Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/270

266 country and the people to plunder; but because of the pure spirit of patriotism that burned in their breasts. Where indeed in all the records of history shall we find an army that endured what Lee's army endured, and achieved what it achieved, without reward, save the pitiful pay of $11 Confederate money a month! It is when we contemplate these thing's that we realize how sublime was the spirit of devotion that animated the private soldiers of the Confederacy.

In this campaign I was attached to the staff of Brig.-Gen. Geo. H. Steuart, commanding the Third Brigade of Johnson's Division, Ewell's corps; and I may therefore make brief mention of an expedition under General Steuart to McConnellsburg, Pa., a town situated beyond the Tuscarora mountains which constitute the western boimdary of the great Cumberland valley, which runs from Hagerstown to Harrisburg. A glance at the map will show that McConnellsburg is as far west of Hagerstown as Gettysburg is east of it; that its latitude is considerably north of that of Gettysburg, and that, in order to reach it, General Steuart's force had to cross three subsidiary ranges of mountains. From McConnelsburg we marched eastward again, passing through Lowdontown and Chambersburg and Green Valley and Shippensburg to Stowe's Town in order to effect a junction with the rest of Ewell's corps before Carilsle. Day after day, in all weather, this expeditionary force marched 20 miles, sometimes 23 miles, a day. In the nine days previous to the battle of Gettysburg I find that we marched 133, perhaps 138 miles. I mention this in order to make a comparison with some of the famous marches made by the soldiers of Napoleon. Thus a recent historian, already quoted, says that Marshall Davoust traversed 166 miles in 14 days including the fighting of a battle. Again he says (p. 244), "The corps of Lannes and Soult marched in 13 days 152 miles along country roads. Davoust had marched 150 miles in 16 days, partly by most difficult country roads. Thus Napoleon did not after all vanquish his enemies so much by the battles of Ulm and Jena, as by his incredible marches."

The French soldiers of 1805 said: "The Emperor has