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32b. Director Lee's draft speech for GA Dedication (No date Given)September 21, 1961_Page_2

White paper with typed black text

Now, fully a century later has passed since our nation entered upon that bitter and prolonged war. It was a test of enduring principle; on the one hand the right to sever the Union; on the other hand, the conviction that the Union must be maintained. Gettysburg stands out as a turning point in the tide of a nation-rending struggle which eventually meant reunion of our country. [Handwritten note says “Move to 2 paragraph page 3”] It was at the height of Confederate success in the eastern area of the war, that General R.E. Lee started northward, early in June 1863, with the hope of winning a decisive victory on northern soil. The vanguard of the two great armies under Lee and General George Meade met on July 1 west and north of Gettysburg, in the first of a three days’ struggle. In a driving attack from Oak Hill and the Harrisburg Road, Generals Rodes’ and Early’s two powerful division, in which the George brigades commanded by Brigadier Generals George Doles and John B. Gordon were important units, drove the Union forces to the hills south of Gettysburg. [Crossed-out text – “In the flanking attack on the afternoon of the second day, Gen. James Longstreet”] [Handwritten – “Time was important now. General Lee hoped to break the Union position before Meade’s main force reached the field. By mid-afternoon of the second day, General James Longstreet had”] directed the commands of John B. Hood and Lafayette McLaws into line on this ridge where you now stand for [crossed-out text – “a broad flanking”] [handwritten – “a broad flanking”] charge on the Union positions at Little Round Top and the Peach Orchard. Here at the center of Longstreet’s line, Georgia men formed the brunt of the attack. With the brigade of Paul Semmes starting from this point, those of G.T. Anderson and Henry L. Benning on his right; W.T. Wofford and A.R. Wright on his left, the charge swept through the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard. Of the 11,000 Georgia troops who fought at Gettysburg, 6,000 began the charge on this ridge a few hundred yards to your right and left. Only at dusk did the battle end as the charge shattered the Sickles Union defense. Longstreet had gained Devil’s Den, the Wheatfield and, most important, the high ground at the Peach Orchard.

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Gettysburg National Military Park, Code: GETT

Gettysburg National Military Park, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Latitude: 39.804500579834, Longitude: -77.2384033203125

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32b. Director Lee's draft speech for GA Dedication (No date Given)Septmeber 21, 1961_Page_2.jpg

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