The retreat—Lee's remark.
I informed the
General that no help was to be expected from the artillery, but the enemy were closing around us, and nothing could could now save his command.
He had remained behind to watch
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and protect that left, to put in first help expected from infantry supports, then to break the troops which came around his flank with the artillery; all had failed.
At this moment our left (
Pickett's Division) began to crumble and soon all that was left came slowly back, 5.000 in the morning, 1,600 were put in camp that night, 3,400 killed, wounded and missing.
We moved back, and when
General Pickett and I were about 300 yards from the position from which the charge had started,
General Robert E. Lee, the
Peerless, alone, on Traveler, rode up and said: ‘
General Pickett, place your division in rear of this hill, and be ready to repel the advance of the enemy should they follow up their advantage.’
(I never heard
General Lee call them the enemy before; it was always those or these people).
General Pickett, with his head on his breast, said: ‘
General Lee, I have no division now,
Armistead is down,
Garnett is down, and
Kemper is mortally wounded.’
Then
General Lee said: ‘Come,
General Pickett, this has been my fight and upon my shoulders rests the blame.
The men and officers of your command have written the name of
Virginia as high to-day as it has ever been written before.’
(Now talk about ‘Glory enough for one day;’ why this was glory enough for one hundred years.)
