without his knowledge, and when, in fact, he was himself far away from the field. We have a letter of his dated Greenwood (about 9 miles west of Cashtown, and 17 miles west of Gettysburg), July 1st, 7:30 A. M., in which he gives certain directions to General Imboden, then at Chambersburg; and adds, "my headquarters for the present will be at Cashtown." At that very moment Lieutenant-General Hill was marching, without orders and on his own responsibility, from Cashtown to Gettysburg with his two leading divisions, under Heth and Fender, and his artillery. Thus Genual Lee's purpose to fight a defensive battle, and to fight it at Cashtown, was frustrated by the unauthorized action of the commander of one of his corps.
General Ewell, marching south from Carlisle for Cashtown, heard the noise of the battle, and turning the head of his column in that directon, came to General Hill's assistance just in time to avert a serious disaster. Soon afterward General Early, marching westward from York, came upon the ground, and threw his division promptly into action. Thus a great battle was joined, without orders, in which about 50,000 men were engaged; about half on the Confederate side and half on the Union side.[1]
General Lee and his staff, says General Long, were ascending South Mountain on their way from Greenwood to Cashtown, when firing was heard in the direction of Gettysburg. This caused General Lee some uneasiness; he first thought that the firing indicated a cavalry affair of minor importance, but by the time Cashtown had been reached the sound had become heavy and continuous and indicated a severe engagement.
This statement is confirmed by General Pendleton.
I wish to emphasize the fact already stated that General Hill's advance to Gettysburg on the early morning of July 1st was made entirely upon his own responsibility.
- ↑ Note. — As to the numbers engaged in the battle of July 1st, General Doubleday testified before the Congressional Committee (I. p. 309), that the two Federal Corps put into the fight not more than 14,000 men "to contend against two immense corps of the enemy, amounting to 60,000 men." What magnifying glasses Federal officers put on when they studied the size of the Confederate forces! Now General Butterfield testified that the First and Eleventh Corps mustered on June 10th, 1863, together 24,000 men, and they had fought no battle since. (See Southern Historical Society Papers 1877, vol. IV, p. 83).
