The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-26

would nave captured the nelSnts edSllS. Our Division (Andersons) was close enough to be available.
 Secondly. If in the battle of the sec ond of July the two reserve Brigades of General Anderson's Division had been sent In to our help as requested by General Wilcox, we should have gone through the enemy's left centre.
 Third. If on the 2nd of July the as- sault had been made on our right three or four hours earlier, as contemplated by General Lee, we would have won a great victory.
 Chapter Xiii.
 Gettysburg to the Wilderness.
 I have recorded the fact that Lees army never during the war (the rank and file Of it) admitted that we had been whipped at Gettysburg. Strategi- cally, as I have stated, we were de- feated, because that battle ended our campaign into Pennsylvania; but the student of history will understand my most positive assertion, that Lees ar my considered Gettysburg as a drawn battle. when he takes account of the following facts which we had in mind.
 At no time for the next ten months. from the 3rd of July, 1868, until the 3rd of May. 1884, did the Army of the Potomac dare to attack General Lee: and this although Lee was at all time accessible, always present between the Federais and Richmond. The outposts of the two armies were never out of touch, and early in the autumn of 1863 Lee quietly took position at Orange c. H. behind the Rapidan river. Meades army now appearing in our front, Lee took the offensive by crossing the river and offering battle on the plains of Culpepper. Meade retreated; Lee push ed on and at Bristow Station on Octo- Der 14th a portion of the Federal rear- guard, successfully concealed behind a railroad embankment, disastrously re- pulsed one of our Brigades that was in hot pursuit and had been led to believe that & railroad embankment which it was rushing upon unwarily was unoc- cupied. Meade got his army away without a fight and this little affair added some clat to his escape; and It was an escape from battle.
 The sth was not in the affair at Bris- tow, except that we were heavily she'll ed at distance, and lost one man kill ed and seven wounded. Strange to say. the man killed had his skin nowhere broken-a shell had bent his musket partly around his body; his wound was internal
 In the latter part of November Meade seemed to have made up his mind to again try conclusions with Lee, and so crossed his army over the river some distance below Orange c. H., and to our right. Lee promptly changed front to meet him, and there was some skir- mishing, during which at Mine Run on the 30th of November our regiment had one man wounded. Meade being slow to attack, General Lee moved on him, but the Federal army got back to it's own side of the river without a battle.
 Again in February when Meade was demonstrating in the direction of Madi- son c. H., we marched there in the rain and sleet over almost impossible roads, but Meade again retired before us
 The army of Northsrn Virginia un- der Lee remained in quarters near Or ange c. H., during October, December, January, February, March, and April, the enemy on three distinct occasions within three months, refusing battle when offered. Thus as before stated, although, as we now see, Gettysburg was a defeat for our army, because it ended the invasion of Pennsylvania, yet the rank and file of the Confederates had reason for their refusal during the war to consider that engagement as anything else than a drawn battle, in which both armies occupied their orig inal position on the 4th of July, the day after the fight ended. Our claim was that the shock we had given Meades army on the impregnable heights of Gettysburg. had so paralyz- ed 1t that it dared not assault us the next day, declined to attack us when we lay for three days near Hagertown, with the Potomac impossible behind us, declined battle when Lee offered 1t on the plains of Culpepper in the middle of October. refused to fight when Lee moved against it after 1t had crossed the Rapidan in the latter part ot November, declined battle again at Madison, c. H., and allowed us to re- main in camp at Orange c. H, abso lutely undisturbed during the whole winter of 1863-4
 What our enemy thought during this period of General Lee is well illustrat- ed by a conversation the writer had (perhaps in January) with an Irish Lieutenant of a New York regiment, whom he had met out between the picket lines when negotiating to pass a lady through the lines on her way North.
 Well" said the Lieutenant 'wel are on our way to Richmond again"
 Yes" was the reply, but you'll never get there"
 "Oh, yes. we will,' came the answer. Well get there after awhile; and if you will swap Generals with us, we will be there in three weeks"
 It is needless to say that the propo- sition for all exchange was politely drink of the gallant young Irishman's good whiskey, to the toast he offered May the best man win" The bigger man Nuou Roth man were nlnrkV