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The Battle and campaign of Gettysburg.
[‘The
Battle of Gettysburg’ is of trite discussion—nevertheless this paper, in its perspicuous candor and fidelity, has its value.
It was, as
Major Daves, (a student and valiant veteran, with due share of reverence, as his connection with the
Roanoke Island Memorial Association may attest), states, ‘originally written for one of the
Veteran Associations and has never been in print.’
He adds, as of significance, that after leaving the army ‘
General Trimble was for many years prominent as a civil engineer, and was familiar with all the region about
Gettysburg,’ and as is well known ‘in the third day's fight at
Gettysburg, he commanded
Lane's and
Scale's brigades, of
Pender's division (
Pender had been mortally wounded), both brigades of
North Carolina.’]
Much has been said and written about the
Battle of Gettysburg, but many errors are yet entertained concerning it. Many of the transactions of that great event are either unknown, misrepresented, or put down at a wrong hour—and as yet have not been precisely stated and joined together in regular chronological order; so as to display all the features of the great battle.
The proper conception of
General Lee's design in entering
Pennsylvania, and correct apprehension of the causes which led to the conflict at
Gettysburg, and the reasons which compelled
General Lee to carry it on when once accidentally begun, are alike erroneous or distorted by ignorance and prejudice.
We can easily comprehend the difficulty of understanding the successive movements of any battle, which was begun without the intent or knowledge of either commander of the adverse forces; and we can as easily see that after such a battle had commenced, how much confusion, uncertainty, and absence of well combined action would mark its progress on both sides.
All this was true of the
battle of Gettysburg; but the difficulty is greatly enhanced when we know that the extent of ground from flank to flank covered by the opposing forces, was about six miles; rendering concert of action extremely
