HEADQUARTERS OF THE
ARMY,
Washington, July 28,
1863.
Major-General MEADE
Army of the Potomac, Warrenton, Va.:
GENERAL: I take this method of writing you a few words which
I could not well communicate in any other way.
Your fight at Gettysburg met with the universal approbation
of all military men here. You handled your troops in that battle as well, if
not better, than any general has handled his army during the war. You brought
all your forces into action at the right time and place, which no commander of
the Army of the Potomac has done before. You may well be proud of that battle.
The President's order, or proclamation, of July 4, showed how much he
appreciated your success. And now a few words in regard to subsequent events.
You should not have been surprised or vexed at the President's disappointment
at the escape of Lee's army. He had examined into all the details of sending
you re-enforcements, to satisfy himself that every man who could possibly be
spared from other places had been sent to your army. He thought that Lee's
defeat was so certain that he felt no little impatience at his unexpected
escape. I have no doubt, general, that you felt the disappointment as keenly as
any one else. Such things sometimes occur to us without any fault of our own.
Take it altogether, your short campaign has proved your superior Generalship, and
you merit, as you will receive, the confidence of the Government and the
gratitude of the country. I need not assure you, general, that I have lost none
of the confidence which I felt in you when I recommended you for the command.
Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
H. W. HALLECK.
SOURCES: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume
27, Part 1 (Serial No. 43), p. 104-5; George Meade, The Life
and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 138-9
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