The Washington herald., 1917-11-25


Daughter Of the Confederacy, meeting
November 6 in Memorial Hall, i322
Vermont avenue northwest, heard an
address by Rev. Randolph H. Nc
Kim. pastor Of Epiphany Church. who
had been Q Southern army chaplain
during the Civil War. His theme was
The Soul Of Lea" He attributed the
loss Of Gettysbufg by the Southern
forces 70 the. failure OF Gen. Ewell
to obey Gen. Lees commands.
Confirmation of this idea Is con-
tanned In q page from the unwritten
history Of this battle, which has just
come into possession OF The Herald
The evidence u In the form OF q
statement made by Abram Jones
Harding. residing at a1ss Eighteenth
street northwest, who was present
at o midnight conference between
Gen. Ewell and Col L. B. white,
commanding the Thirty-nfth Mounted
virginia Battalion, on the night be-
fore the battle, wherein the latter
earnestly urged Gen. Ewell to take
Little Round Top before morning,
as Gen. Longsh,eet was within sup
porting distance, and the heights
could have been captured with ease.
According to Mr.. Harding, notwith-
standing the fact that Little Round
Top was. the key to the situation, and
Il was Gen. Lees expressed desire
that this commanding position should
be captured at all hazards with al
little delay as possible, Gen. Ewell
told Col. White that he would wait
until morning and then take II. which
sounds like the irony Of fate. In view
of what happened.
Missed Munitisns Train.
col. Z. B.. White commanded the
Thirty-fifth Mounted Virginia Bat
talon. which operated as q courier
force for the Confederacy In the
Gettysburg fight," said Mt. Harding.
II was Q member OF this organization
and was then about IS years old.
when Gen. Lee crossed the Poto-
mac River after the second battle
Of Bull Run and invaded Pennsyl-
vania, We were sent on ahead to
reconnoiter, as all our regular cav
airy. under Gen. ]. z. B. Stuart.
had been dispatched by Gen. Lee to
intercept the Federal ammunition
train which was being rushed from
Washington 10 supply the Army of
the Potomac. don't know how Gen.
Lee found this out. but at all events,
1Gen. Stuart missed connections with
the ammunition train, capturing in
stead the supply train, and permit
ting the coveted ammunition to reach
It's destination in safety.
Gen. Stuart then swooped down
on this city, as much for the pur-
pose Of spreading terror as Snything
else, and preventing reinforcements
from reaching the Union army Any
how, he rejoined Gen. Lee at Gettys-
burg on the eve of the battle.
First at Gettysburg.
"CoL Whites command was the
first of our soldiers to reach Gettys-
burg. arriving there on the morning
Of June 20, 1863. the day before the
fight began. We were ordered to
proceed by forced marches and de-
stroy a bridge crossing the Susque-
hannah River at q point ninety miles
from Philadelphia. according to the
nIilepost We found on the south bank
OF the stream. It must have been
the railroad bridge at Wrightsville.
Pa, although I have no recollection
Of any town there then.
1T was an iron bridge and resisted
our efforts to such an extent that we
had to abandon the idea, contenting
ourselves with pouring coal oil on the
railway tracks and setting them afire.
which had the effect OF consuming
the ties and warping the rails. but did
not injure the bridge otherwise. and
as We had no artillery or means of
tearing the bridge to pieces, were
obliged to give it up as bad job.
Then we started to return to
Gettysburg. and about midnight. when
within q few miles Of the place. we