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For several reasons I will take occasion here to answer some serious chargesthat have been made against me by men who claim to have been the friends°f General Lee .
Mr. Jefferson Davis , in his “ Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government ”(p. 441, Yol. II.), quotes from a memorial address the old story of the Rev.W. N. Pendleton:
“ The ground south-west of the town was carefully examined by me after the engagement°n July 1st. Being found much less difficult than the steep ascent fronting the troops alreadyup, its practicable character was reported to our commanding general. He informed me thathe had ordered Longstreet to attack on that front at sunrise the next morning. And he addedto myself, ‘ I want you to be out long before sunrise, so as to reexamine and save time.’
“ He also desired me to communicate with General Longstreet as well as with himself. Thereconnoissance was accordingly made as soon as it was light enough on the 2d, and madethrough a long distance —in fact, very close to what there was of the enemy’s line. No insu-perable difficulty appearing, and the marching up — far off, the enemy’s reenforcing columnsbeing seen, the extreme desirableness of immediate attack there was at once reported to the com-manding general; and, according to his wish, message was also sent to the intrepid but delib-e rate corps commander, whose sunrise attack there had been ordered. There was, however,unaccountable delay. My own messages went repeatedly to General Lee , and his I know wasUrgently pressed on General Longstreet until, as I afterward learned from officers who sawGeneral Lee — as I could not at the time — he manifested extreme displeasure with the tardyc °rps commander. That hard-fighting soldier, to whom it had been committed there to attacke arly in the day, did not in person reach the commanding general and with him ride to a posi-tion whence to view the ground and see the enemy’s arriviug masses, until 12 o’clock, and hiscolumn was not up and ready for the assault until 4 i\ M. All this, as it occurred under myPersonal observation, it is nothing short of imperative duty that I should thus fairly state.”
Mr. Davis indorses tlie statement thus:
“ For the reasons set forth by General Pendleton, whose statement in regard to a fact comingUnder his personal observation none who knew him will question, preparations for a generalen gagement were unfortunately delayed until the afternoon instead of being made at sunrise ;*ben troops had been concentrated, and Bound Top, the commanding position unoccupied intbe morning, had received the force which inflicted such disaster on our assaulting columns.The question as to the responsibility for this delay has been so fully discussed in the ‘ SouthernHistorical Society Papers ’ as to relieve me from the necessity of entering into it.”
As General Pendleton’s lecture was the capital upon which it was proposedto draw funds for a memorial church, it was natural, perhaps, that Mr. Davis should, as a sentiment , claim the statements made as beyond question. Most^h'ginia writers on this subject have taken up and followed the false scentunnounced by General Pendleton. Outside that State, I believe Mr. DavisaTl d General Wilcox are the only persons who do not spurn it as false. Factsconnected with this battle have been so distorted and misrepresented that av °lnme of distinct maps must be written in order to make a demonstration,to the letter, of all its features.
General C. M. Wilcox, in an article in the number of the “ Southern His-torical Society Papers” for September, 1877, refers to the order for earlyattack, viz.:
<l It has been asserted that General Longstreet was ordered to attack at daylight or early theaext morning. Of this I have no knowledge personally, but am inclined to believe that he was
So ordered.”