Lg MONDAY. JULY 8. 1983
ee Escapes From Gettysburg
MEDFORO MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON
By MERTON T. AKERS
UPI Correspondent
Lee stole a march on
Meade after the battle ol
Gettysburg.
All day on the Fourth of
July 1863 the Army of the
Potomac, commanded by Maj.
Gen. George Gordon Meade,
and the Army of Northern
Virginia, under Gen. Robert E.
Lee, Jay exhausted on the
parallel hills of Cemetery
Ridge and Seminary Ridge at
Gettysburg after three days
of fighting. Both were con.
tent to call it a day and to
sort out the wreckage, hu
man and material, of the Civil
War's bloodiest battle.
The weather was rainy. A
smog lay over the battlefield,
POWERFUL PLUNGER CLEARS
CLOGGED TOILETS
in ajiffyl
NEVER AGAIN that licit follr
whan your toiltt overflows
TOILAFLEX
Toiler alUHQuI Pfungr
Unlike ordinary plunger. Tbilitlei
does not permit compressed air or
mmy water to sptaah bock or escape.
With Ibilaflex the full pressure plows
through the clogging mass and
swishes it down. Can't misst
otsioNtD to nrx at any anolc
RECESSED RIM TRAPS AIR WATER
CENTERS ITSEIF. CANT SKID AROUND
TAFCREO TAIL GIVES AIR-TIGHT f IT
Canulna Toilaflax
AT HAIOWADI nOlIS (VKYWHIM
part gun-smoke, part natural
fog. It was no day for light
ing and everyone seemed
grateful. (Tomorrow the first
of the never-ending line of
tourists would arrive at the
Gettysburg battleground on
an excursion train from Har
risburg. Pa.)
Lee and his army were in
a tight spot. He had lost th
biggest and climatic battle of
the war a fact not fully
realized at the time. But as
he had done at Antietam
(Sharpsburg), Lee defiantly
held his army in battle posi
tion for a full day in the face
of superior numbers before
he began to retreat on the
night of July 4-5 through the
mountains of south central
Pennsylvania and western
Maryland toward the Po-
tomac.
Short of Ammunition
As the crow flies he had
about 35 miles to go to reach
the river at williamsport,
Md., about five miles south
west of Hagerstown, Md. He
was short of ammunition and
provisions. He was burdened
with wagon trains of wound
ed. His losses at Gettysburg
about one-third of his force
and straggling and desertion
had thinned his retreating
army to little more than 35
000 men.
His problem was to reach
and cross the river before
Meade, moving parallel, could
cut him off. His chances of
doing so seemed slim. The
Potomac was running high
and the rains were making it
higher.
. Meade mover his army
cautiously and slowly. He was
under orders from Washing
ton to fight on the defensive
and to keep his army between
Lee and the capital. He had
two choices. One was to chase
Lee's army west through the
mountain passes, which likely
would be fortified and de
fended. The second was to
slant to the southwest through
Maryland and cut off Lee
around Hagerstown.
On the basis of scanty in
formation about the position
of Lee's army, he chose the
second route but lost a full
day in making the decision
Lee made the most of Meade
delay and pushed his army
hard through the mud and
rain.
Suffering of the Confcder
ate wounded in the convoy of
wagons was intense.
Brig. Gen. John D. Imbod
den, commanding the convoy
described the trip:
The column moved rap
idly, considering the rough
roads and the darkness, and
from almost every wagon is.
sued heart-rending wails of
agony . . . Scarcey one in
hundred had received . ade
quale surgical aid , . Many of
the wounded . . . had been
with-out food for 38 hours.
Their torn and bloody cloth
ing, matted and hardened, was
rasping the tender, inflamed
and still oozing wounds. Very
few of the wagons had even
a layer of straw in them and
all were without springs.
Convoy Attacked
The convoy was attacked
several times by Federal
cavalry. At one point citizens
set upon the wagons with
axes and cut the spokes of
the wheels. At another point
100 wagons were captured.
When the convoy reached
Williamsport, Imboden forced
every family in town to cook
for the wounded.
By July 7 Meade's army
was slogging southwest
through the mud and rain
along the same -roads in
Maryland that they , had
marched north over in the
dust only a week or so before.
That day Meade rode into
Frederick, Md., where he had
assumed command of the
army, to the plaudits of the
loyal citizens and went to
a hotel for a bath. Then he
wrote to his wife:
"From the time I took com
mand (July 28) until today
(July 1) I . . . have not had
a regular night's rest, and
many nights not a wink of
sleep, and for several day
did not even wash my hands
and face, no regular food,
and all the time in a great
state of mental anxiety, in
deed, I think I have lived
as much in the time as in
the last thirty years."
