General Robert E. Lee rose this morning at three o’clock, ready to end this ongoing fight in southern Pennsylvania. Poised to attack, the Confederate army looked to bring down the Union starting at sunrise.
Lee did not panic when things started to run behind. Daylight was needed to truly make sure the attack could be executed efficiently. That level of contentment only lasted until dawn, when a cannonade erupted in the distance.
General Lee, who is known to be an attacking force, felt a little shaky about his limited number of troops on the offensive. Showing an alternative sign of confidence in his defense, Lee shouted, “My men have sometimes failed to take a position, but to defend one, never!”
A Georgian troop, who had faced the horrors of the battlefield the night before, approached Lee in the moments that followed. “I have had my scouts out all night…” he proclaimed, “and I find that you still have an excellent opportunity to move around to the right of Meade’s army and maneuver him into attacking us.”
General Lee quickly made the decision to strike, as General Longstreet shook in worry. It was not until General Longstreet told General Lee to hold back, when Lee realized what they had lost in numbers. The Confederates look to be breaking down, physically and harmoniously.
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