Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/296

 292 at whose headquarters he was lodged told him that one of the enemy's dispatches had been intercepted, in which the following words occurred: "THE NOBLE BUT UNFORTUNATE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC HAS AGAIN BEEN OBLIGED TO RETREAT BEFORE SUPERIOR NUMBERS."

In a correspondence with the late General Sickles a year or two before his death I told him of this incident, whereupon he wrote that that might be the explanation of what General Slocum, who commanded the Twelfth corps at Gettysburg, used to say to him before his death in a mysterious way, holding up two fingers, "I have a piece of paper about that size that would throw a wonderful light on what happened at Gettysburg, but, as I like to avoid controversy, I shall not publish it, leaving it to my heirs to do so if they choose."

Two other facts should be considered in deciding the question whether the Federal army won a victory at Gettysburg. The first is that Lee offered battle on Seminary Ridge all day of July 4th, but the Federal commander would not accept the gauge. In this connection it is interesting to note that General Butterworth said that he conversed July 4th with a corps commander who had just left General Meade, and that he said, "Meade says he thinks he can hold out here, if they attack him," (page 204). It is pretty clear that General Meade was not of the opinion at that time that the Confederate army had been defeated, and that his solicitude was for the safety of the Army of the Potomac, not for the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia. The other fact is that the Army of the Potomac did no dare to attack the Army of Northern Virginia from the 3d of July, 1863, till May, 1864. Had Gettysburg been a Federal victory, this would have been an inexplicable fact.

We come now to General Lee's retreat. What was its cause and what was its character? Having offered battle all of the 4th of July on Seminary Ridge, and the offer having been declined, he took up his march the night of the 4th and the morning of the 5th for Virginia.