The National tribune., 1902-09-18

sessed large supply of human weakness
and imperfectiOn somewhere in his make
up. Such man can never take his place
in the pages of history as one free from
guile and perfect in thought and in deed.
Lee was IL great General. He was the
idol of his army and the inspiration OF
the shareholders rebellion; but when he
abandoned his defensive policy and car
ried the war into the North he made his
great military mistake This mistake
conformity with his ambition and his
genius ttlr
There is tide in the affairs of men
Which. taken at the flood, leads on to for
tune"
Lee had made every preparation to ride
the tioodtidc of fortune. Behind the Rap
pahannock's protecting hills he had mar
shaled an army that was the pride of his
ambitious heart and the hope renewed of
the Southern COnfederacy. He was play
ing a bold game for Il stupendouS stake.
His lieutcnants were Generals of marked
ability, tested and tempered in the fiery
ordeal of battle. To him and to his cause
they Were known to be true as refined
steel. His officers were brave and eff
cient, and every man in his mighty army
was ready to do and dare every hardship
of march. every danger of battle that
order. No army in the world since the
days of Alexander the Great was ever
held more completely in the power of one
directing hand. No leader of men except
Alexander ever stood among his Generals
so suprcmely their leader and their chief
| tain.
In every movement he had handled his
divisions with consummatc skill. He had
outgcneraled Hooker and invaded Penn
sylvania without battle. He had out
generated Meade and his corps command
ers by keeping his own army well in
hand, while he separated the Union com
manders widely one from the other. He
would meet and defeat the corps of the
| Union army in detail. and sweeping the
last opposition from his path, swooD down
upon our National Capital and. laying tho
archives of the Republic in ruins. dictate
terms of peace to Nation humiliatcd and
overthrown, thereby establishing the su-
premacy and independence of the COnfed
| cracy.
Such was the dream Of victory that
swellcd the proud heart of Robert Il. Lee
and inspired his warriors for battle as he
met our thin columns fourth of our
| army-at Gettysburg.
Up to ) o'clock p. m. July I. Lee had
everything his own way, except that the
| first detail from the Army of the Poto-
mac had put up Il fight that surprised
mn. tHSN udu Dctl NGlNtn
| from their first position. and fully ex-
pected TO he attacked in their second, but
he established his headquarters on the
Chambersburg Pike. just over Seminary
Ridge, and for the time being seemed per-
fectly satisfied with what slIis army had
| accomplished. This was Lees great mis-
take OF the campaign. Why he did not
follow up the advantage gained with his
wOnted visor is beyond the compreherr-
sion of every one familiar with the con
ditiOns. 1t would seem that the finger
of God had paralyZed his brain in the
very moment of victory.
II may be said that Lees army was weary
with its long march, and with the battle
that had been so stubhornly contested; but
what was the condition Of Howard's and
Doubleday's forces on the, opposing line
ut the same hour? In the battle just end
ed they had lost nearly half their number.
Bufords Division had lost 400, the First
Corps $500. the Eleventh Corps 1900, or
an aggregate Of $780, and after suffering
the encouragement of defeat, they await
ed the renewed onset of their victorious
would do exactly what he did do-Give lis
a rest until Meade arrived with the re-
mainder of the Army of the Potomac.
In line on Cemetery Hill there were B,I-
ford's Division, $500 strong; the First
Corps, 5000. and the Eleventh Corps, T.
200, the remnants OF the divisions that
bore the brunt of battle on the 1st in all.
l2,10O men. To these may be added Slo-
Gums Twelfth Corps, numbering $3.50,
which arrived on the ground about the
time of our retreat to Cemetery Hill. and
extended our line to the right along Culp's
Hill to Rock Creek. This gave an entire
force, counting Buford's Cavalry Div-
sion, of q ,2s9. and there was not another
regiment of Union troops within eight
hours march of our position.
AT o'clock y. III. there still remained
between three and four hours of daylight.
Lee had in line of battle at that moment
not less than 10000 men. What his
losses were during the days fighting we
have no means of knowing, but one of his
division commanders ever having made n
report. Gen. Heth, whose division open
ed the battle with Buford and was after
ward met by the First Division (Wads-
worth'sJ of the First Corps. says in his
report of the battle: 'In less than %
minutes my division lost in killed and
wounded over 200 men," From this
We may assume that Lees loss was equal
ly as severe as Ours, for he had FIVE divi-
SONS engaged, but his troops We're inspir-
ed by victory, while ours were depressed
with defeat. His army was nearly all on
the ground, while only One-third of ours
was there to meet him.
He failed to renew the attack. and we
are WILING TO give God the glory.
MEADE's STRATEGY.
Gen. Reynolds dispatch. sent before 10
O'Clock July l, stating that the nights of
Gettysburg was the place for the battle,
reached Gen. Meade at Taneytown just
as soon as a good horse could carry it to
him, probably by l o'clock Did Gen.
Meade order his army to Gettysburg? No.
he expected Lee would attack him at Dou-
BILE Pipe Creek, if he would give him time;
so, instead of making an effort to support
Reynolds in his position there, he con
cluded Reynolds would support him in his
chosen position after Reynolds was beat
en-. That was Meades strategy But he
did one thing that brought about saIu-
tary result; he ordered Gen. Hancock to
ride to Gettysburg, view the situation, and
report.
Meade was not n great General. He
had been i'll command of the Army of the
Potomac less than four days; in fact, he
was then only nominaly in command. He
did not know his army, and the army,
outside of the Fifth Corps, knew but yery
little of him. Each corps commander
seemed to have a general idea of the sit
uatiOn and what he was expected to do
or what he ought to do liz the premises,
and he acted according to the light he
possessed. 1t was Providence more than
anything else that brought Slocum TO
HOWard'S SuDDOrt Mt Gettvshurt. on July