The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-02-09

military sense; It was the step feared
Lee would take, and 10 meet which and
rs prepared for was the object OF my In
structlon 70 Butterdeld.
The instructions TO BUtterield we're TO
prepare a contingent order for a retreat
from Gettysburg. Colonel Mcclure must
revise some of his conclusions about Gcttys-
burg N he VIII carefully read up all the
data. The foregoing, / think, Is sufficient
to vlndicate me in the suggestion ! repeat
eddy offered General Lee at Gettysburg.
LONGSTREET'S RESENTMENT TO
WARD LEE
what is the real ground for the per
sonal resentment you hold toward Lee, gen
eral, mentioned by Colonel McClureT was
one Of the questions 1 asked General Long.
street
Colonel Mcclure wofuny misappre-
bends he quickly answered. The at
tacks upon me by the Virginia crowd, Jubal
and other third-rates, began long after Il.
Il. Lees death. 1t is now known Of all the
world that they sought to make me a scape-
goat for the Gettysburg disaster. ] have
disproved their apocryphal tales Of orders
to me for sunrise attacks and other Ike
rot. have held personal resentment to-
ward them, bat not toward General Lee,
He knew nothing OF their unwauanted
work
II loved and respected General Lee. ! ala
not complain Of him because Of our Gcttys-
there. His official reports and correspon-
dence show that he fully approved my
operations throughout. Our relations after
wards were as close as ever. To others
he expressed regret that my advice had
not beeu followed. We continued to GORE
spoud until his death. In the fall after
Gettysburg, while | was upon a fOrlorn
hope in Tennessee, he wrote me to hasten
my work and come back as soon as posi-
BILE; that he wanted and needed me. When
l proposed to become a merchant IN New
AZ hg nj
thus on January 10, 1886 from Lexington,
Virginia.;
on you become as good a merchant as
you were a soldier shall be content No
one VIII then excel you, and no one can
wish you more success and more happiness
! than ]. Ny interest ana affection for you
VIII never cease and my prayers are al.
ways offered for your prosperity. am
most truly yours, II. ". Lee.
General Lee never gave me any cause
for personal resentment Il Is true that, IN
answer to the later diatribeS uf mis- pnrtt-
sans. / have said that General Lee, in sight
of the Federal position at Gettysburg, lost
his splendid equipoise ana precilitated a
I needless attack which lost VS. the battle.
I This was Gods truth. aud nobody was bet
| ter aware Of II than General Lee himself
But we had talked that over several times
I without shaking our friendship or mutual
confidence as the correspondence SHOWS.
/ To disagree about q military plan did not
mean that two old friends were henccforih
10 be enemies
Lee is a rather transparent design on Colo
uel McCure's part to thereby .eKaggerate
unnecessarily the military ability and
I achievements Of General Meade. he Union
/ commander az Gettysburg, who WAS also
I a Pennsylyanian Pennsylvania "a as proud
Of Meade as Virginia is OF Lee. There Is 0
good deal of State and partisan pride in
Colonel 9IcCnres version Of General Lee
and Gettysburg which II VIII NOT dc n
overlook IN any consideration Of MS crltl
cisms or opinions
Tbis was substantially all General Long
street had to say concerning Colonel NC
/ Clure's Random Recollections' Of Davis
! Lee Gettysburg and himself
HISTORICAL JUDGMENTS
In view Of the interesting point raised By
Colonel McCmre's article it is worth noting
that General Longstreet's version is con
frmed by every authority and disputed By
none I'm the orders and correspondence o.
Davis, following charlottesville. ihere I;
nOi o hint ~ concentrated invasion ~
PENNSYLVANIA as means of diverting cram
from Nicksburg or for ANY other purpose
10 makes no suggestion OF gn ouensFt
Z movement &c General Lee. Neither does
Secretary Seddon. They ure evidently con
tent 20 depend upon Lees army Tor the ue
Tense OF Richmond, and even contemplated
sending Picketts division 10 iemoeIloh ~.
the Mississippi, against wnicn zee, ~
obvious reasons. stTenuously ana effectively
protested.
on the contrary, before the smoke q
! Chaureiiorsvilie had cleared away, Lee
| letters to them began 70 disclose q de
sign for or early aggressive movement
The hrst direct hint ~ such an inteo
tor. appear. n 2 letter ~ naH.s 2, w. We!