Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-03
THE BATTLE OF FGETTYSBURG
Some Personal Fourth of July "reminiscences
Rev. II. G. Holloway, ID. ID.

THE struggle between the legions
# Caesar and Pompey on the
plains of Pharsalia was not more
decisive of the destiny of Rome than
was the battle of Gettysburg in de-
Gliding the destiny of the Confederacy.
Many bloody battles were fought
thereafter between the Union and the
Confederate armies before the war
ended. solely because the most earnest
and the most heroic of all the peoples
of the world were engaged in fra
ternal conflict, and surrender was un-
thought of while battle could be
waged. After all the bloody conflicts
between the armies Of Grant and Lee
and Sherman and Johnson. in 1854.
Appomattox was simply the ecno of
Gettysburg.
Mr.. Pollard, in his History of the
Civil War" who was often the severe
critic of Davis, but always the ardent
supporter of the Confederate cause,
states that Stephens, by verbal in
structions, was fully empowered in
certain contingencies, to propose
peace; that President Davis had sent
him on this extraordinary visit to
Washington anticipating a great vic
tory of Lees army in Pennsylvania,
but the real design of the commits,
day at Gettysburg, which occurred
when stephens was near FORTRESS
Monroe" and that 1t was lin the
insolent moments of this Federal sue
the Washington authorities. Thus is
the evidence cumulative from every
side that the Gettysburg campaign
was dictated solely by the ineXora-
BILE necessity of gaining the recogni-
ton of foreign governments for the
Confederacy.
Much discussion has been inspired
and many conflicting views presented
as to the considerations which decided
the Confederate leaders to inaugurate
the fatal Gettysburg campaign. The
one paramount reason, no doubt, was
the necessity for the Confederacy to
France. and the Gettysburg campaign
was solely the result of that imperi-
Gus necessity. Lee had then the larg-
est Confederate army in its history,
federate authorities. that the supply
of men was almost entirely exhausted,
and that the South could not stand
the strain of a long continued war.
If the recognition of the Confederacy
by France and England could have
been accomplished, it would practic-
ally have ended the war, as the North
would have been unable to maintain
the conflict with such odds against it.
The campaign was most carefully
planned, and 1t was expected that Lee
should cross the Potomac east of the
Blue Ridge. defeat the Union army
the speedy capture of Baltimore and
Washington. Could that have been
achieved there is little doubt that
ENGLAND and France would have
| promptly recognized the Confederacy.
Looked For Success
But, while the question of winning
recognition from England and France
made an aggressive movement neces-
] sary on the part of the Confederacy,
there were other reasons which, in
the opinion of the Southern leaders
| fully warranted the belief that the
chances were largely in favor of the
The officers and men of Lees army
firmly believed. that they could defeat
the Army of the Potomac Wherever
they, might be brought face to face in
| battle. They greatly underestimated
the valor and fighting qualities OF the
Northern troops. who had been com
! PEELED to fight Lees army in chosen
positions which often largely out
weighed all the Union army's advan-
In addition to the confidence that
the southern leaders all felt in this
success of Lees army in any battle
was, in tho Judgment of most of them,
strong incentive to a campaign of
invasion in what they regarded as a
divided sentiment in the North that
action by the success of Lees army in
a battle on Pennsylvania or Maryland
Sell General Lee himself refers rath-
er vaguely to this condition that GER
toihiy was reBdrueu as one OF Ine
strong arguments in favor of the
movement In his official report of the
rennsylvania campaign. After stat
movement. he adds: "In addition to
these results, II was hoped that other
valuable results might be attained by
military. success" But military sue
| cess failed.
! What I have to say in a reminis-
| cent way is based on personal eXpe-
rience. for was then a student in the
theological seminary at Gettysbure
and witnessed the. battle from the
| opening to it's close.
| First Days Fight
On the morning of July 1. few OF
US students were seated on the piazza
OF the seminary building when two
cavalrymen of the Union army came
dashing up and requested to be al.
rected to the top of the building. ]
led the way. and upon reaching the
cHpola these officers floated small
flag to the breeze. I discovered later
that one of these men was Genera
Buford and the other one of his aids