Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/231

 Events Leading Up to the Battle of Gettysburg. 225

encaniptd near Chambersburg. General Imboden's command, which had been directed to cross the Potomac and take position on < .<iH-r.il Ewell's left, as he moved northward, reached Hancock, while Longstreet and Hill were at Chambersburg, and was directed to proceed to the latter place.

IMPLICIT CONFIDENCE IN STUART.

General Lee had the most implicit confidence in the vigilance and enterprise of General Stuart. He had not heard from him since the army left Virginia, and was confident from that fact, in view of the positive orders that Stuart had received, that General Hooker's army had not yet crossed the Potomac. He remained at Chambers- burg from the 27th to the 29th, and repeatedly observed while there that the. enemy's army must still be in Virginia, as he had heard nothing from Stuart.

Assuming that such was the fact, and that the movements of the Confederate army into Pennsylvania had failed to withdraw that of General Hooker from Virginia, contrary to his confident expectation, General Lee began to become uneasy as to the purpose of the Fed- eral commander, and to fear that he contemplated a strong move- ment against Richmond.

He remarked that such a proceeding on the part of the enemy would compel the immediate return of his own army to Virginia, if it could, indeed, reach Richmond in time to defend the city. The possession of Richmond was absolutely necessary at that time to preserve communication with the South, and its loss would have led to the evacuation of the whole of Eastern Virginia, at least as far south as the Roanoke. I heard General Lee express this apprehen- sion more than once while we lay at Chambersburg, and the appre- hension was due entirely to his hearing nothing from General Stuart. Under these circumstances he determined to take such action as would compel the enemy to leave Virginia, and deter him from any attempt upon Richmond. General Longstreet' s Corps was at Chambersburg with the commanding general. General A. P. Hill's Corps was about four miles east of Chambersburg on the road to Gettysburg. General Ewell was then at Carlisle. On the night of the 28th of June I was directed by General Lee to order General Ewell to move directly upon Harrisburg, and to inform him that General Longstreet would move the next morning (the 29th) to his support. General A. P. Hill was directed to move eastward to the 15