To the Adjutant’s surprise Sligh burst into tears and besought that officer not to require him to stay behind, but on the contrary, to allow him to join his company and go into battle.  At first this was denied, but so persistent was he in his request that the Adjutant, who was very fond of him, said:  “Well Tom, for this one time you may go, but don’t ask it again.”  Away he went with a smile instead of a tear.  Poor fellow!  The Orderly, Thomas W. Sligh, was killed in that battle while assisting to drive back General Sickles from the “Peach Orchard” on the 2d day of July, 1863.

* * * * *

RETURN TO VIRGINIA.

At daylight on the morning of the 5th the remnant of that once grand army turned its face southward.  I say remnant, for with the loss of near one-third its number in killed, wounded, and prisoners the pride, prestige of victory, the feelings of invincibility, were lost to the remainder, and the army was in rather ill condition when it took up the retreat.  Lee has been severely criticised for fighting the battle of Gettysburg, especially the last charge of Pickett; but there are circumstances of minor import sometimes that surround a commander which force him to undertake or attempt that which his better judgment might dictate as a false step.  The world judges by results the successes and achievements of a General, not by his motives or intentions.  Battles, however, are in a great measure but series of accidents at best.  Some unforeseen event or circumstance in the battles of Napoleon might have changed some of his most brilliant victories to utter defeats and his grandest triumphs into disastrous routs.  Had not General Warren seen the open gap at little Round Top, and had it been possible for Federal troops to fill it up, or that Hancock had been one hour later, or that our troops had pushed through the gorge of little Round Top before seen by Warren and gained Meade’s rear—­suppose these, and many other things, and then reflect what momentous results depended upon such trivial circumstances, and we will then fail to criticise Lee.  His chances were as good as Meade’s.  The combination of so many little circumstances, and the absence of his cavalry, all conduced to our defeat.

Hill took the lead, Longstreet followed, while Ewell brought up the rear.  Our wagon trains had gone on, some of them the day before, towards Williamsport.  Kilpatrick made a dash and captured and destroyed a goodly number of them, but the teamsters, non-combatants and the wounded succeeded in driving them off after some little damage.