Gettysburg: From a Newspapers Perspective

Here is a newspaper report that I found about the Battle of Gettysburg. It's from the Franklin County newspaper, "Valley Spirit", July 8, 1863. I'm going to make some comments as we read along.

The reports which the newspapers and eye-witnesses bring us of the three great battles near Gettysburg,
I guess they considered the three days of battle as three separate battles. But in the Civil War, a three day battle was considered one battle....the only thing that broke up the battle was darkness.
are not very full and satisfactory, but enough is known to warrant the assertion that we have achieved a complete and glorious victory over the enemy.
I'm not sure that the Confederates nor the Federals were considering it a complete and glorious victory. Most assuredly the North won.....but was it considered complete and glorious? The south was actually the victor on both days one and for the most part Day two.
The first engagement began at nine o'clock on Wednesday morning, July 1st, about two miles this side of Gettysburg, on the Chambersburg turnpike.
The first shot occurred at 7:30 am (or thereabouts). Buford's Cavalry was fully engaged when Reynolds arrived at 10am.
The forces engaged on our side were only the first and eleventh corps, under command of Generals Reynolds and Howard, the other corps not having arrived on the field.
General Reynolds was in charge for a very short time during the battle as he was killed about 1/2 hour after he arrived at the battle.
We were compelled to fall back a mile or so, during the great portion of the day, but regained nearly all the lost ground before night.
What????? Yes, the Union army fell back a mile or so....they fell back to Cemetery Ridge, but what ground did they regain?????
During the night the greater portion of our army came up, and all were in position by daylight. The enemy did not commence the attack until four o'clock in the afternoon.
For the most part, the battle did not really get going until later in the day....but there was fighting on Culp's Hill and a few other places.
The engagement lasted until dusk, and the enemy were repulsed at all points and driven back with great slaughter.
Again....HUHHHHH?????? Yes there was a great slaughter, but at where did the Federals push the Confederates back at all points? I must be studying a different battle. When did we regain Sickles salient???
At daylight on Friday morning the fight was again resumed, the enemy being the attacking party. We held our own until noon, when an advance was made along our whole line. The rebels hotly contested every foot of ground, but were driven back to the foot of the mountain, leaving the ground covered with their killed and wounded.
Which mountain did they retreat to....Seminary Ridge? Because as of the evening of July 3, they were still on Seminary Ridge.
Our forces captured several thousand prisoners and a large number of cannon.
I'm not so sure that the Union army captured a large number of cannon. The Confederates captured a few of the Union's pieces.
This engagement is said to have been the hottest of the war.
This is very true.
So completely were Lee's columns shattered that he commenced rapidly to retreat along the mountain the same night, our cavalry and artillery harrassing [sic] him at every step.
Isn't this why Lincoln was furious with Meade...because he DIDN'T chase after the Army of Northern Virginia?
He took the route by Millerstown, through Monterey towards Boonsboro, and will doubtless, unless he is completely cut off, go by way of Hagerstown to the river at Williamsport.
Hey, he got that prediction right!
Here his retreat has been most effectually checked, by the destruction of his pontoon bridges by Colonel French. A large portion of our forces will probably succeed in getting between the retreating army and the river.
Well, this prediction wasn't correct because General Lee actually made it across the Potomac.
In which case, if the rebel general is brought to bay, he may make an obstinate stand, and another desperate battle may be fought, probably on or near the old Antietam battle-field.
True. But it didn't happen.
Whether any considera[b]l[e] portion of the rebel army ever succeeds in recrossing the river there can be no doubt that the greater part of their immense wagon train will be capture.
Again, it didn't happen.
This train retreated by Newman's pass through Greenwood, New Franklin, and Greencastle.
I've never heard of Newman's pass. I'll have to do some checking into this.
Already fifty or sixty wagons have been taken, and if the river continues high, the entire train must fall into our hands.
Fifty or sixty wagons? Really?
Thus far the victory of our army, under command of the gallant Meade, has been most complete and over-whelming; and it only remains to be seen whether the scattered remnants of the rebel host succeed in gaining the Virginia shore and saving themselves annihilation.
They did indeed make it to the Virginia shore and they were not annihilated.
Meade has been largely reinforced, and he has already done so magnificently that we hope of still better things from the Army of the Potomac. All honor to this gallant Army! Nobly and completely has it redeemed the disasters of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville!
I'm not sure that I would say this.
Meade has been largely reinforced, and he has already done so magnificently that we hope of still better things from the Army of the Potomac.
Eventually.
All honor to this gallant Army! Nobly and completely has it redeemed the disasters of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville! And a terrible lesson has it taught the defiant rebel horde who flaunted their banners so insultingly in our faces, and boasted that they could march and plunder and destroy wheresoever they pleased.
If any lessons were learned, it was Lee who learned it....he learned that his army was not indestructible.

In reading this newspaper article and so many others, we can learn much about the battle....or any battle, but we have to keep in mind that the information isn't always accurate (the same as today). But reading these articles is always enlightening to the attitude and thoughts of the people at the time.