The Battle of Gettysburg 3

The Battle of Gettysburg 3

All doubts were set at rest, however, when, on the 23d, Ewell's

dust-begrimed infantry came tramping into Chambersburg, regiment

after regiment, hour after hour, until the streets fairly swarmed

with them. Though the houses were shut up, a few citizens were in

the streets, or looking out of their windows at the passing show,

as men might at the gathering of a storm-cloud about to burst with

destructive fury upon them; and though the time was hardly one for

merriment, we are assured that some of these lookers-on could not

refrain from "pointing and laughing at Hood's ragged Jacks" as

they marched along to the tune of "Dixie's Land." "This division,"

remarks the partial narrator, "well known for its fighting

qualities, is composed of Texans, Alabamians, and Arkansians, and

they certainly are a queer lot to look at. They carry less than any

other troops; many of them have only got an old piece of carpet

or rug as baggage; many have discarded their shoes in the mud;

all are ragged and dirty, but full of good-humor and confidence

in themselves and their general.[12] They answered the numerous

taunts of the Chambersburg ladies with cheers and laughter." To

the scowling citizens the Confederates would call out from the

ranks, "Well, Yank, how far to Harrisburg? How far to Baltimore?

What's the charge at the Continental?" or some such innocuous bits

of irony as came into heads turned, no doubt, at the thought of

standing unchallenged on Northern soil, where nothing but themselves

recalled war or its terrors, or at sight of the many evidences of

comfort and thrift to which they themselves were strangers. But we

shall meet these exultant ragamuffins ere long under far different

circumstances.

 

This was Lee's corps of observation, destined to do most of the hard

marching and fighting which usually falls to the lot of the cavalry,

as it was mostly composed of old, well-seasoned soldiers, who had

been accustomed, under the lead of Jackson, to win their victories

largely with their legs. Part marched through the town, and went

into camp on the Carlisle road, part occupied the pike leading

toward Gettysburg; sentries were posted in the streets, a military

commandant was appointed, and for the time being Chambersburg fell

wholly under rebel rule, which, so long as it remained the army

headquarters, we are bound to say does not appear to have been more

onerous than circumstances would warrant.

 

[Sidenote: Main Army comes up.]

 

Ewell's corps was followed, at one day's march, by the main body,

comprising Hill's and Longstreet's corps, with whom marched Lee

himself, the man on whom all eyes, North and South, were now turned.

 

[Sidenote: Ewell to Carlisle.]

 

[Sidenote: Early to York.]

 

As soon as the main body had come up Ewell moved straight on toward

Carlisle and Harrisburg with two divisions, while his third turned

off to the east, toward York, with the view of drawing attention

away from the main object by seeming to threaten Baltimore or

Philadelphia.[13] It was to strike the Susquehanna at Columbia, and

get possession of the railway bridge there, as a means of passing

over to the north side of that river to Harrisburg.

 

[Sidenote: Early at Gettysburg.]

 

This division (Early's) passed through Gettysburg on the 26th,[14]

reaching York the next day. On the 28th his advance arrived at the

Susquehanna too late to save the railway bridge from the flames.[15]

On this same day Ewell's advance encamped within four miles of

Harrisburg, where some skirmishing took place.

 

[Sidenote: Region seized by Lee.]

 

Here, then, was Lee firmly installed within striking distance of the

capital of the great Keystone State, and by no means at so great a

distance from Philadelphia or Washington as not to make his presence

felt in both cities at once.

 

If he had not come prepared to fight every soldier that the Federal

government could bring against him--to fight even against odds--what

was he doing here in the heart of Pennsylvania?

 

[Sidenote: Spirit of his Army.]

 

The army which followed Lee into Pennsylvania was brave and

devoted--none more so. It looked up to him with a species of

adoration, born of an abiding faith in his genius. Reasoning from

experience, the belief that it would continue to beat the Union army

was not unfounded. At any rate, it was universal. Thus led, and

imbued with such a spirit, no wonder the Confederate army considered

itself invincible.

