The National tribune., 1902-10-09

and unwounded Confederates captured at
Gettysburg. Deducting the number of un-
wounded prisoners, or $3.50, from the
whole number of captured, and we have
1917 wounded prisoners, all or nearly all
of whom were so severely wounded that
they were abandoned by Lee and left in
the hospitals around Gettysburg, but ev-
cry last man among his wounded who had
chance of standing the retreat was hur-
ried to the rear on the night Of July 3.
After the battle of the Wilderness, in
1854, went with my regiment, the 23d
q. s. G. T., with which was then serv-
ing, from the rear of Grants army to
Belle Plaine Landing, on the Potomac
River, as guard for Grants supply trains,
and on the outward trip every ambulance
and every wagon was flied with wounded;
besides, more than an equal number Of
slightly wounded accompanied the train
on foot. Besides these there were hun
dreds of severe cases who could not be re-
moved from our field hospitals. l know
by actual experience, somewhat of the
proportion that the slightly wounded bears
to the severely wounded in battle. As at
Gettysburg we captured 1000 severely
wounded Confederates, we may assume as
an absolute certainty that Lee lost twice
as many more who were not wounded SO
severely as to disable them from making
the retreat. That would fix the entire
number of Confederate wounded Mt 21 600.
Their killed could not have been less than
$500 and their missing $3.50; making
Lees aggregate loss at Gettysburg 29,650
men.
The Confederates, living and dead, have
no reason to be ashamed of the battle Of
Gettysburg so far as the battle itself was
concerned. l think they have reason to
be ashamed of the cause they espoused,
but the fight they put up was heroic. In
every instance, except at Sickles's Sail
ent, we held the vantage ground and re-
PEELED their assaults. At Fredericksburg
Burnside assaulted Lees position, which
was hardly more secure and impregnable
than Meade's was at Gettysburg, the prin-
cipal difference being that Lee had his
army all concentrated and in position at
Fredericksburg when the battle opened.
There Burnside's loss was 1921, Lees
5000, or more than two to one, but the
save Burnside's reputation. Lee made mil
itary blunders at Gettysburg that were
only excelled by Burnside at Fredericks-
burg during the civil war, and it seems per-
fectly foolish for his admirers North or
South to befog and belle the truths of his
tory in order to glorify the military genius
of a man who deserted the Nation that
gifted, and turned the strength of his
genius against the sword of God and the
might of his truth.
After the battle, and during the remain
der of the Sd and all Of the 4th of July,
with an army Of 10000 men under his
command, 1900 of whom, or one-fourth
of his infantry (the Sixth Corps having
scarcely pulled a trigger during the ac-
ton, Meade watched Lee pull his defeated
army together, which had been pounded
and hammered and slaughtered and repuls-
ed at every point, and march away with
flying colors to prOlong wicked and in
human war for another year and a half.
that should have been ended then and
there.
Gettysburg was Meade's first and last
battle as Commanding General. He re-
tained the supreme command of the Army
OF the Potomac until the next Winter, and
handled the army skillfully in avoiding
battle. He retained the command under
Grant, and until the war closed and prov
ed himself skillful and reliable lieuten-
ant in executing the plans of leader;
but IL the United States could have given
him SOC, 900 men and allowed him to re-
tain the chief command, it is doubtful if
he ever would have taken Richmond or
captured Lees army.
OVER THE FIELD IN 1900.
In the month of May, 1900, put in two
weeks of hard work, for an old man, in
reviewing and closely studying the battle
fields as they were in 1868, as compared
with their appearance and condition at the
time Of my later visit.
In the first place, rode along the prin-
cipal avenues that follow closely the vari-
GUS battle lines Of the old war days These
are called Buford, Reynolds, Howard,
Sickles, Slocum, Hancock, SeGgwick and
Sykes avenues, after the corps comman-
ders Of the Army of the Potomac. My
guide, or rather driver, was an old man
who was at Gettysburg at the time of, but
not In, the battle. l found him of use In
locating any point with which l was not
familiar, but he seemed not to be a sue
| cessful guide or driver on the field; not
for the reason that he was not soldier
IN the battle, as one might suppose, but
| rather for the reason that he was old and
mad some knowledge Of the battle gather.
ed from personal ohservation