H o^ - «^>%Jfies? • \ y "7*. *2» J? % .A, "V *$ issss ,1 •7" tc V V •.??** .& V W^ «^\. V^P/ ** V ^* s.r * " "©,. *.,*•* ^° .0 ,-cv v— ^ o °o /< V .0 •^ -.1 0° , » cr - ° " ° - <*^ > K ^> 0"> & w r**. 4 o \ °-% a;- 1 .w> General Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg, Penna. By HENRY S. MOYER, ALLENTOWN, PA. {All Rights Reserved.) HOUSE ALONG THE CHAMBERSBURG PIKE. NEAR GETTYSBURG. PA. Said to have been occupied by General Lee during the Battle. July 1-3. 1863 The fact that all historians and bat- tlefield guides who attempted to speak or write on this subject, have fallen into a common eiror of designating the above house as General Lee*s Headquarters. So far as the w: /re. has been able to learn, whose inves- tigations on this subject cover a per- iod of over thirty-five years, is that this assertion is based solely on a local tradition, and its persistent rep- etition of misinformed battle-field guides and historians. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the above tradition and assertion IS NOT TRl'i; and after years of toil and diligent search of ill authentic and available sources of information on this subject 1 was forced to the conclusion, that the facts ,ire against this house or any other house or houses upon thL field designated as General Lfed's Headquarters at Gettysburg. The most trustworthy information on this subject is. what General Lea himself said after the war in an in- terview with Col. John B. Bachelder, the Government Histoiian of the bat tie. These are General Lee's own words-: Section of Col. Bachelder's Isometrical Drawing of the Battlefield of Gettysburg, showing the Apple Orchard (spoken of by Gen. Lee) in which his headquarter tents were actually located. '' My headquarters were in tents, in an apple orchard, back of the Semin- ary, along the Chambersburg pike" He (Gen. Lee) is corroborated b/ his Chief-of-Staff Col. W. H. Taylor, who in a recent letter on this subject said: "The General (Lee) was under canvas and did not occupy the house. " General Imboden C. S. A., in his article "The Confederate Retreat fiom Gettysburg, in "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War," Vol. Ill, page 420, Writes thus: About 1 1 p. m.. a horseman came to summon me to General Lee. 1 promptly mounted and accompanied by Lieutenant George W. McPhail, an aid on my staff, and guided by the courier who brought the mes- sage, rode about two miles to- wards Gettysburg to where A HALF A DOZEN TENTS were pointed out, a little way from the roadside to our left as Gen- eral Lee's Heaquarters for the night. When we arrived there was not even a sentinel AT HIS TENT, and no one of his staff awake. Page 421 Ibid. "He (Gen. Lee) invited me INTO HIS TENT, and as soon as we were seated," etc. Page 442 Ibid. "As I was about leaving to return to my camp, I think at 2 a. m., lie (Gen. Lee) CAME OUT OF HIS TEXT, to where I ( was about to mount, he said in au undertone: 'I will place in your hands,' " etc. ©CI.A284933 kiUiA flFST DJTS BATTLE w <■ ^ , fan Ltrs \\ ■\£, i %\&£ « \ ***. gaiufar \ A. w i?' SECTION OF A MAP OF THE GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD Founded on Col. Bachelder's Revised Isometrical Drawing and published in Samuel P. Bate's History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, Vol. IV, On this map General Lee's headquarter's are correctly located in tents. (We regret that this reproduction is somewhat marred by reverse impressions caused by the folding of the original.) Granting tjiat the above statements of General Lee, Col. Taylor and Gen- eral Imboden, are true. Upon what historical basis does the Reputed Gen- eral Tree's Headquarter House at Get- tysburg stand? General Lee is dead, so is General Imboden, but Col. Taylor, President of the Marine Bank of Norfolk. Va.. is still with us and endorses the above statements as follows: It gives me pleasure to in- dorse your statements as being entirely in accoi dance with the facts as I recall them. 1 am glad that you have given pub- licity tc your views and hope the publication will serve to correct the misapprehension now eristing in the public mind, occasioned by erroneous state- ments referred to by you." Yours truly. WALTER H. TAYLOR. In addition to what has been said, the following is what another officer of the Army of Northern Virginia writes whicn we are permitted to pub- lish: Richmond, Y:i Nov, 8, 1906. Sir Kt. Henry S. Moyer, Allen Commandery K. T., Alentown, Pa. Dear Sir and Brother: — Your favor of the 4th receiv- ed concerning the Headquarters of General Lee at Gettysburg. You are at perfect liberty to use my letter in refuting the long continued and repeated error of guides at Gettysburg in designating any house as Gen. Lee's headquarters. Your favor of the 20th ult., received and answer deferred so I cculd get you exact infor- mation in reference to Geenral Lee's Headquarters at Gettys- burg. 46% The stone house was pointed out to me as General Lee's Headquarters. Of course, T said nothing, but / positively, knew, that General Lee never had his headquarters in that house. It was known among all Iiis troops that General Lee de- clined on all occasions invita- tions ol his friends to occupy their houses while he was cam- paigning. There were only two occasions during General Lee's command of the Army of North- ern Virginia in which he enter- ed a house. One just before lie succeeded General Joseph E. Johnson and took command of the Army around Richmond; but when he commenced his campaign, he left that house and REMAINED IN TENTS THE WHOLE TIME, with one other exception. While at Ham. ilton's Crossing, in his head- quarter tent. Geseral Lee was taken sick and his physician and friends compelled him 10 go into a house in or near Fred- ericksburg, Va., until he was better. He did this, and soon became better, and returned to his headquarters. With these two exceptions General Lee never staid is a house during his campaigns and never hadhis headquarters in a house at all. I am intimate also with Col. T. R. Talcott, who was also another member of his staff whom I in- terviewed the other day. to learn if he knew of the Gen- eral's GOING INTO A HOUSE DURING the entire war, and he stated as I have stated above. J. THOMPSON BROWN, Late Capt. Commanding Park- er's Battery, Alexander's Battallion, Longstreets Corps, A. N. Va. What the occupant of the Reputed Headquarter House at Gettysburg said to the writer shortly after the war. The writer had always entertained an exalted opinion of General Lee. not only as a miltary leader, but as a man of moral worth, and it was also stated that he was a distant relative of George Washington. These asser- tions appealed to me strongly, and 1 longed for an opportunity to behold the spot in my native state, where this great American General had his headquarters. Later the opportunity presented itself and the first house visited by me was the one historians and battlefield-guides dilate upon as being General Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg. Imagine my surprise and chagrin when the old lady assured nic in most positive language : "That she had occupied the house during the whole of the three days bat- tle and that General Lee had never been in the house." This started my investigation after This started my investigation after the truth and my conclusions are giv- en above, after the lapse of many years. It will be observed that the old lady of the reputed Headquarter House gave me the first intimation of the error of Historians and battlefield- guides, and best of all, she is corrob- orated by Messrs. Lee, Taylor, Imbod- en, Tallcott and Brown. More and bet- tar evidence on this subject could not neasonably be desired. One copy del. to Cat. Div. APR M n *°v v^>. ^ *<, o ,<\ \0 L.V-* •^ *t> * A <* .. *2* "?y- ^ G , °* '""* a^ h V *o • » * A °°* • * c F o 6* t'V'-*"