d before the other parts of his army could arrive
in time to sustain the attack. He realized the old fable. The
peasant could not break the bundle of fagots, but he could break
one at a time until all were gone.

Lee's concave form of battle was a great disadvantage, for it took
him three times as long as it did us to communicate with different
parts of his line, and concentrate troops. His couriers who carried
orders and the reinforcements he sent moved on the circumference
and ours on the chord of the arc.

The two armies were about a mile apart. The Confederates--Longstreet
and Hill--occupied Seminary Ridge, which runs parallel to Cemetery
Ridge, upon which our forces were posted. Ewell's corps, on the
rebel left, held the town, Hill the centre, and Longstreet the
right.

Lee could easily have manoeuvred Meade out of his strong position
on the heights, and should have done so. When he determined to
attack, he should have commenced at daybreak, for all his force
was up except Pickett's division; while two corps of the Union
army, the Fifth and Sixth, were still far away, and two brigades
of the Third Corps were also absent.

The latter were marching on the Emmetsburg road, and as that was
controlled by the enemy, Sickles felt anxious for the safety of
his men and trains, and requested that the cavalry be sent to escort
them in. This was not done, however. The trains were warned off
the road, and the two brigades were, fortunately, not molested.

There has been a great deal of bitter discussion between Longstreet,
Fitz Lee, Early, Wilcox, and others as to whether Lee did or did
not order an attack to take place at 9 A.M., and as to whether
Longstreet was dilatory, and to blame for not making it. When a
battle is lost there is always an inquest, and a natural desire on
the part of each general to lay the blame on somebody else's
shoulders. Longstreet waited until noon for Law's brigade to come
up, and afterward there was a good deal of marching and countermarching
to avoid being seen by our troops. There was undoubtedly too much
delay. The fact is, Longstreet saw we had a strong position and
was not well pleased at the duty assigned him, for he thought it
more than probable his attempt would fail. He had urged Lee to
take up a position where Meade would be forced to attack him, and
was not in very good humor to find his advice disregarded. The
rebel commander, however, finding the Army of the Potoma