Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-30

TAI when be Is whipped. Lee was
 a good general. On the morn
 ing of July 3, 1888, be climb.
 d into the belfry of the seminary on $he outskirts of Gettysburg to study ! he enemy's podtion and plan the next hove. Around him and away to the horth was the battle field waere the bay before his troops under Hill and 1well had driven the Federal divisions Rf Reynolds and Howard from ridge o ridge and from knoll to knoll-a ierce struggle, with glory in it for both | ides. but victory for his own banners. rhe blue had been whipped, not the gray. But an army may be whipped md yet not conquered. From the bel- ry Lee saw Cemetery hill looming in front of him, packed with Federal troops and bristting with Federal can hon To his mind the enemy had been driven to that height as refuge from pursuing foes. That was true. The Federals had mounted the nearest rock at hand in order to escape the rising flood, because they had no boats. Let the boats come and they would hasten aboard for fear the waters might rise and enguh the rock and khem with it. Lee determined to keep he boats away and cause the waters ko mount higher.
 This description is of course hgura- live The threatening waves were Lees armed battalions and the boats open roads for endorsements and supplies 3Dr safe retreat Cemetery hill forms part of long ridge shaped like let ters J. The hill is at the curve and is pvertopped by Culp's hill, the point of the curve. and that again by Little Round Top, the head of the long staff. Ewelps corps bad fought its way to khe base of Cuip's hill on July 1, and Hill's corps to the base of Cemetery hill. Longstreet came to the front during the night with two divisions of his corps that had missed the battle 3 of the first day. It looked easy for Lee 4o destroy the Federals upon Cemetery hill by rushing his battalions to the, crests of Culp's hill and Little Round Top and from there hurl death upon all the ridge between.
 A The Eedarals had planted weak line upon Culp's hill, but had overlook ed Little Round Top as an element of danger. Lee gave to Longstreet the. task of seizing Round Top and to Ew- ell that of fighting his way to the crest of Culp's hill, while HilFs corps stood ! facing Cemetery hill ready for the final Rspring. This story has been thrashed ] over in print countless times since 1868, but there are countless readers I on this fordeth anniversary of the great battle who still wonder why Lee fought at all on July 2 and 3, when military writers make 1t clear that he was whipped before he fired a shot. The merest beginner in war quickly learns that the fighter on the highest ground has the advantage, the same as the duelist who has his back to the sun. The soldiers below must waste breath and energy in climbing to get at the foe. Longstreet stealthily de- ployed his troops parallel with the ridge lying between Cemetery hill and Round Top until Lees line of battle extended from the foot of Culp's bill almost to the base of Round Top on it's south and west faces.
 While Longstreet marched on his long detour the Federal corps of Sic szles protected itself like blunt wedge into the plain west and northwest of Round Top. It got in Longstreet's way. Longstreet wanted to keep his troops together and mass them for the grand rush on Round Top. He fell upon Sickles, and Sickbes stood his ground for hours until the results of the sudden battle had changed the whole face of things, as Lee saw 1t that morning from the belfry.
 The opening gun of LongStreet was a signal for EweII to get to work at the other end of the field. His troops dashed half way up the slope of Gene tery hill on the north face, and while part of the Federal occupants of Culp's mill left their places to help Sickles out of his plight, also to help defend Cemetery hill, one of his divisions broke through the line and planted its hags there. The tide was rising. Only
 
 (which the Federals could escape if de- Heated in their attempt to defend them. Should Ewell succeed in cap turing few cannon on Culp's hill and turn them against their former owners he could rake that road with shells on one side. and Longstreet, if he carried his guns up Round Top, could rake it on the other.
 Meanwhile Federal troops began to move southward along the connecting
 fridge to help Sickles in his fight and
 save Round Top from Longstreet's
 grasp. Lee must help his old war
 horse in that uphill fight. He threw
 but division from Hills idle corps
 to dash for the center of the long
 ridge and cut the Federal army in
 wo, leaving Sickles in hopeless tan
 le and Round Top at the mercy of
 ,ongstreet. A charge of single regi-
 bent of bluecoats, the First Minnesota,
 umbering but 262 men, was made