Ron Maxwell

Maj. Walter H. Taylor: Good morning, sir.

General Robert E. Lee: Goor morning, Major Taylor.

Maj. Walter H. Taylor: Will the general have some breakfast?

General Robert E. Lee: No, thank you.

Maj. Walter H. Taylor: We have flapjacks in small mountains. Fresh butter, bacon, wagons of ham, apple butter, ripe cherries. You really ought to pitch in, sir. Courtesy of our host, the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Gen. Robert E. Lee: [Lee and Longstreet ride to an observation point to plan their attack] General Longstreet, you have General Pickett now, he's fresh. I want you to bring your corps forward. Take those heights in the center and split the Federal line.

Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet: Sir uh... my two divisions, Hood's and McLaws'... well sir, they executed a forced march yesterday and went straight into the fight; lost half their strength. Sustained 50% casualties, sir. They are tired and need a rest. There are now three Federal corps on those two rocky hills on our right flank. If I move all my people forward, well, we won't have a flank at all. They'll simply swing around and crush us. They are well entrenched up there, they aim to fight. They got good artillery and plenty of it. Sir, any attack we make will be uphill, over open ground. How do we communicate? How do we coordinate attack? They're all massed together, damn near in a circle. Good interior lines. Anywhere we hit them, they'll bring up reinforcements in a matter of minutes. But we try to bring up support: they have to come from miles away and their cannon will see every move. Hell, their cannon are looking down on us right now.

Gen. Robert E. Lee: [Determined] In the center they will break...

Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet: Sir?

Gen. Robert E. Lee: They will break in the center. Those people will be gaining men from all directions, guns by the thousands, and Richmond has nothing left to send us, so if we stay, we fight. If we retreat now, we will have fought here for two days and will leave knowing we could not drive him off. And I have never yet left the enemy in command of this field, no sir. Retreat is no longer an option. The enemy has been attacked on both wings, he has reinforced there and is strongest there on the wings, the hills and the rocks. So, the weak point is in the center. They have command of the high ground. But in that long slope, you see there?

[Lee points]

Gen. Robert E. Lee: The long slope in the center... there is where he is most vulnerable. General Pickett's Virginians are the only people not yet engaged, yes?

[Longstreet nods]

Gen. Robert E. Lee: With General Longstreet in command, my Old War Horse, meeting the enemy face to face, on ground of his own choosing and with honor, we will prevail.

[Lee rides off]