Year: 1863

Potomac. These attempts were not oply Altogether
successfu but so unskuly made place the entire
Federal army between the cavalry of Stuart and the army
OF Lee While the latter was ma.sed ip the Cumber
valley Stuart was east Of the mountains with Hookers
army between and Gregg cavalry close pursuit Stuart
was accordingly compelled to force march nortbward
which was destitute of all straegcal character and which
deprived his chief Of all means Of obtaining intelligence


No time as We have seen. had been lost by Gen Hook
er IN the pursuit of Lee The day after the rebel army
entered Maryland the Union army crossed the Potomac At
Edwards Ferry and by the 25th lay between Harpers
Ferry and Frederick The force of the enemy on that
day was partly at Chambesbug and partly moving on the
Cashtown road the direction OF Gettys urQ while the
detachments from Ewels corps of which mention has
been made had reached the Susquehannah opposite Har
rsburg and Columbia That great battle uust soon be
fought could doubt but In the apparent and per-
haps real absence of plan the part Of Lee it i'm
possible to forete the precise Of the encounter
wherever fought consequences the most momentous hung
upon the result.


In this critical and anxious state of affairs Gen Hooker
was relieved and Gen Meade summoned to the chief
coinmand of the army and 1t appears to my unmhtary
Judgment to reflect the highest credit upon him. upon his
predecesso and the corps commanders of the Army
of the Potomac that change could take place in the
chief command of large on the eve of general
battethe various corps necessarily moving lines some
what divergent AMI all in ignorance of the enemys in
tended point of concentration-and not an hours hes
taon should ensue In the advance Of any portion Of the
entire army.


Having assumed the chief command on the 28h Gen
Meade directed his left wing under Reynolds upon EN-
mettsburg and his right upon New Windsor leaving Gen
French with III 900 men to protect the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad and convey the public property from Har
pers Ferry to Washington Buords cavalry was then at
this place. and Fitzpatrick at Hanover where he encoun
tered and defeated the Of Suarts cavalry who was
rowing tho country 10 search of the main army of Lee
On the reb Sde Hill had reached Fayetteville on the
CashtOwn road the 25h and was followed on the same
road by Longsreet the Goth The side of the
mountain, seen from Gettysburg, lighted up at
night ny the campres of the enemy's advance and the
country swarmed with his oraging parties 1t was now
too evident to be questioned that the hundercoud long
gathering backn would burst part of the
devoted vicinity of Gettysburg.


The Both of June was day Of important preparation.
AT nall past eleven IN the morning Gen Buord passed
through Gettysburg upon reconnos in force with
his cavalry, upon the Chambersburg road The inorma-
ton obtained by him Immediately communicated to
Gen Reynolds, who in consequences directed to occu
Py Gettysburg That gallant officer accordingly with the
First Corps marched from Emmettsburg within six or
miles of this place and encamped the right bank of
Marsh 8 Creek Our right wing meantime moved to
Manchester. On the day the corps of Hill and
Longstreet We're pushed still further forward the
Chambersburg road and distributed in the vicinity of
Marshs Greek, while reconnaissance made by tho
Confederate General Pegrew up very short distance
from this place. Thus at nightfa the 30th of June
the greater part of the rebel force concentrated in
the immediate vicinity of two corps Of the Union army
the former refreshed by two days passed in comparative
repose and deliberate preparation for the encounter the
latter separated by march OF two days from their
supporting corps and doubtful at what precise point they
we're to expect an attack.


And now the momentous day, day to be forever re-
membered in the of the country arrived Early n





not say that it would be impossible for to comprise
within the limits Of the hour such would do
any thing like full justice to the anporant events of
these three great days. to the merit the officers
and men OF every rank Of every of the service
OF every loyal State who bore their part the tremen
dous struggeake those who noby sacrificed their lives
for their country and those who survive many of them
scarred with honorable woundsthe objects Of our ad
miration and gratitude The astonshingly minute accu-
rate and graphic accounts contained 10 the Journals Of tho
day. prepared from personal observation by reporters who
witnessed the scenes and often shared the peIs which
they describe. and the highly valuable Notes" Of Prof
Jacobs OF the University in this place, to which
greatly indebted will abuudanty supply the deficiency of
my necessarily too condensed statement


Gen. Reynolds, arriving al Gettysburg in the morn
ing Of the 1st found Buford with his cavalry warmly en-
gagged with the enemy whom he held most gaIlanfly in
check Fastening himself to the 'front.' Gen. Reynolds di
rected his men to be moved over the fields from the
Emmettsburg road, in front of McMillan's and Dr.
Schmuckers, under Of the Seminary ridge, and
without moments hesitation attacked the enemy at the
time sending orders to the Eleventh Corps (Gen
Howard's) to advance as promptly as possible. Gen.
Reynolds Immediately found himsef engaged with force
which greatly outnumbered his own, and had scarcely
made his dispositions for the action when be fell moraly
wounded at the head of his advance The command Of
the First Corps deyoved on Gen Doubleday and that e
the field on Gen. Howard who arrived at III 80 with
Schurz and Barows divisions of the Eleventh Corps the
latter Of whom received wound Thus strengths
ened the advantage OF the bse was for some time on our
SIDE The attacks of the rebels vigorously repulsed
by Wadsworths division of the Eleventh Corps and large
number of prisoners including Gen. Archer. were cap
treu AT leDgn however, the continued reinfurcementa
Of the Confedeates from the main body the Csshown
road and by the divisions Of Rhodes and Early coming
down by separate lines from Hedersberg taking post
extreme right turned the fortunes of the day Our
army, after contestug the ground for FIVE hours
Obliged to yield to the enemy whose force outDumbered
them two to and toward the close of the afternoon
Gen. Howard deemed 1t prudent TO withdraw the two
corps TO the heights where assembled. The
greater part of the First Corps passed through the
skirts Of the town and reached the bill without serious
loss moestaton The Eleventh Corps and portions Of
hahn at al
tered the from the NORTH attempted to force their
way through Washington and Baltimore streets, which,
the crowd and confusion Of the scene they did with
heavy loss in prisoners.


Gen Howard was not unprepared for this turn in the
fortunes OF the day Early in the morning he had caused
Cemetery Hill 10 be occupied by Gen Stenwehr with
the Third Division Of the Eleventh Corps. About the


Besides the Of information mentioned in the text
have been kindly favored with memorandum of the ope
raons of the three days drawn up for by direction of
Major Gen. Meade ancpatng the promulgaton OF his off,
ca report by OF hs ade Col Theodore LYMAN from
whom also have received other important communications
relative 20 the campaign have received very valuable
documents relative battle Major Cen Hallec
sisted in drawing the sketch of the campaign by the de-
tailed reports kindly transmitted manuscript from
the Adntant Generals office, of the movements OF every
corps Of the for each day after the breaking up from
from Col John H. Bacbelders oral explanations hs beau
fu aud minute drawing about be engraved of the field
of the three days struggle With the information derived
these sources have the Gen
Lees official report Of the campaign dated 81 July 1868
well written article rporng to be of the three
days battle. in the Richmond Enquirer Of the 22d OF July
and the article The Battle Gettysburg and the Cam
paign OF Pennsyvana By officer apparently Colonel