He also asked her to send
him two pairs of eyeglasses.
Wagon trains from West
minister, Md., the Federal
supply depot, brought in new
uniforms, shoes and other
equipment and important sup.
plies of ammuntion.
The federals pushed on
over the mountains west of
Frederick and by July 11 be
gan to skirmish with the Con
federates south of Hagers
town above the old Antietam
battlefield.
Washington was prodding
Meade to hurry and strike
Lee's army on the north side
of the Potomac. President
Lincoln applied the spur.
Peresident Anxious
Mai. Gen. Henry W. Hal-
leek, overall army command
er, telegraphed Meade:
'The President is urgent
and anxious that your Army
should move against him (Lee)
by forced marches."
That was what Meade was
doing but his caution and
lack of information slowed
him down.
"My Army is and has been
making forced marches short
of rations and barefooted,"
Meade replied testily.
On July 12 Meade had his
army placed around Williams
port for what he hoped would
be the decisive blow. Late in I
the day he was ready to at
tack when a heavy thunder
storm broke. About supper
time the attack was called
off.
Meade met with his corps
commandeis that night. He
favored attack the next day,
Only two of the commanders
went along with their chief,
Mai. Gen. James S. Wads-
worth of the I Corps and Maj
Gen. O. O. Howard of the
XI Corps.
The ultimate decision of the
council of war was for more
reconnoitering.
The day before Lee had
formed his army in an arc
protecting the river crossing
site at Williamsport. The Po
tomac was still too high to
wade.
Lee handled the position
ing of part of the army him
self.
'I never before, and never
afterward, saw him f
thought visibly anxious over
an approaching action," Col.
E. P. Alexander, artillery of
ficer, wrote, "but I did on
this occasion."
All day on the 13th Meade
sent his troops probing into
the Confederate lines in keep
ing with the council of war
decision the night before
Too Lata For Action
Late in the day General
Howard sent word that he
feared "Lee was getting
away.
But by then It was too late
for action.
Meade determined to strike
the next day, the 14th.
He did, but Lee was gone
he had crossed the river
on the night of July 13-14.
Some of his men went over
on an improvised pontoon
bridge covered with branches
to deaden the sound of
marching feet. It was a rick
ety bridge but it was good
enough to carry two corps
and the artillery. The other
corps waded, the tall men
standing in the deep part of
the river and passing along
their shorter comrades.
Only a small rear guard
was cut off and captured.
Lee had escaped from
Maryland again, thanks to the
one day the Federals had dal
lied as the river receded.
Springfield Man
Dies Aboard Boat
Reedsport-IUPD-A heart at
tack claimed the life of Gain
Robert Ingle, 56, of Spring
field Saturday as he was deep
sea fishing off Winchester
Bay.
Ingle was fishing from an
18-foot outboard - powered
boat when he was stricken.
Two companions, George
Sturgis of Eugene and Glen
Taylor of Springfield, brought
the boat back into the bay
under Coast Guard escort.
A doctor pronounced Ingle
dead here.
Agents Search For
More Counterfeiters
San Francisco - (UPD - Se
cret service agents, working
with soft spoken, machine-
line efficiency, continued their
search Saturday for more
members of the nation's
largest counterfeit operation.
A series of quick arrests
last week revealed that mil
lions of dollars in bogus bills,
described by agents as "near
perfect," were run off on a
small offset ipress in the base
ment of the girls' gymnasium
at Alameda State college
across the bay.
The Family Council
tartar's no: The Pamirs' council consists ef J"de;
tnychlatrlst, three clercymen, three editors and women s editor.
Barn arUtle- U a summary of a JamUy dlsaireement presented to we
Council. Tie Council deals with problems, major and minor,
enc.unterod by guidance counselors and social workers. Edited oy
Mrs. Ainu Denny. (Copyrlfht General restores Corp.)
Mrs. B. Y. - At 72 he wants
to buy the house we live in
Mr. B. Y. - After twenty
years here it spells comfort
to me.
Mrs. B. Y. - We are a re
tired couple with modest
savings and an adequate in
come to continue living as we
do now. The one-family house
we rent is comfortable and
wunin our means, but my
nusrjana would perfer to
own it. That's a wild idea
what with school taxes and
other charges going up. We
have no school children. Why
tie up our funds?
