If they only knew what really happened at Gettysburg...July 6, 1863, The Richmond Daily Dispatch

Common, too, for individual Confederate soldiers to report misinformation back home. On my desk is a letter from a young Confederate captain to his father in North Carolina that makes it sound like the Rebels were the victors at Gettysburg. He reports back to the father some camp gossip about the terrible losses suffered by the Yankees, compared to the modest casualties of the Confederates.

If that letter was written before July 3rd, it would be absolutely accurate, esp if written after July 1st and by someone on the first or second corps.
 
I think part of it was the indecisive nature of the battle. Neither side had destroyed the other side and so part of "winning" was claiming to have won. When it was finally clear Lee was retreating I think the North was able to claim a victory but that took time to happen, to report and to argue over. Nothing is winning or losing unless thinking makes it so, to paraphrase Hamlet :smile:
 
If that letter was written before July 3rd, it would be absolutely accurate, esp if written after July 1st and by someone on the first or second corps.

The letter is dated July 10th from "On Picket near Hagerstown"

After relating the horrific experience of his regiment on Culp's Hill July 2-3, he writes of the Federals, "They fell back on Friday night toward Baltimore and as they would not attack us on Saturday we moved off toward Hagerstown to prevent them getting between us and the river. We are now about 3 miles form Hagerstown awaiting further developments....

He also informs his Dad "our (loss) is estimated at 20,000, the yankees acknowledge a loss of 42,000"
 
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