The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-14
Regarding the Deserters

! To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
| AS I am the ''son of a Confederat,
vetean.' quoted in the Hotel Lobbie.
! of The Age Herald in regard to the
purging of the pension rolls, and a.
Major Crow questions the correctness
of the charge of the desertion of two
sergeants of the Ninth Alabama regi.
ment during the Gettysburg campaign
as stated by me, taken from the Re
| bellion Records / desire to quote thu
record, Vol xvii part .. page so:
Headquarters.
Maryland Heights, June %, 1863.
Major General Haileck,
Commander-in-C Chief.
Two intelligent sergeants of the
Ninth Alabama regiment have just
come in. They say they belong to
A P. Hill's corps, and that 1t is all
on the Maryland side of the Po-
tomac. They say Longstreet's corps
is between Berryville and Charles
ton, coming on. The officers and
men captured yesterday and these
deserters will be sent to Baltimore
today (signed) DAN TYLER,
Brigadier General.
This was just six days before the
opening of the Gettysburg three-days
fight. The value of the information not
to speak of the infamy of desertion, will
be more readily understood after read
ing in the r. r. the many queries and
Speculations as to Lees army its
whereabouts, plans and movements as
shown in the courier and telegraphic
communications between General Hook
er (reieved of the command of the
Army of the Potomac June 2S), and
then General Meade. who succeeded
him. and President Lincoln and Gen
pra1 Ha1lpr< a +, dar In nl1i Of a.,
Washington. In fact for some three
weeks the Army of the Potomac ap-
pears to have been posse seeking to
hnd out the plans and movements of
the Gray Fox of the Army of Northern
Virginia, who had slipped away from
in front of Fredericksburg June with
Ewells and Longstreet's corps, leav-
ing Hill to watch Hooker
June 5.-Hooker said to President
Lincoln in a quondary:
'He Oee) must either have it in mind
to cross the upper Potomac, or to throw
his army between mine and Washing
ton In case l am correct in my con-
lectures 80
President Lincoln replied: II have
but one idea which l think worth sug-
gestfng TO you, and that is, in case you
find Lee coming to the north of the
Rappahamock l would by no means
tiooo W tiit oodttt VI It, IL lie SUOull
leave rear force at Fredericksburg,
tempting you to fall upon il, 1t would
be in intrenchments and have you at
disadvantage. and SO, man for man,
worst you at that point, while his main
force would in some way be getting
an advantage of you northward. In
one word, I would not take any risk
of being entangled upon the river,
like an OK jumped half over a fence
and liable to be torn by dogs front and
rear, without a fair chance to gore one
way or kick the other way If Lee
would come to my side of the river.
would keep on the same side, and
fight him or act on the defense. ac-
cording as might be my estimate of his
strength relative to my own. ~
June 80. the day before the fight
opened in a lengthy dispatch Meade
said: II am without definite and posi-
tive information as to the whereabouts
of Longstreet and Ewell"
All this to emphasize the value of the
information from all deserters-and
there were others-who supplied what
the cavalry arm of the Federals had
utterly failed to secure--see "R. r.;
then it also gives some interesting
side lights on President Lincoln's frame
of mind, when. both he and .Haoleck,
were uneasy for fear Lee would cap
ture Washington. PERCY CLARK.
Rfrm N Cham It1lv 1912