Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

“ [429] exhausted,” [he had arisen from a sick bed, against the remonstrances of surgeons and friends, to go into that charge,] and no doubt “broken-spirited,” when he saw his gallant band hurled back by overwhelming odds from the position they had so heroically won--General Armistead received unexpected kindness from his old comrade and intimate friend, General Hancock, from whom he had been estranged by the events of the war, was deeply touched by it, and very naturally sent the message: “Say to General Hancock for me, that I have done him, and you all grievous injury, which I shall always regret.” i. e., I have wronged you by cherishing bitter, vindictive, feelings towards old friends, who, in this hour of my extreme need, meet me with this great kindness. The message contains not one word of regret for the service he had rendered the Confederacy — not one intimation that he now “saw with clearer vision” that he had “wronged his country,” or had been engaged in an “unholy cause” --and in thus changing the words, and forcing their meaning, General Doubleday proves that he lacks the calmness of the historian, and shows the same bitter spirit of the partizan as when he recklessly affirms that we poor Confederates were fighting “to extend the area of slavery over the free States.”

The Confederate charge upon the heights of Gettysburg is a grand episode in history of which every true American should be proud. There was no more conspicuous figure in that grand battle picture than brave old Armistead who led his men with characteristic heroism, and fell on the crest of the battle wave, bequeathing to his people a name above reproach.

We enter our burning protest against having that fair name and fame tarnished by the flippant, reckless, pen of General Doubleday, whose book will be of little value to the future historian if this is a fair specimen of his historic accuracy.

The Number of Guns in Cutts's Battalion at Sharpsburg.

In our April number we denied the accuracy of the statement of General D. H. Hill's report (as quoted by General Palfrey), that he had “near sixty pieces of Cutts's Battalion” of Artillery at Sharpsburg — saying that it was evidently a typographical error as no Confederate battalion ever had anywhere near sixty pieces of artillery.

But to settle the matter, we wrote Colonel Cutts on the subject, and submit his conclusive reply in which he shows that his own command at Sharpsburg consisted of twenty-four guns, and that, while before and after the battle other guns were temporarily under his command, these were