THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG.

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V'ere simply disgraceful to our army administration from the close of theMexican to that of the Civil war, and caused an unnecessary expenditure ofToth hlood and treasure.

It will be perceived by comparison that the organization of the Army of^ie Potomac was at this period in every way inferior to that of its adversary.The army-corps and divisions were too numerous and too weak. TheyRequired too many commanders and staffs, and this imposed unnecessaryburdens on the general-in-chief, who was often compelled to place severalarmy-corps under the commander of one of them, thus reproducing the much-abused “ grand divisions ” of Burnside, under every possible disadvantage.Had the number of infantry corps been reduced to four at most, and thedivisions to twelve, the army would have been more manageable and bettercommanded, and the artillery, without any loss, but rather a gain of efficiency,Av onld have been reduced by a dozen or fifteen batteries.

Eakly in June Lee ’s army began to move, and by the 8th Longstreet’s andEwell’s corps had joined Stuart’s cavalry at Culpeper. A. P. Hill ’s corps wasEft in observation at Fredericksburg ; and so skillfully were the changes con-cealed that Hooker, believing that all the enemy’s infantry were still nearthat town, ordered Pleasontou to beat up Stuart’s camps at Culpeper, andget information as to the enemy’s position and proposed movements. Forthese purposes he gave Pleasonton two small brigades of infantry, 3000 menhnder Generals Ames and Russell, which carried his total force to 10,981.They were echeloned along the railroad, which crosses the river at Rappa-hannock Station, and runs thence ten miles to Culpeper. [See map, p. 55.]About midway is Brandy Station a few hundred yards north of which isEleetwood Hill. Dividing his force equally, Pleasonton ordered Buford andArnes to cross at Beverly Ford, and Gregg, Duffie, and Russell at Kelly’slord. All were to march to Brandy Station, Duffie being thrown out toStevensburg, seven miles east of Culpeper, to watch the Fredericksburg road.Then the whole force was to move on Culpeper. On the 8th, General Lee ,having sent Jenkins’s brigade as Ewell’s advance into the valley, reviewedthe other 5 brigades of Stuart, 10,292 combatants, on the plains near BrandyStation. After the review they were distributed in the neighborhood witha view to crossing the Rappahannock on the 9th, Stuart establishing hisheadquarters at Fleetwood. Accident had thus disposed his forces in thehiost favorable manner to meet Pleasonton’s converging movements.

At daybreak Buford crossed and drove the enemy’s pickets from the fordhack to the main body, near St. James’s church. Stuart, on the first report°f the crossing, sent Robertson’s brigade toward Kelly’s to watch that ford,ai «l Colonel M. C. Butler’s 2d South Carolina to Brandy Station. He himselfh’ok the command at the church, where he was attacked by Buford. AtErandy Station W. H. F. Lee was wounded, and Colonel Chambliss tookcommand of his brigade. Meantime Gregg had crossed at Kelly’s Ford, andHuffie, leading, took a southerly road, by which he missed Robertson’s brigade.Learning that Duffie’s advance had reached S'tevensburg and that Buford