STORY LXVIII.

THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.

ON the 13th of June, 1863, General Lee attacked and captured Winchester, its armament, and part of the garrison. He then crossed the Potomac, near Williamsport, and directed his march upon Harrisburg General Hooker followed on his right flank, covering Washington and Baltimore.

On reaching Frederick, Maryland, on the 28th of June, General Hooker was, at his own request, relieved from the command, and Major-General Meade appointed in his place. The army of the Potomac was at this time mainly concentrated at Frederick.

On the 29th General Meade put his army in motion, and at night was in position, its left at Emmittsburg and right at New Windsor. The advance of Buford's cavalry was at Gettysburg, and Kilpatrick's Division at Hanover, where it encountered Stuart's cavalry, which had passed around the rear and right of our army, without meeting serious opposition.

On the 30th, the 1st, 3d, and 11th Corps were concentrated at Emmittsburg, under General Reynolds, while the right wing moved up to Manchester. Buford reported the enemy in force on the Cashtown road, near Gettysburg, and Reynolds moved up to that place on the 1st of July. He found our cavalry warmly engaged with the enemy, and holding him in check on the Cashtown road. Reynolds immediately deployed the advanced Division of the 1st Corps, and ordered the 11th Corps to advance promptly to its support.

Wadsworth's Division had driven the enemy back some distance and captured a large number of prisoners, when General Reynolds fell mortally wounded.

The arrival of Ewell's Corps, about this time, by the York and Harrisburg road, compelled General Howard, upon whom the command devolved, to withdraw his force, the 1st and 11th Corps to the Cemetery Ridge, on the south side of Gettysburg.

About seven, P. M., Generals Sickles and Slocum came on the field with the 3d and 12th Corps, which took position, one on the left and the other on the right of the new line. The battle, for the day, however, was

over.

General Meade arrived on the field during the night with the reserves, and posted his troops in line of battle, the 1st Corps on the right, the 11th Corps next, then the 12th Corps, which crossed the Baltimore pike, the 2d and 3d Corps on the Cemetery Ridge, on the left of the 11th Corps.

The 5th Corps, pending the arrival of the 6th, formed the reserve. On the arrival of the latter at two o'clock, P. M., it took the place of the 5th, which was ordered to take position on the extreme left.

The enemy massed his troops on an exterior ridge, about a mile and a half in front of that occupied by us.

General Sickles, misinterpreting his orders, instead of placing the 3d Corps on the prolongation of the 2d, had moved it nearly three-fourths of a mile in advance; an error which nearly proved fatal in the battle. The enemy attacked this Corps and the 2d with great fury, and it was likely to be utterly annihilated, when the 5th Corps moved up on the left, and enabled it to reform, behind the line it was originally ordered to hold,

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The 6th Corps and part of the 1st, were also opportunely thrown into this gap, and succeeded in checking the enemy's advance. About sunset the Rebels retired in confusion and disorder. About eight, P. M., an assault was made from the left of the town, which was gallantly repelled by the 1st, 2d and 11th Corps.

On the morning of the 3d we regained, after a spirited contest, a part of our line, the right of which had been yielded to sustain other points on the 2d. About one, P. M., the enemy opened an artillery fire of 125 guns on our centre and left. This was followed by an assault of a heavy infantry column on our left and left centre. This was successfully repulsed with terrible loss to the enemy.

This terminated the battle, and the Rebels retired, defeated, from the field. The opposing forces in this sanguinary conflict were nearly equal in numbers, and both fought with the most desperate courage. The commanders were also brave, skillful, and experienced, and both handled their troops on the field with distinguished ability; but to General Meade belongs the honor of a well-earned victory in one of the greatest and best fought battles of the war.

The victory, however, like others gained by the army of the Potomac, under other commanders, was not followed up with the promptness requisite for the realization of the greatest results, and on the morning of the 14th of July, it was found that Lee, with his army, had crossed to the south side of the Potomac. His rear guard, however, was attacked by our cavalry, and suffered considerable loss.

Our loss in this short campaign was very severe, viz.: 2,834 killed, 13,709 wounded, and 6,643 missing, in all

23,186. We captured 3 guns, 41 standards, 13,621 prisoners, 28,178 small arms.

The entire loss of the enemy is unknown; but judg ing from the numbers of his dead and wounded left on the field, it must have been much greater than ours.

MAJOR-GENERAL GEO. G. MEADE.

THE Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Potomac, Major-General George G. Meade, was born in Spain, in 1816, during the temporary sojourn of his parents in that country. His father was a Pennsylvanian. He entered the Military Academy at West Point, from the District of Columbia, in September, 1831, graduated July 1st, 1835, and was appointed Second Lieutenant in the 3d Artillery; but resigned on the 26th of October, 1836. May 19th, 1842, he was appointed Second Lieutenant of the Topographical Engineers.

In the Mexican war he distinguished himself at the battle of Palo Alto; was brevetted a First Lieutenant for gallant conduct at Monterey, and in August, 1851, attained the full rank of First Lieutenant; and was appointed Captain, May 19th, 1856; and on the 31st of August, 1862, Brigadier-General of Volunteers.

Being assigned to the command of a brigade in General McCall's division, he accompanied it to the Peninsula, where he distinguished himself in the battles of Beaver Dam, Gaines' Mills, and Nelson's Farm. In the latter, he was wounded by a fragment of a shell, which passed. through his right side.

He was thought to be mortally wounded, and on the day of the battle of Malvern Hill he was placed on a steamer to be sent north to his family. His wound

proved less serious than had been supposed, and he recovered in time to command a division in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, where he again distinguished himself.

He was also in the battle of Fredericksburg, and at Chancellorville he commanded the 5th Corps.

When General Hooker was wounded at Antietam, General McClellan placed General Meade in command of the Corps which had just been deprived of its heroic leader. During the action, General Meade received a slight contusion from a spent grape-shot, and had two horses killed under him. He distinguished himself greatly, during the battle, by deeds of daring and valor.

On the 28th of June, 1863, Major-General Hooker, at his own request, was relieved of the command of the Army of the Potomac; and General Meade being appointed to succeed him, assumed the command of that army, which was then principally concentrated at Frederick, Md. This was just previous to the sanguinary battle of Gettysburg, the particulars of which are given in Story LXVIII., to which the reader is referred.

In army circles, General Meade has the reputation of being an able, cool-headed, energetic officer; and what is equally to the purpose, his whole heart is in the cause of the Union.

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He is a fine-looking man, of nearly six feet stature, with vigorous constitution, and correct habits. His soldiers always admired him, and relied confidently upon his nerve and skill, in action.

At the critical period of his assuming the command of the Army of the Potomac, he was so perfectly acquainted with it, as to be able to put it in motion, with the least possible delay, and achieved a most glorious result.