in the afternoon of
July Sd, when P;eget, supported By
Pettigrew an 4 Trimble, made his i'm
mortal charge, piercing the enemy's
center and seizing some Of his batter
les, but not being strongly enough
supported was obliged to give up the
attack and retire to his original posi-
ton.
A Northern army correspondent,
speaking of the conduct of the South
ern soldiers after the failure Of the
general charge, says: They gather
ed up their broken fragments, formed
their lines aud slowly marched away"
Yes, marched away, but only to the
point from which they had advanced
in the charge.
General Longstreet says: "There
was no indication of panic. The
broken files marched back in steady
step"
Major General Horny j. Hunt,
chief of the artillery of the Union
army, says: "This was not Water
loo defeat, with fresh army to fol-
low it up, and to have made change
to the offensive, on the assumption
that Lee had made no provision
against reverse, would have been
rash in the extreme"
He then proceeds to show that q
counter charge was simply impractical
BILE, and says that an advance against
the Confederate position would have
been madness.
Lee remained at Gettysburg during
the 4th Of July, the Confederate
burying their dead and moving such o
their wounded as were in condition
to stand journey in an ambulance
back to Virginia. The army of Gen
L,e began to retire on the night o
the 4th. but the roar of the column
did not leave Gettysburg until afte
daylight on the 9Th. Their marcl
was not seriously interfered with, ant
when they reached the Potomac an
found its waters too much swol
len to admit Of the safe passage O
their trains and artillery, they thre,
up breastworks and awaited the atsacl