[
27]
Second report:
As soon as it was known that the enemy had crossed into
Maryland, orders were sent to the brigades of
Robertson and
Jones, which had been left to guard the passes of the
Blue Ridge, to join the army without delay, and it was expected that
General Stuart with the remainder of his command would soon arrive.
These are in substance all of the statements in
General Lee's two reports ‘in regard to his orders and the management of the cavalry in the
Gettysburg campaign,’ which
Mosby says, ‘have been generally accepted without question,’ but which he does not believe
General Lee is responsible for, although they appear over his signature.
He thinks the advance of
Longstreet and
Hill on the 24th was premature and resulted disastrously; he claims that
Stuart was carrying out orders of
General Lee when he moved directly to
Carlisle after crossing the
Potomac at
Seneca (probably through failure to give due weight to
General Lee's letter of the 23rd); and he endeavors to show that
General Hill was responsible for the miscarriage of
General Lee's plans; and that the scout's report and
Ewell's recall were not as stated, but if he has made any specific denial of the above statements of
General Lee ‘in regard to his orders and the management of the cavalry in the
Gettysburg compaign,’ it has escaped my attention.
General Lee says in his first report: ‘No report had been received that the
Federal army had crossed the
Potomac, and the absence of the cavalry rendered it impossible to obtain accurate information.’
Mosby says in answer to this that the cavalry, with
Stuart, was not needed to obtain information of the enemy's movements, and that it was better employed elsewhere.
In his second report,
General Lee says: ‘
General Stuart was directed to hold the mountain passes with part of his command (i. e.,
Robertson's and
Jones' brigades), as long as the enemy remained south of the
Potomac, and with the remainder (three brigades), to cross into
Maryland and place himself on the right of
General Ewell.
Upon the suggestion of the former officer (
Stuart), that he could damage the enemy and delay his passage of the river by getting in his rear, he was authorized to do ’