 

Thus followed, Lee, or Uncle Robert, as he was familiarly called

by his soldiers, though no man could be more aristocratic in

his tastes or manners, was accustomed to exact greater efforts

from them, both in marching and fighting, than the Union generals

ordinarily could from their better-fed, better-clothed, and

better-disciplined troops.

 

[Sidenote: Lee's Portrait.]

 

A pen portrait of General Lee himself, as he appeared at this time,

seems necessary to the historical completeness of this sketch. It

is drawn by a British colonel,[16] on leave with Lee's army, where

he found himself quite at home. He says: "General Lee is, almost

without exception, the handsomest man of his age I ever saw. He

is fifty-six years old, tall, broad-shouldered, very well made,

well set up--a thorough soldier in appearance; and his manners are

courteous and full of dignity. He generally wears a well-worn long

gray jacket, a high black felt hat, and blue trousers tucked into

his Wellington boots. I never saw him carry arms, and the only marks

of military rank are the three stars on his collar. He rides a

handsome horse which is extremely well groomed. He himself is very

neat in his dress and person, and in the most arduous marches, as

after the retreat from Gettysburg, when everybody else looked and

was extremely dirty, he always looked smart and clean."

 

[Illustration: Positions, June 28th.]

 

In an order commending the behavior of his men while on the march,

Lee called attention to certain excesses which he declared his

intention of repressing in a summary manner.

 

The region to which the Confederate operations were now confined is

indicated by the accompanying map. It will be seen that Lee had not

hesitated to scatter his army considerably.

 

Leaving Ewell before Harrisburg, Early at York, and Lee himself at

Chambersburg, we will look first at the state of feeling brought

about by this daring invasion, which had been urged from Richmond

on the theory that _the road to peace lay through Pennsylvania, via

Washington_.

 

[7] He withdrew two corps, by his left, to Culpepper, leaving one in

the trenches of Fredericksburg. Had this corps been crushed while

thus isolated, as it ought, Lee's invasion must have ended then and

there.

 

[8] A glance at the map shows how the northerly bend of the Potomac

facilitated an invasion by this route. The outposts at Harper's

Ferry and Winchester having been forced, there was nothing to stop

the enemy's advance.

 

[9] The Confederate army comprised three infantry corps, and one of

cavalry. Each corps had three divisions, each division averaged a

little over four brigades, of which there were thirty-seven present

at Gettysburg. The British Colonel Freemantle, who accompanied

Lee's army, puts the strength of these brigades at two thousand

eight hundred men each. The relative strength of the army corps was

more nearly equal than in those of the Union army. The Confederates

brought with them two hundred and seventy pieces of artillery.

 

[10] The main body, under Stuart, had gone around the rear of the

Union army, by Lee's permission, in the expectation of harassing it

while on the march, and of then rejoining Ewell, on the Susquehanna.

It failed to do either, and many attribute all of Lee's misfortunes

in this campaign to the absence of Stuart.

 

[11] Jenkins, who commanded, was paid in his own coin at

Chambersburg, by the proffer of Confederate scrip in payment for

some alleged stolen horses. He himself had been professedly paying

for certain seized property in this same worthless scrip.

 

[12] Contrast this with the generous, even prodigal, way the Union

soldiers were provided for, and who can doubt the devotion of these

ragged Confederates to their cause?

 

[13] So long as this division remained at York, the question as to

where Lee meant to concentrate would be still further confused. See

diagram.

 

[14] Early levied a contribution on the borough, which the town

council evaded by pleading poverty.

 

[15] A small Union force which had been holding the bridge set it on

fire on the approach of the Confederates.

 

[16] This was Colonel Freemantle, who has a good word for everything

Confederate. On being courteously received within the Union lines

after Gettysburg, he was much surprised to find that the officers were gentlemen.