The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-27
HETH INTENDED TO
COVER HIS ERROR.
Colonel John S. Mosby Gives His
Version Of New Chapter in
Lce-Stuart Controversy.

ny COLONEL JOHN $. MosnY.


General ffeth over thirty years ago in
reference 10 the manner in which he
brought on the battle OF Gettysburg
without orders from General Lee.
lieth's letter was published In the
Southern Historical Society Papers: but
they did not publish my reply. This
Is the way that history Is manufacture
ed in Richmond.
refer to my book, "Stuart's Cavalry
In the Gettysburg Campaign" to Heth's
letter and quote II on pages 150-15l-
i52-l54.
Heth gives an entirely diffcren,
account In this letter OF the
way the battle was precIpltatcd against
orders by a. J.. Hill and himself from
both his own and Hill's Official re-
ports 10 General Lee. The letter says
they went on July list after shoes;
both reports say they went to make n
reconnaissance and do not say they
went after shoes; nor do they pro.
tend they went under orders. Heth's
motive In writing his letter was TO
create diversion from himself and
To put historians on false scent.
What Necords show.
He says that the letter was written
70 give information TO the Count Of
Paris He succeeded in fooling thu.
Count. According to Hcth's letter only
his division went after shoes The
records show that A. r. Hill took Pen
ders and Heths divisions and two
hattalions OF artillery to make VIVA,
he calls In his report 10 cover his
blunder. a reconnaissance; but which
1t is clear hc intended as nothing but
a foray. In my book (page 1879 J
say. NOW Heth's story is contradicted
by ~ T. Hill, the commander OF tho
corps. whose report says that he put
ponder's division In to support Heth's
that was In distress. and that about
::s6 In the afternoon Ewcll with
Earlv's and Rodes's divisions came In
and formed right angie to his l!ns
and the field was won.
Just az true an account OF the bat
tie as Heth's letter can be found In
the pickwick papers. Rodes's report
shows that iIeth's story Is fable.
Tho truth Is that when Heth early
in tho morning went into action. Gen.
eral Lee was ten miles away west OF
the mountain. Hcth tries TO make II
appear that Lee was on the field
Other Reports ON the Movement.
'Pendleton's report says they heard
the firing when they were on the
western slope OF the mountain and
that General Lee did not understand
1t, When Rodes arrived on the field
Hcth's division was in fragments. Heth
says he stumbled into the fight hs
ought 10 have said lie biundered into
ii. He says that had the cavalry been
In position, General Leo would have
known OF Reynoldss approach 10
Gettysburg and would have occupied the
place and made 1t impregnable BUY
the absence OF cavalry WAS no reason
FOR Heth's going there on raid; u
might have been good reason lot MS
q a
surnes that Gettysburg was Lees OBJ
fectiye point; It was not. Lee was
as willing for Meade to be at Gettys-
burg as anywhere else: he had no idea
OF going there himself before he heard
the firing. He went TO the rescue OF
a. p. Hill and Heth.
general Lee had known for week
that Meade was moving North from
Frederick and that no must be In tbs
vicinity OF Gettysburg. AS a cavalry
division was already there. he knew
without being told that Meade's army
must be near. He selected and held
Cashtown Pass as his point OF concen-
tration because nature made 1t I'm
pregnable. He would have d noun
taln-wall to cover his flank and the
rich Cumberland Valley behind him.
.If lie had ordered the army to
Gettysburg he would have been with
the leading division and would have
occupied the place several days be-
fore Instead OF hating HIS corps at
Cashtown.
.Thcre was more reason for censui-
ing Leo for being absent from the Nciu
than Stuart.
ut IS impossible to believe that Gem
oral Leo ever professed the Ignorance
of tho movements OF stuart that Heti,,
Long. and his stuff-ofticers have at
tributed to him, If he had done so, Il
would have been affectation. He knew
that his and Longstreet's orders would
carry Stuart for a while into a state
OF eclipse; around the enemy, out OF
sight and out of communication with
him,
,'ueth delivered tho Judgment in his
latter that the failure to crush the
Federal army in Pennsylvania can be
expressed in five words-the absence
OF cavalry: would rather say it was
due to the presence OF Heth."
The MucA-Mootcd Lctter-Book.
'In another letter in the Philadel-
phia Times OF December q, 1877. Heth
1etter-bools his instructions to, Stuart
& to keep In close contact and ,communt-
cation with Longstreet. Now the con-
tents OF the lettcr-book have since
been published and l have read the
original copies, +~Heth's account OF
what~fe read In the book Is pure TIC
ton. Instead Of ordering Stuart to
keep on Longstreet's flank. he ordered
him to leave Longstreet In Virginia,
GROSS the Potomac. and join Ewell on
the 6usquehanna--a hundred miles
away.
ut was all the same to Lee at what
ford Stuart crossed the Potomac.
"Heth's letter was written to give
Information to the Count of Paris. II
is the origin OF HIS criticism OF Stuart
in his History of the Var.
"As for cavalry there were as many
With Ewell as there were with Rey.
nolds that day, Buford fought his two
brigades dismounted in the morning
when TIath attacked. him. There were
no cavalry charges on either side, II
there had existed any necessity e
make a reconnaissance Lees head.
quarters wepe near and so We're Ewells
cavalry, The order should have come