for it was generally believed that it might have been
captured by a _coup de main_.

On the 30th General Meade advanced his army still nearer the
Susquehanna. At evening his extreme left, the First Corps, was at
Marsh Creek, on the Emmetsburg road, while the extreme right, the
Sixth Corps, was away off at Manchester. The intermediate corps
were posted, the Eleventh at Emmetsburg; the Second at Uniontown;
the Third at Taneytown; the Fifth at Union Mills, and the Twelfth
at Frizzelburg. General French moved from Harper's Ferry with the
bulk of the garrison and occupied Frederick. The First Corps was
ordered to Gettysburg, but General Reynolds halted it at Marsh
Creek, as the enemy were reported to be coming from the direction
of Fairfield.

Meade now resolved to take up a defensive position on Pipe Creek.
He threw out his forces as before in a fan shape, but any corps
encountering the enemy was expected to fight in retreat until it
reached the new line, where all the corps were to assemble. This
line as laid out was a long one, extending from Manchester to
Middleburg, a distance of about twenty-five miles. Falling back
to fight again, is hardly to be commended, as it chills the ardor
of the men; nor is it certain that Lee would have attacked the
intrenchments at Pipe Creek. If he found them formidable he might
have preferred to fight on the defensive with two corps, while the
Third Corps took Harrisburg, and broke up the railroad lines to
the west, or marched directly against Philadelphia; or, as Pipe
Creek did not interfere with his communications in any way he might
have chosen to let it severely alone, and have kept on depredating
in Pennsylvania, after capturing Harrisburg. This would have forced
Meade sooner or later to attack him.

On the night of the 30th Ewell's corps had reached Heidlersburg,
nine miles from Gettysburg, with the exception of Johnson's division,
which was at Greenwood. Rodes' division had marched direct from
Carlisle by way of Petersburg. Longstreet with two divisions was
at Fayetteville; the other division, that of Pickett, was left at
Chambersburg to guard the trains. Hill's corps had reached Cashtown
and Mummasburg, except Anderson's division, which was still back
at the mountain pass on the Chambersburg road.

Stuart, ascertaining that Early was no longer at York, and not
knowing that the army was concentrating on Gettysburg, turned toward
Carlisle. He had bivouacked half way