The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-12-20
THE TRUTH ABOUT GETTYS-
BURG.
Being an Unpublished Version by
One Who Participated in the
Battle
M hattle that stemmed the hi.


Battle.
The battle that stemmed the high-tide |
of the Confederate hopes and started I
the ebb which resulted in the surrender |
at Richmond was fought as we all know |
at Gettysburg. Works of literature and |
history textbooks have published the !
story of this battle, but never with ade- !
uuate Justice to what was one of the most !
vital and at once one of the most hor- |
ribe battles that was ever fought for a |
principle. Brother against brother, |
American against American this ter
rife struggle was symbolic OF the old
adage, when Greek Meets Greek"
Now for the first time after lapse of
fifty years, we get a firSt-hand graphic
description of the attack on Gettysburg
by one who was the Bayard Of the South
and among the ConfederaCy's most
famous generals. He tells us that it was
then that the Southern leaders realized
the beginning of the end. The story of
the battle is told in the following letter
to his wife, one of a series entitled The
Love Letters of a Confederate General"
the third installment of which is appear
ing The Pictorial Review" tor Jam
ary
July IL, 1868.
81 am enclosing you a copy OF Cen
eral Lees official letter of July 9th
| in answer to mine of the Sth, ON which
| wrote you (who deserved something
| brighter, that ghostly, woeul letter.
General Lees letter has been pub
| lished to the division in the general
orders and received with appreclatlve
satisfaction. The soldiers one and all,
! love and honor Lee, and his sympathy
and praise are very dear to them. ust
! after the order was published and heard
one of the men rather rough and uu-
Couth and not, as are most OF the men,
| to the manner born. say as he wiped
away the tears with the back OF his
| hand: Dag gone him, dag-gone him,
dag gone his old soul. I'm blamed ef !
wouldn't be dag-g ne wIIin' to 20 righr
through it all and be killed again with
them others to hear MarSe Robert, dag
gone him, say over again as how he
grieved bourn we-alls' losses and hon
ored us for we-all's bravery. Darned et
wouldn't" Isn't that reverential ado
ration, nv darling. to be willing TO be
"killed again" for word Of praise?
1T seems selfish and inhuman to speak
necessary sacrifice OF the lives of so
many of nv brave bows. can't think OF
anything but the desolate homes in Viz
gina and the unknown dead in Penn
sylvania. At the beginning OF the fight
was SO sure of success! Early in the
morning l 3ad oGeh assured pY A lex
amer l"'' N5e''S'dI zee ''du VI ueI ca l'ld'
every olI%dde III ms command was 70
charge Cemetery i1II' 81 ! 'idu no iTdl
OF ho' neIi% SuPl'oi'eu' 1'GNdliueI %'S'
assured INC oi 'Ile SuPPo', VI ms d. "lle'S
wIlich Wouid move ane'd OF my GIV'Sio'
IN 'he advance ne 'o'u me ','dt nc nae
borrowed SeNehIt"e,NG po"''G HoWl'eI'
RON FGIiHelG", L1G C'l,e, u ~ ..IIe' y
WHICH lie i'1u put III IeSe''e ~ dCCoii
Pahy me :, =,
I'm tne morning i Ioue VIII MN III.
WINE ne Dy Lo"s ~ ue'a ~
'cS .eH ''l0 ','iIO'i' a'T'C ~ ny N,'oG II
WILL my i', ne, Wa" az '''''i L; "n.C t G,
vas J"'' shut l,,,a.,'r - ,hrN
Eu,is "a. go i,. q"',.J ja - o',C
~, o'oS", ~, us ~, ' d
~" 'iJ I'' T,p reG;,, ~ i0 ANY, oo
G Gor rsl,c,o,,tI,, howed bs bead IN ' as
cent cent oharea Ieadino NV three brio
; ada. straioht On the enamv's front Va,
never saw anv,bing ike # Thew move,
: across that field Of death as a b Iralio,
marches forward in the line of BATH
unon drill each commander in front q
his command leading and cheering o.
his men. Two lines of the enemy
;nErtrv ,oasa Jr;van hocl,. t,,o lnns q
o ,msy ers ,ol.eno,id no s,nr,ort neno
pam,,etaI, t,,;,i,ort A1axand Jp ,nn",I
ad,ro bod esnt ,nrr IF t,a n,,ns ,,,b,ci
he bad i Ioa,od 70 h;,,, ~ snn,e l,har 1,.
nC The faid and The otbar torae o pu,
Couid NOT he found The two brio sJa
which were to have followed me had
Door Door" fellows been serion5iv enpage dir II
the fights of the two previous DAVIS
Roth Of their commanding officers hat
been killed and while thew had beer
renIaced bv gallant. competent officers
these new leaders were unknown to tn,
men
Ali. # had oniv had NV otbar tu,,
bripades different sforv would bav,
baen dashed to tbe world If was t tnI
late to retreat, and to go on was dearl