Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, June 12, 1864
In my last letter I gave you an account of a wicked and
malicious falsehood which I found had been extensively circulated all through
the North, and the first intimation of which was a reference to it in the Inquirer
of the 2d inst. Since writing, I have received the enclosed message from
the Secretary of War, to which I sent the accompanying note. I do not remember
whether I ever told you that we were honored with the presence of Mr. Dana, the
Assistant Secretary of War, who accompanies this army, as a kind of staff
officer of the Secretary, and who keeps the Secretary advised by daily
telegrams of the progress and condition of affairs. It is from Mr. Dana's
telegrams that Mr. Stanton's despatches to General Dix are made up. This I
learned accidentally, yesterday, in a conversation with Grant, in which I
commented on some of Mr. Stanton's despatches. Grant agreed fully with me in my
views, and then told me he had never sent a despatch to Mr. Stanton since crossing
the Rapidan, the few despatches he had sent being directed to General Halleck.
I was glad to hear this, because it removed from my mind a prejudice I had
imbibed, on the supposition that Mr. Stanton was quoting Grant, and arising
from the fact I have mentioned, that in all Mr. Stanton's despatches from
Grant's headquarters my name was never alluded to; for which I had held Grant
responsible, without cause.
I believe I have saved you some annoyance by informing an
officer, who applied to me in the name of Mrs. Judge Daly, of New York, to know
if you would not unite in the great woman's movement about dress, that,
practically, you had been engaged in that movement ever since your marriage,
and that at present your domestic duties were, from your large family, so
absorbing, you really had no time to devote to public matters, even as
important as the great woman's movement.
To-day we commence a flank march, to unite with Butler1
on the James. If it is successful, as I think it will be, it will bring us to
the last act of the Richmond drama, which I trust will have but few scenes in
it, and will end fortunately and victoriously for us.
Both George2 and myself are quite well, though
the heat, hard service, bad water, and swampy regions are beginning to tell on the
health of the army.
I send you an excellent picture of Sedgwick.
_______________
1 General Benjamin F. Butler, commanding the Army
of the James.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 203-4
No comments:
Post a Comment