The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-06-30
MONDAY, JUNE 80, 1918.
BEGINNING OF GETTYSBURG.

Inc minneapolis Journal gives INC
following very excellent description OF
the opening of the battle Of Gettys-
burg: .s.. .... ."....
Fifty years ago on July 1, the army
of the Potomac and the army I
Northern Virginia came into chance
collision just northwest of the village
of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, not
ten miles from the Maryland border.
The chance collision brought on the
pitched battle of Gettysburg, by many
deemed the decisive conflict of the
Civil war battle compared to
Waterloo, as famous almost, as pic
%turesque in its tactics.
Meade, thanks to Hooker, was in
position to interpose his army be-
tween Lee and the great northern
cities. AS Lee marched northWard,
the army of the Potomac moved on a
c~onverging line which brought it into
vicinity of Lees army east of Cham
b~ersburg. Lee was compelled to ac-
cept battle, for his way east or south
east was blocked. Even if unattack-
ed he could not live off the country
indefinitely. He must fight for re-
treat. He had come to fight, to win
within northern territory such a vic
tory as he had won twice on the Rap
~pahannock.
Meade had selected a position on
Pipe creek to the southeast of Gettys-
hy,-n wbo.. Io avnan+a5 4n ohaOlr tho
confederate advance and to resist
Lees attack. Lee, moving east from
Chambersburg and hearing of Meade's
proximity, sent out orders to his corps
commanders to concentrate toward
Gettysburg. Around or ear Gettys-
burg were the federal cavalry under
Bufort and two federal corps, the
fifth and eleventh, which were screen
ing Meade's own concentration to the
cal.
Divisions of A. P. Hills corps, meet
ing Buford's cavalry, pushed into a
general engagement northwest and
just beyond Gettysburg. General
Reynolds supported the cavalry with
the divisions Of the first corps, which
in turn gradually were REINFORCED by
the divisions Of the Eleventh corps.
The valiant Reynolds was struck
early in the fight. The command then
devolved upon Gen. Abner Doubleday
until Gen. o. O. Howard, commanding
the Eleventh corps, the one routed by
Jackson at Charlottesville, came up
on the field.
The battle was sanguinary. Both
corps lost heavily, but held the crest
until Jubal Early, with a division Of
Ewell's corps coming in on the north,
hanked Towards line, and compelled
a. precipitate retreat through Gettys-
burg to Cemetery hill, the heights be-
yond.
Here the two corps, beaten but I'M
demoralized, took up a strong position,
which Hill and EwelI did not venture
to attack, as they, too, had lost
heavily, and the concentration of Lees
army was by NJ means completed.
Query: Would not "Stonewall" Jack
Sol have ~endeavored to overwhelm the
W corps with the idea of beating the
federals in detail?
But Hancock, sent forward by Meade
to observe the position and report,
was already on Cemetery Hill. He
advised Meade to fight at Gettysburg
and On his own initiative ordered his
own corps, the Second, to the field. BY
the morning of July 2 the army Of the
Potomac, corps, artillery reserve,
headquarters, had been moved into the
new position.
j. II. B. Stuar with Lees cavalry
was absent that first Of July on a raid.
Lee had listened to Stuart's impor-
tunity and let him depart. Had Jack
son been there, Stuart would have
stayed with the army, to play as i'm
portant a role probably as he had done
at Characteristic. What might not
Stuart's horsemen have done that first
day of the battle! They might have
changed the retreat Of the First and
Eleventh corps into a rout, might have
greatly impeded or even prevented
Meade's concentration on the Gene
terry Hill position.
While the federal corps marched
into position for the ext days ordeal
opposite them the confederate line
formed up-Ewell on the left so fal
that he circled the federal horseshoe
Hill in the middle. Longstreet on the
right preparing to assail the fedora
left early the next morning.