The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-10-27

~Acn DekOt III rs turn All toea o. o-S-
trust. Then came the 3rd. When day
appeared. like q Sunday morning. the
sounds Of battle and its concentrate
smoke. were conspicuous BY theis ABB
sence. An om'nous quiet prevailed the
hills ind valleys. and every man
awaited In anxious expectancy. B.<aK-
fast had passed and dinner had been
partaken Of. and still We waited. At
about o'clock q gun or two roarsd
doyn the line. and almost simui'ane-
ously hundreds OF pieces Of artillery
answered in laundering concert OBJ
securing the heavens with a heavy pail
OF smoke. which made a curtain to eS-
hibit the starry shells as they ex-
pioded in the air.
ricketts, Observation-Disclosures
Then occurred the famous charge CT
Pickett After an unnecessary pause
OF eight or ten hours OF daylight. these
$4,000 heroes were sent In closed ranks
in an open field against a disciplined
army fortified in chosen and almost
impreSnabIe position. All. How well l
RENE mber hearing many soldier as he
steadily tramped. saying, Master BOB
missed his right arm" meaning Stone
wall Jackson.
That there did not seem a uniform
disposition OF action among the ger
eral onscers theer Is no doubt. General
Rodes saw on the spot. July !. the Ad-
vantage OF securing the eastern ridge
General Longstreet. on the right. saw
it twelve hours later. and advocated its
seizure, and when ordered by Generai
Lee to put Pickett's troops IN motion.
said TO Lee: II have been q soldier: l
may say from the ranks up 20 the posi-
ton now hold I have been In pretty
much ali kinds OF skirmishes from
those OF two or three soldiers up to
those Of an army corps. and ! think
can safely say there never was oooy
OF 1900 men who could make that at
tack successfully.
This little paper II IN no wise
criticism OF the noble heroes VINO now
are lying IN THEIR last sleep. loved and
honored by every honest Soothern
heart: but it is the outSrowth OF q
disposition to defend an able soldier
and loved friend. who does not belong
to that class of generals whose sloth.
inactivity or other fault, caused the
blame" asserted by Thomas Nelson
Page. saw and know Of what
write; and the picture o: those four
DAYS Il indel,bIy impressed upon my
mind
General Lee (God Bless him) lived
his men and they loved him II was
his inordinate faith and trust IN their
inyincibility that caused him to send
his cavalier captain with his long au-
burn hair falling from under his cap.
cooked rakishly over ono ear. to lead
his equally gallant men TO loss OF
1000 mee killed and wounded In thirty
minutes. Be IL remembered the Army
of Northern Virginia was not whipped
The Yankees held not one square
yard Of Confederate alignment on
Seminary Ridge. We faced him In line
of battle al day OF the eth. and left
at night for our march toward the
Potomac River. stopping once on the
way in lire OF battle to oner n1ht.
which the enemy declined
was detached and sent TO williams
port. where We built large HAT boats.
which we towed to Falling Waters.
where our division crossed the Poto-
mac. General Barksdaie was killed ON
the north side Of the river here. where
he defended the crossing and destroy
ed the boats after dark with his gum.
est Wa. ny Faslt." Sasa Lee.
The army was not discrganixed. but
ready ard willing Sor a. fight. but the
Yankees had enough II n. ard were as
badly used up as We ourselves. ano
cheered themselves and thanked God
that we were out Of Pennsylvaaia-
Never let any man use the word
plane toward the commanding Of
fcers Of the Gettysburg fights All did
their duty according to their lights
honest. faithful and patr:,ric heroes
Some may have been slow. some may
have erred. but all were as true as the
steel in their scabbards. They have
all gone TO their last and only reunion,
v here TO. blame can reach them
No eelf-arrogant holiday soldier can
pun UP his useless body In the belle:
that he saw what did not exist and did
what could not be done. The great Lee
met his troops returning FROM their
fxht to rally them with the words:
TT was my fault" Was there ever
srander nobility Of sod than this. II
should settle the Southern critic 70 all
eternity. Individually. when I look
back and reflect. thinking Of the march
into Pennsylvania the lean animals
drawing wagons loaded with RAGGED
ard shoeless soldiers. ntsle or no food
for men or stock. ] put my words IN
biblical language. and thankful 70 the
cnrsged patriots Of the place snd vtctn-
i,y. chant alo0d: The Lord loves
cheerful etve-. for re huneered and
We FED US. we we're naked and ~
'vioth>d us- They evsdentIy hs6 some
thing e. do I'm the shape Of rspairsng
damage and picking VI thines lying
loose. besides following ~ as We Sets-
ureIy crossed the flowing Pcecmsc.
GEORGE p c. ECNpoC0H.
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