The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-08-06
POSITIONS JULY 1, ABOUT P. NJ.

road continues for 700 yards to the
Emmitsburg road along Devils Den
Ridge, which slopes on the north to
Plum Run, On the south to Plum
Branch From Ziegier's Grove the En-
INTERPRETATIONS across
the interval between Cemetery and
Seminary Ridges. crossing the latter
two smiies from Ziegler's Grove. From
Peach Orchard to Zeigler's is nearly
mile and one-half. For half a mile the
road runs along ridge at right angles
to that OF Devils Den, which slopes
back to Plum Run. The angle at the
Peach Orchard is thus formed by the
intersection of two bold ridges, one
from Devils Den, the other along the
Emmitsburg road. 1t is distant about
500 yards from the wood, which skirts
the whole length of Seminary Ridge
and covers the movement of troops be-
tween it and Willoughby Run, half a
mile beyond. South of the Round Top
and Devils Den Ridge the country is
open, and the principal obstacles to free
movement are the fences-generally of
stone-which surround the numerous
fields"
''rhe Inflamed Points of Mighty Oppo-
sites,
Within a short mile of each other
were foci Of cyclonic intensity and
measureless importance to American
history. Gen. Lee had ridden straight
forward to Seminary Ridge, established
his headquarters upon the hardly won
field, and began getting in hand the
$4,000 men within his reach for an
overwhelming assault upon the Union
forces on Cemetery Ridge. On the sue
cess of that assault depended the sue
cess of the Southern Confederacy, as
upon successfully withstanding it de-
pended the territorial and political in
tegrity of the United States. Gen. Lee
hoped, with reason, that his army was
better concentrated than that of his
opponents, and that by swift, heavy
: striking he could defeat the Army of
the Potomac in detail and destroy it.
He had the greater part OF his army
Immediately under his eye, with but
three divisions absent from the field.
These were marching rapidly toward it,
however, and would be there before
the night was quite spent.
Among the many mighty "ifs" of
the war no one has been so persistently
dilated upon and, at times, with so
much heat, as that of what would have
happened If Lee had ordered his army
I forward that night, and driven the
| shattered remnants of the First and
Eleventh Corps from Cemetery Ridge.
The Southerners have said that If Stone
I
have been done, and Gettysburg would
have been a great Confederate victory.
AS long as Gen. Ewell lived he con-
tended that he had begged Gen. Lee TO
allow him to move forward with the
| 10000 men that he had well in hand,
and sweep the Yankees from Culp's
Hill, when the Army of the Potomac
would have been compelled to retreat.
This was a favorite topic with Gen.
Gordon In his lectures and writings,
and he had much to say of how he was
prevented from winning a victory by
not being allowed to push forward with
his brigade to the Baltimore pike, cap
ture the Union trains and turn the
| Union right. AS we have had occasion
to say before with regard to other bat
ties, the opponents of these Ifs" al
ways assume that their ifs would,
without doubt, have gone thru success
| fully, while the other fellows Ifs
would unquestionably have failed.
! In the first place. the scene that pre-
sented itself to Gen. Lees eyes when
| he arrived at the Seminary was not
calculated to encourage him to further
aggression. While the Union men had
been driven from the ridge. 1t Is true,