Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/455

Rh which is always placid and cheerful, did not show any signs of the slightest disappointment, care, or annoyance, and he was addressing to every soldier he met a few words of encouragement; such as, 'All this will come right in the end; we will talk it over afterward; but in the meantime all good men must rally.' He spoke to all the men that passed him, and the slightly wounded he exhorted to bind up their hurts and take a musket in this emergency. Very few failed to answer his appeal, and I saw badly wounded men take off their hats and cheer him." To General Wilcox, who, in tones of sadness, mingled with vexation, told him of the condition of his brigade, Fremantle says, "Lee replied: 'Never mind, General; all this has been my fault. It is I that have lost this fight, and you must help me out of it the best way you can. These things moved this onlooking English colonel to conclude: "It was impossible to look at him or to listen to him without feeling the strongest admiration."

A Federal cavalry charge on the Confederate right, during the afternoon, was repulsed with loss to the attacking troopers. On the left, Stuart repeatedly charged Gregg's cavalry, in attempts to gain the Baltimore turnpike, but without success.

With his repulsed troops rallied along the lines from which they had advanced to the fierce battle, and with his artillery replenished with ammunition, Lee awaited, on Seminary ridge, a counterstroke from Meade; but the Federal commander was in no condition for such an effort, and was more than satisfied that he had been able to hold his strong lines against Lee's furious assaults. The slaughter in both armies had been great, and each was satisfied to face the other in silent defiance and await developments. Of Meade's 95,000 in the field of action, 23,000 had fallen; of Lee's 58,000, including his cavalry that had participated in the fight, over 20,000 lay dead or wounded, or were missing. Some of the latter were stragglers who afterward returned. Among the dead leaders of the Confederates were Generals Armistead, Garnett, Pender, Barksdale and Semmes; Archer was left a prisoner, and Kemper, Pettigrew, Hood, Trimble, Heth, Scales, G. T. Anderson, Jenkins and Hampton were severely wounded.

In his official report, Lee writes of this day: "The