GDG- war councils

[James Cameron]

<< In reviewing Hancock and Sedgwick's testimony to the Joint Committee on 
the
Battle of Gettysburg, when asked about the July 2 council, Hancock makes no
mention of Meade wanting to retreat.  When one of the congressional panel
members asked Sedgwick whether Meade had plans to retreat from Gettysburg,
his answer was "I do not think he ever contemplated a retreat."

It may be that, since Hancock's comments and Sedgwick's staff chief
McMahon's comments to Kelly came long after the war (around 1880) about
Meade, too much water had gone over the dam by then, and not much
credibility is being given to what was being said at that late date about
Meade's preferences at the time of the July 2 meeting.

Sedgwick did tell the committee that Meade was apprehensive about his
flanks, and that essentially is what Hancock said to Kelly with a little
extra embellishment about "Gettysburg is no place to fight a battle in."

Since the statements both men made to the JCCCW were contemporaneous while
those made to Kelly came much later, it may well be that the former would be
seen as trumping the latter.

Regards, Tom  >>

It could also be that expressions of concern over the position being 
vulnerable to flanking movements did not necessarily equate to a desire to 
retreat.

Jim Cameron