Only Time Will Tell

        Only Time Will Tell

Suzanne Marsh

July 2^nd, 1863

The generals gathered around the makeshift table; dubiously eyeing the map. It is the beginning of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee has already committed to battle even though he does not know the lay of the land. Longstreet looks at that map and suggests they go to the right. Lee says no to the plan, going right would impede the plan. Longstreet, always honest with Lee disagrees, and they argue. Longstreet does not think a battle should be fought here at Gettysburg. It is almost as if he has a soldier’s premonition of the imminent disaster.

Longstreet and Lee rode together at a gentle lope; they stopped to see the lay of the land. Lee noted that no one was occupying the small and large rocky hills. Lee knows having those two hills will be crucial to the battle. Longstreet agrees, under protest, he doesn’t believe they should attack at all. Lee insists, leaves Longstreet, and returns to his headquarters. The small cut stone house with white trim, on the Chambersburg Pike. Colonel Walter Taylor attempts to get Lee to eat something; “piles of flapjacks, bacon, have some general you need eat.” Lee thanks him, then turns away; his mind on the coming battle.

Longstreet knows the battle here at Gettysburg is fruitless, the Union is sending all available troops under General George Meade. Lee knew Meade, would not make any mistakes. He would come in slow, he is new to command. However Meade is from Pennsylvania, this is Meade's home ground he is defending. General John Buford on the first day of battle already had taken the high ground, it is good ground for a battle.

Longstreet sits quietly waiting for the battle to begin; Lee joins Longstreet, fearing Longstreet is more than slightly unhappy about going on the offensive instead of the defensive. Lee approaches Longstreet; he knows there will be a great many deaths, he has prepared himself, but Longstreet is not prepared to face the extreme losses of the second day of battle. He hopes Longstreet will continue to be “his old war horse” Longstreet is dependable. They wait for the start of the Battle for Emmitsburg Road. Shots are fired.

General John Bell Hood, sends a message to Longstreet indicating that he wishes to go to the right, toward the big rocky hill. He states that he can not take the small rocky hill. There are Union soldiers entrenched on the hill, artillery, there is no way to take that hill. It is the first of several messages Hood sends to Longstreet. Longstreet sends a message to Hood telling him to send out scouts, to be sure there is a way to take the large and small hills.

Hood's scouts report, it is not what Hood wants to hear. The big hill is not occupied, the small hill has soldiers. Hood's men will be fighting an uphill battle, it could wipe out a good-sized portion of his division. Longstreet could not ignore this warning, he called for his horse Hero and his staff. He mounted Hero and began his ride toward Hood’s location. Longstreet chewed on a cigar, while he rode. Not too far down the Emmitsburg Road Longstreet saw Joe Kershaw. Captain Johnston came loping up to Longstreet informing him if they went up the road any further they would be observed by the Union army; taking the momentum away from the Confederates. This would not do, however in the interim Hood began to stall, he had to go to the right, thus far Hood had been told it was General Lee’s orders to attack and attack he must. Hood, a good soldier had to obey orders but he thought; maybe he could convince Longstreet to let him go to the right. Longstreet is stubborn and resolute as Hood and his staff ride up. Hood knows he can’t take that little rocky hill, he has to convince Longstreet. Longstreet has his own problems to contend with, he told Lee he would see what he could do to take those to rocky hills.

Longstreet brooded, he knew there were two givens neither he nor Lee could ignore: first was that the Confederates had to win this battle. Second, if they lost the battle and the manpower they had nothing to replace them with. It was indeed a sobering thought.

Hood a fierce-looking man with a long beard, rode up to Longstreet a huge bear of man, dark brooding. The staff of both men watched closely as cannon and enfilade fire drew closer to the two generals seated on their mounts. Longstreet only had to wait a moment before Hood with his Kentucky drawl began:

“Look General Longstreet, look at the ground, please. This ground is strewn with boulders,

union soldiers are entrenched all over the place up there and to boot there are gun

emplacements in the rocks. Every move I make General Longstreet is observed, if I attack

I will lose at least half my division. They’ll still be looking down our throats at us from

those damn rocky hills right there in our front! We must go around to the right General

and take them from the rear, it is the only way.”

Longstreet was in a temper, he had been arguing with Lee for days, Lee had made up his mind to attack, the discussion time was over, and he expected results. Longstreet knew Hood was correct so he tried this tact:

“Sam the commanding General will not allow a flanking movement around those hills. I

argued that yesterday, I argued that this morning, hell I’ve been arguing against any type of

attack. I can’t call this one off you know that as well as I do.”

Hood could empathize with the position that Longstreet was in he tried a new tact:

“I could move up the big hill to the south, ain’t nobody on it. Now if I could get a battery

up there we might stand a chance.”

Longstreet could feel his anger rising he told Hood:

“There is not enough time to do that, you’d have to cut down trees to place a battery, and it

would be dark before you would be in action. Of course, on the other hand, if they get

a battery up there we are going to need buckets to catch the lead.”

Hood had his back up:

“Hell, they don’t need guns to defend that hill all they need to do is roll rocks down on us!” Longstreet was out of patience:

“Just take the damn hill will you?”

Hood began to turn his horse as he looked Longstreet in the eye:

“General I do this under protest.”

Twenty minutes into the battle General John Bell (Sam) Hood was shot in the arm, and he fell off his horse. He did not lose the arm just the use of it for the rest of his life. Longstreet went to see Hood in the field hospital. Hood was semiconscious drifting Longstreet held his hand for a moment. Hood asked if they took the hills, and Longstreet replied they took a few of them. Hood opened his eyes as he told Longstreet:

“I should have known better, I should have...gone...to...the...right.”  Longstreet thought to himself: 'Only time will tell.'