Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-07-03
MEADE ON THE DEFENSIVE.

1t was not until the night of July Is
that General Lee recrossed the Potomac
River into Virginia. That was ten
days after the battle. General Meade
stood wholly on the defensive. There
was no rear guard action on the retreat
from Pennsylvania. The Confederates
took all their wagon trains and artill-
cry with them and 500 prisoners, and
were as ready for fight when they re-
turned to Virginia as when they adj
vanced into the enemy's country. The
superb spirit of the army compelled
the admiration Of all. 1t was the first
time the Confederates had fought a
battle save in defense of their own soil.
Gettysburg has been described as
the high water mark of the Confeder-
acy, and it was fight worth making,
because it established for all time the
courage of American soldiers.
There has been much very bitter
controversy about the causes which led
to the results at Gettysburg, and while
| have no wish to rekindle any of the
fires that are dying out, think it right
to say that if Stonewall jackson had
not fallen at Charlottesville and Long
street had not been so slow and reluct-
ant to follow the orders of General Lee
the battle at Gettysburg would have
been determined in our favor After
the war at Lexington General Lee said:
IF / had had Stonewall Jackson at Get
tysburg we should have won great
victory. General Longstreet tried to
lay the blame on General Lee and
ascribed the failure at Gettysburg to
Lees mistakes, which he Qongstreet)
in vain pointed out and demonstrated
against. In his great book, .Destruc-
ton and Reconstruction, General Dick
Taylor made this rather savage COM
ment upon his claim Of Longstreet:
That any subject involving the pos
session and exerciseRof intellect should
be clear to Longstreet and concealed
those having knowledge of the two
men. We have biblical authority for
the story that the angel in the path
was visible to the ass, though unseen
by the seer his master; but suppose,
instead of shifting the honest, stupid
animal, BALKAN lhad caressed him and
then been kicked by him, how would
the story read? And thus much con-
corning Gettysburg.
"In the opinion of Captain w. Cor
don McCabe of Richmond. one of Lees
soldiers and a most careful student of
military strategy, the battle of Gettys-
burg was absolutely lost through Long
streets lack of vigor and his reluctant
execution of plans that he did not ap-
prove. ;"
General Lee lived for only five years
after the war ceased, and in all that
time rarely spoke of the four terrible
years through which he and his country
had passed; but is related that on one
occasion, when he was asked by his old
companion and kinsman Cassius Lee,
Robert, could you have won Gettysburg
with such odds against you of troops
and position?" Lee answered with i'm
pressive emphasis, / not only could
but surely would, have won Gettysburg
had Jackson been with me. .
49,
"PHANTOM HOST AT PEACE
1t is a long, long time since all this
happened-50 years. in fact-and there
are some among US who think that the
fight was in vain; but l do not, nor
does any other soldier who fought un-
der Lee. | have kept my parole. It
was given to me at Appomattox, and it
is a badge Of honor. l have gladly
welcomed the restoration of cordial re :
lations between the sections; but I
have never stultified myself so far as
to think and much less to say, that it
was best that our righteous cause did
not prevail. It was great thing to be a
soldier in the war for Southern indie
pendence and to have done ones duty;
a genuine title to nobility, and I would
call down upon the heads of all who
meet at Gettysburg within the next few
days, old comrades who may be there
and men against whom we We're array
ed in bitter strife half century ago,
upon all alike, the richest blessing Of
Heaven
There are only imposing Monuments
and modest stones to mark the places
where brave men fought and felI SO