May 12th. — Fighting of the most terrific character
still goes on only a few miles from us. On our side are not less than forty
thousand men hors de combat. This includes killed, wounded, and missing.
Still the cry is for more blood, and more is to be shed. Our troops are in good
condition, hopeful, and anticipate success. Reinforcements of fresh men are
being sent to Grant — a relief which it is understood cannot be sent by Lee's
pretended government to him. The excitement occasioned by the continuous
battles in the neighborhood has been so great, and has so unsettled everybody's
mind, that the Senate to-day adjourned to Monday. I think that Grant will in
the end destroy Lee's army, but his own will be also destroyed. It will be a
sort of Kilkenny cat-fight; they, you know, fought until nothing was left of
either but the tail; but Grant's tail is the longest. We have no other news
here. We think of nothing else, inquire about nothing else, dream about nothing
else.
SOURCE: William Salter, The Life of James W. Grimes,
p. 262
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