The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-06-04

~ oSN"pAeo 0euluaiy NluSe, which
afterward became the confederate posi-
ton, and they retreated across the val.
ley to Cemetery hill and line parallel
with 1t, which they continued to hold.
Gen. Reynolds was killed in the first
days fighting, and was blamed for its
failure until the circumstances were
better understood. Gen. Hancock hur.
rled forward for that purpose took
command on Reynolds death, and rail-
lied the retreating Union troops. Dur
ing the night, while Meade's army was
coming up, corps by corps, Gen. War
ren, the engineer officer, from Little
Round Top laid out the line of defence
for the Union forces that won the bat.
tie for them. In bronze Gen. Warren
stands today overlooking, from Little
Round Top, the scene of the great sue.
cess for his plans and his planting Of
artillery
F~FGen. John B. Gordon and Gen. James
Longstreet Of the confederacy-both
OF whom recently died-went to their
graves enemies because that night.
when Warren was planning for the
next days fight and exhausted armv
corps of Union troops were hurried
painting in, there was no fierce attack
of the confcderates to greet and DESTROY
them piecemeal. Had the confederate
success been pressed that night, with
an attack in force on the right flank of
the Union line, critics are agreed that
Meade's army might have been defeat.
ed corps by corps as it came up for II
was not until the afternoon Of the Sec
ond day that his last troops arrived,
and the bulk of the confederate army
was on hand at the end of the first
day. Gen. Ewell did attack i'm flank
late that day, but it was not pressed
home.
On July the fights around the
Round Tops, in the wheat field and ot
the "bloody angle" were attempts hv
the confederates to turn the Union left
flank. The last day saw the failure Of
tue frontal attack by Pickett while $50
guns thundered before and behind him.
Ihat was the battle of Gettysburg,
ana the three days of it were NOT of
all unlike the one day Of Waterloo, But
because Meade, unlike Wellington. did
not attack and rout the enemy he had
rcptlscd from his lines, and reneot tho
fout or Waterloo, he lost his chance to
win great reputation as a soldier and
to f1ll the role Grant aftcrward filed
)cfore Petersburg and at Richmond and
Appomattox. Lee not only got away
WIN MS beaten army in perfect order.
but he carried 1000 Union prisoners
oack with him to Dixie. And Gen,
Meade had as trophies for the renulse
Oh this great invasion three field guns
which the confederates were compelled
TO leave on the field.
President Lincoln was bitterly dc
appointed with Meade, and soon oftor
the Dattle the army of the Potomac had
another commander. Edward Everett
orator OF the day, that fall, when the
battlefield cemetery was dedicated
compared Gettysburg with Waterloo
out excused Meade for his failure to
complete the parallel by saying that no
iresh corps reached him at the end of
'ile thIrd day, as Blucher's army came
10 ana wellington in crumpling up Ma.
poieohs troops. AS President Lincoln
nstened' to this explanation he NAV
nave remembered the caustic letter ".
ing III his desk which he had written
TO Meade, but never sent rebukino
nm in stinging terms for his failure to
pursue and attack Lee as he retreated
But Everett had written his Grafton in
expectation that Meade would be nres.
ent at the dedication. Gen. D. n
Couch, whom Lincoln criticised MS h;t.
terly in his letter to Meade, was nres.
ent and. acted as marshal of tho dov
All this is plain to anyone who wiz,
climb Little Round Top and look abont
hlm. Other national battlefield parks
are not so fortunate With careful
study and skilled guide, it is almost