Mr. B. Y. - Every nook and
cranny of the house just fits
us by now. It would be tor
ture to have to move. Mv wife
lust doesn't want to face the
fact that if we don't buy the
place, the owner will put it
on the market and we'll be
forced out. How will we ever
find a place half as comfort
able, near our friends? And
we re so proud of the garden.
9 9
The Council - Is there anv-
ming enmess, Mr. y., except
time itself? Granting then
that your present idyllic set
up can't continue indefinite
ly, the question is what's your
best move to minimize the
jolts when they come? We
feel that buying the house
you live in isn't it. You may
be preserving those comfy
corners for cushioning old
bones, but you'll be taking
on twinges where none now
exist - namely new head
aches. There's more to home
ownership than holding the
deed. Even though you use
your savings to pay cash and
have on mortgage interest to
worry about, you enter the
demon-world of taxes, insur
ance premiums, maintenar-e
bills, and assessments. While
this may not faze you at 72, it
may turn into a Dracula-mons-ter
in five or ten years . . .
Inasmuch as you arc free, why
not look around? There must
be other nice neighborhoods.
Have an alternate house-and
garden up your mental sleeve.
Any lucky landlord who gets
you for a tenant should pare
the rent in return for what
you, your green thumb, and
your artistry do for his land.
HEAD FOR HILLS
Numata, Japan - IWD - So
many Japanese mountain
climbers swarmed Sunday
over Mt. Tanigawa that po
lice with walkie-talkies help
ed direct the traffic. With thet
climbing season at its sum
mer peak, an estimated 5,500
persons were on the slopes of
the 6,380-foot mountain 70
miles northwest of Tokyo. The
mountain has claimed eight
lives this year.
stopfiad Breath
Sweetens Mouth-Stomach 3 Tlmuv Faster
Chew BeM-tns tablets whenever you think
your breath may offend. Belt-ins neutrsliia
acidity, sweeten mouth and stomach Ilka
magic. No harmful drugs. Get Bell-ins today.
35C at druggists. Send postal to Bell-arts,
Orangeburg, N. Y., for liberal fret umpia.
C
i w
CLIFF
ROBERTSON
The
Man
Who
Portrays J. RK.
J. The actor who is playing the
President of the United States is a young man who
turned to the sea as a youth to escape the life of
an orphan.
Read the fascinating profile by Peer J. Oppen
Jieimer of Cliff Robertson who is finally making it
big by portraying John F. Kennedy as a young
naval officer in the film "PT 109" in the coming
JULY 14TH Weekend lssv of
JFajmily TVeelcIy
. . with yew copy of th
Med ford Mail Tribune
BIG Y MEATS ARE FRESHER
D BD10GMA
V-.. 'U J I USDA CHOICE
Tasty Brand
Any Size
Piece
Chuck Steak 49'
Smoked Tenderized Shoulders
Picnics 39
Kr...Ji6oL'
69
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Medium
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STRAWBERRIES
Vkf' 5 for 99c
Pictiweer
LEMONADE
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ICECREAM Rogue Maid All Flavors ViGal. 69e
FIESTA ICE CREAM
Jorgensen's J2 Gallon
TOMATO JUICE Stokley's California 46-oz. tin 5 for
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SPRAY STARCH Ey.o ,5.o,r,39e
ROOM DEORDOR ANT Air-Wick Req. 59c tin 19c
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OPEN EVERY DAY
9a.M. to 9 P.M.
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25 $335
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Sweet
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ifefKing of Tarts
Iviryttiinf liked D A l C K I
Rif hr tn th Stor . . .
Not Frth Daily . . . Frash Hourly
L
CARNATION CREAMERY
. 1 1 M W IW" mV m'-m jr" iu.,y ..
APPLE SAUCE
CUP.-CAKES a
PERFECT DINNER ROLL
POTATO ROLLS
TANOY
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FAMILY SIZE
APPLE SAUCE CAKE
FLAKEY CRUSTED
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1S-OI. of 29
97
49
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BUTTER i-i.nv.59
FLYING CLOUD
CANNED nUSHROOMS o , 4 S1.00
ZEE
TOILET TISSUE ... 39c
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ENRICHED FLOUR ... ... 99c
DEL MONTE
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LONG GRAIN RICE .79e
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REDUNER-JUICY
FREESTONE PEACHES 1S
LARGE SIZE
BING CHERRIES .29'
FIRM RIPE
TOMATOES 29
SWEET FRESH
CORN B-3&