Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/358

 352 Southern Historical Society Papers. .

"Archer and Davis were now directed to advance, the object being to feel the enemy; to make a forced reconnoissancc, and determine in what force the enemy were whether or not he was moving his forces on Gettysburg. Heavy columns of the enemy were soon en- countered. ' '

Davis' s and Archer's Brigades were soon smashed, and Archer, with a good many of his men, made prisoners. "The enemy," says General Heth, "had now been felt and found to be in heavy force. The division was now formed in line of battle," etc.

The object of a reconnoissance is to get information; after getting the information the attacking force retires. It seems that General Heth ought now to have been satisfied that the enemy was in force, and should have returned to Cashtown z. e., if he only went to make a reconnoissance. Hill now put in Fender's and Heth's divi- sions, and says they drove the enemy until they came upon the First and Eleventh corps that Reynolds had brought up. He says that he went to Gettysburg " to find out what was in my front." He had now found it. Hill would have been ' driven back to Cashtown if Ewell had not come to his support. With Rodes's and Early 's divisions, he had camped the night before a few miles north of Get- tysburg, and had started to Cashtown when he received a note from Hill telling him he was moving to Gettysburg. The battle had then begun. Ewell, not understanding Hill's object in going to Gettys- burg, hearing the sound of battle, and no doubt supposing the army was assembling there, turned the head of his column and marched toward Gettysburg. He came up just in time to save Hill.

AT FULL SPEED.

General Lee was still west of the mountain when he heard the firing. He did not understand it, and rode forward at full speed to the battle. He arrived on the field just at the close. The battle had been brought on without his knowledge, and without his orders, and lasted from early in the morning until 4 o'clock in the evening. It is clear that Hill took the two divisions to Gettysburg just for an adventure. When General Lee arrived on the field he found about half ot his army there. He had been so compromised that he was compelled to accept battle on those conditions, and ordered up the rest of his forces. That morning every division of his army was on the march, and converging on Cashtown. That night the whole arm y infantry, cavalry, and artillery would have been concentra- ted at Cashtown, or in supporting distance, if this rash movement