Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/265

Rh by the alternative of convicting General Lee of a serious and inexcusable error in the plan of his campaign, or recognizing what the facts and the correspondence establish beyond contradiction, — that it was General Stuart, and not General Lee, who committed the error. He failed to keep in view the main object of his expedition, which was to co-operate with Ewell in his march through Maryland to Harrisburg.

The first and most important duty imposed upon the chief of cavalry was subordinated to the secondary and incidental object of damaging General Hooker's communications and making a raid around his army. Colonel Henderson remarks: "in the Gettysburg campaign Stuart forgot for once that to cover the march of the army and to send in timely information, are services of far greater importance than cutting the enemy's communications and harassing his rear." ("Science of War," p. 303).

When General Stuart discovered that the Federal army was moving to cross the Potomac, which it did three days before he crossed at Seneca ford, two things should have been considered by him: 1st, that the reason given by Gen. Longstreet for the suggestion that he should pass in the rear of the Federal army (viz: that his passage of the Potomac by Shepherdstown "would disclose our plans") no longer existed; for evidently the enemy had discovered Lee's northward movement and were following him. And 2d, that General Lee's permission, to pass around the rear of the Federal army did not apply to the situation now developed when the Federal army had left Virginia. To take that course now, after June 25th, would completely prevent the main object of his expedition, which was to "join the right of the army in Pennsylvania," on its march "towards the Susquehanna." It was also in conflict with Lee's admonition that "the sooner he got over the river after the 24th, the better." His long detour by Fairfax Courthouse delayed his passage of the river until the night of the 27th. So instead of marching with Ewell from the Potomac to the Susquehanna, Ewell made his march and reached Carlisle before General Stuart began to cross the Potomac!

Nor is this all. General Stuart erred in judgment in the