Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-07-17

tie. The first day they were driven
back through the town Of Gettysburg
with two coTporala literally torn to
pieces, to a position on Cemetery
Ridge. On the second, SickIes with
his command takes "a position way
out in front OF where Meade had told
him. Greedy says Sfckles was spoil
ing for q fight and didn't believe
Meade was. Sickles was driven back
by McLaws and Hoods divisions with
heavy losses to the enemy. So in the
hrst and second both sides agree that
we got the best of it.. and on the third,
that by the prestige of the days fight
ing, Lee thought he could break the
centre and rout the whole army and
the assault was made by Pickett's di-
vision and a few other brigades, about
one-eighth or ninth of his forces, and
Jailed to accomplish the desired re-
suit Having pretty we'll exhausted
lis heavy ammunition. he thought it
prudent to Withdraw. The balance of
the army vas in splendid condition.
The army remains there another day,
no assault was made upon them, they
surely did not consider then that our
army was badly defeated. Our army
quietly withdraw without baggage
and ammunition back to and near the
river and find it too swollen to cross,
and there formed our line of battle,
threw down the gauntlet and awaited
their coming for several days. They
never came. / read recently an arti-
Gle from n close to Gen. Meade in
which he says there was about that
time a council Of war held. The corps
commanders with but n exception
insisted on following up and renewing
the battle while the river was high
Meade would not consent to give the
order and pressed for his reasons
said this: 81 have just read a copy of
a communication to President Davis
from Gen. Lee in which he says that
he has the situation we'll in hand and
can repell any attack made upon him.
LEI nveer makes any misrepresenta-
tons"
The morals of the army was good,
the position was good, their spirits
were high, they we're hungry and mad
and my impression then and now was
that If Meade had given battle he
would have got a licking long to be re-
membered. Lee crosses the river and
back in Virginia he soon sends his
first corps, Longstreet, to reinforce
Bragg at. Chickamauga, and with the
other part of his army he confronts
and holds back the victorious Feder-
al army, s~o-called, till the coming of
Grant at Wilderness. This doesn't
look like a much defeated army. The
true reason for falling back after the
third day was somply this: Want of
heavy ammunition. 1t had been pref
ty well exhausted the last day and
the risk was too great to stay there
without it. Now, really is there not a
little bit too much gush about the
great turning point, the high water
and the great victory at Gettys-
burg, the back bone of the rebellion
broken" etc.
Grant surely didn't believe all this
talk after his conflict with>Lee's army
at Wilderness. S-pottsylvania, Deep
Petersburg and other places.
1t was in the west, not in the east, the
process began and the end
came for the want OF bread.
/ have written this because it is his
tory.
We return to our homes after the
great Reunion glad that we went and
those who did not go missed by far
the greatest occasion of its kind that
the world has ever seen since its Gre
alton