.JOURNAL OFTIIE CHURCHILL CKNTER AND ... - Winston Churchill

ROBERT E. LEE"His noble presence and gentle, kindly manner were sustainedby religious faith and an exalted character....He wasopposed to slavery and thought that secession would do nogood,' but he had been taught from childhood that his firstallegiance was to the state of Virginia.... [When] Virginia secededhe resigned his commission, bade farewell for ever to his home atArlington, and in the deepest sorrow boarded the train for Richmond....Someof those who saw him in these tragic weeks, whensometimes his eyes filled with tears, emotion which he nevershowed after the gain or loss of great battles, have written about hisinward struggle. But there was no struggle; he never hesitated. The choice was for the state ofVirginia. He deplored the choice; he foresaw its consequences with bitter grief; but for himselfhe had no doubts at the time, nor ever after regret or remorse."than a third came back. Lee met them on his horse Travellerwith the only explanation which they would not accept:"It is all my fault."LONGSTREET, in memoirs written long afterwards,has left on record a sentence which is his bestdefence: "As I rode back to the line of batteries, expectingan immediate counter-stroke, the shot and shellploughed the ground around my horse, and an involuntaryappeal went up that one of them would remove mefrom scenes of such awful responsibility."But there was no counter-stroke. The Battle ofGettysburg was at an end. Twenty-three thousand Federalsand over twenty thousand Confederates had been smittenby lead or steel. As after Antietam, Lee confronted his foeon the morrow and offered to fight again. But no oneknew better that it was decisive. With every personal resourcehe gathered up his army. An immense wagon trainof wounded were jolted, springless, over sixteen miles ofcrumpled road. "Carry me back to old Virginia." "ForGod's sake kill me."On the night of the 4th Lee began his retreat.Meade let him go. The energy for pursuit had been expendedin the battle. The Potomac was found in flood;Lee's pontoon bridge had been partially destroyed by araid from the city of Frederick. For a week the Confederatesstood at bay behind entrenchments with their backsto an unfordable river. Longstreet would have stayed tocourt attack but Lee measured the event. Meade did notappear till the 12th, and his attack was planned for the14th. When that morning came, Lee, after a cruel nightmarch, was safe on the other side of the river. He carriedwith him his wounded and his prisoners. He had lost onlytwo guns, and the war.THE WASHINGTON Government were extremelydiscontented with Meade's inactivity; andnot without reason. Napoleon might have madeLee's final attack, but he certainly would not have madeMeade's impotent pursuit. Lincoln promoted Meade onlyto the rank of Major-General for his good service at Gettysburg.Lee wended his way back by the ShenandoahValley to his old stations behind the Rappahannock andthe Rapidan. The South had shot its bolt.Up to a certain point the Gettysburg campaignwas admirably conducted by Lee, and some of its objectswere achieved; but the defeat with which it ended farmore than counterbalanced these. The irreparable loss of28,000 men in the whole operation out of an army of seventy-fivethousand forbade any further attempts to winSouthern independence by a victory on Northern soil. Leebelieved that his own army was invincible, and had begunto regard the Army of the Potomac almost with contempt.He failed to distinguish between bad troops and goodtroops badly led.It was not the army but its commander that hadbeen beaten on the Rappahannock. It may well be thathad Hooker been allowed to retain his command LeeFINEST HOUR 103 / 22