May 24, 1864
We started quite
early — a little before six — to go towards the North Anna; and halted at Mt.
Carmel Church, where this road from Moncure's strikes the "telegraph
road" (so called, because the telegraph from Fredericksburg ran along it).
If you want a horrible hole for a halt, just pick out a Virginia church, at a Virginia
cross-roads, after the bulk of an army has passed, on a hot, dusty Virginia
day! There was something rather funny, too. For in the broad aisle they had
laid across some boards and made a table, round which sat Meade, Grant, General
Williams, etc., writing on little slips of paper. It looked precisely like a
town-hall, where people are coming to vote, only the people had unaccountably
put on very dusty uniforms. General Meade is of a perverse nature; when he gets
in a disagreeable place, he is apt to stay there. I think he likes to have
officers who are prone to comfort feel decidedly uncomfortable. That reminds me
of an anecdote. The day before yesterday, when we had our bloody attack along
the whole line, General Meade had ordered his whole Staff ready at four in the
morning. Now, such people as the Judge-Advocate-General are Staff officers and
at Headquarters, but not aides. Ours is an old army officer, with many
characteristics of a part of his class, that is, rather lazy and quite
self-sufficient. He came to the front with us and staid some time; but, as
dinner-time approached, late in the afternoon, he thought it would be bright to
go to the camp and arrange a snug dinner. Pretty soon the suspicious and not
very kindly gray eyes of the chief began to roll about curiously. “General
Williams! did you give orders that all my Staff should accompany me?” “Yes,
sir; certainly, sir.” (Seth is rather scared at his superior, as are many
more.) “Where is Major Platt?” “I think he must have gone to camp for a moment,
sir.” “Send at once for him!” In no great time the Major arrived at a gallop. “Major
Platt,” said the General slowly and solemnly, “I wish you to ride along our
whole lines (possibly about eight miles) and ascertain as accurately as
possible the amount of our casualties during the day!” Somewhere about nine
o'clock that night Platt returned with his statement, having missed a nice, six
o'clock dinner, and happily been missed by stray balls and shells. . . .
I am glad to hear
that you take once more an interest in the furniture coverings; an excellent
sign! Keep a-going; that's the way! That is the way I do: heart in my mouth for
half a day; then come home and eat a good supper; there is no use in “borrowing
trouble” — you do learn that here. You know I am not sanguine in my military
hopes; but I have the strongest hopes of ultimate success, taking into
consideration the uncertainty of war. You must go by the general features; and
these are: 1st: Watchfulness, caution, and military conduct of our generals.
2d: The defensive attitude of the enemy; an attitude which Lee never assumes
unless driven to it. 3d: The obstinacy and general reliability of our troops.
4th: The fact, that we have worked them, from one position to another, to
within nine miles of Richmond across a highly defensible country. 5th: That
their counter-attacks on us have been few and comparatively weak, and of no
great moment, showing that they have no large force with a “free foot”; but
have to put all their men on their lines. Nevertheless, I look on the future as
still long and full of the common hazards of war. If the Rebels are forced to
abandon Richmond, I believe the effect would be very heavy on them. This I
judge not only on general grounds but also from the stupendous efforts, the
general concentration, they are using to defend it. Do not, for a moment, look
for the “annihilation,” the “hiving,” or the “total rout” of Lee. Such things
exist only in the New York Herald.
To return to our Mt. Carmel. About seven came a negro who
reported the whole Rebel army retreating on Richmond — a vague expression which
left them room to halt anywhere this side of it. Soon after “Tick” Wadsworth —
son of the late General — came in from General Sheridan and reported the cavalry
corps at Dunkirk. This was welcome news to us. Sheridan had been sent on a raid
towards Richmond and had destroyed railroads and depots of stores to a
considerable extent. Also recaptured some hundreds of our prisoners on their
way to the capital. He was delayed on his return by the rise of the Pamunkey,
but got pontoons from Fortress Monroe and crossed it. On his way down, Stuart's
cavalry tried to stop him, but he pitched into them, took two guns and a number
of prisoners, and killed Stuart, driving off his command completely. It is
curious that the southern cavalry cannot now cope with ours. We have beaten
them every time this campaign; whereas their infantry are a full match for us.
Sheridan was a great help on his return, to watch our flanks and threaten the
enemy's rear. . . . About ten there came in a very entertaining nigger, who had
been servant of Colonel Baldwin, Rebel Chief of Ordnance. He gave a funny
description of Lee's Headquarters. From him and from other sources I judge that
the reports of Lee's humble mode of living are true. He has only corn bread and
bacon for the "chief of his diet," and this sets an example to all
his men. There can be no doubt that Lee is a man of very high character (which
you may reconcile as you may with his treacherous abandonment of the flag). He
carries on war in a merciful and civilized way, his correspondence is dignified
and courteous, and his despatches are commonly (not always) frank and not
exaggerated.
General Meade got awfully mad, while waiting at the church.
There came a cipher despatch from Sherman, in the West. Mr. Dana, Assistant
Secretary of War, hastened — with considerable want of tact — to read it to the
General. Sherman therein told Grant that the Army of the West, having fought,
could now afford to manoeuvre, and that, if his (Grant's) inspiration could
make the Army of the Potomac do its share, success would crown our efforts. The
eyes of Major-General George Gordon Meade stood out about one inch as he said,
in a voice like cutting an iron bar with a handsaw: “Sir! I consider that
despatch an insult to the army I command and to me personally. The Army of the
Potomac does not require General Grant’s inspiration or anybody's else
inspiration to make it fight!” He did not get over it all day, and, at dinner,
spoke of the western army as “an armed rabble.” General Grant, who is one of
the most candid men I ever saw, has repeatedly said that this fighting throws
in the shade everything he ever saw, and that he looked for no such resistance.
Colonel Comstock and others, who have fought with both armies, say distinctly
that our troops are fifty per cent better than the western, and that the good
Rebel soldiers have always been kept near Richmond except when Longstreet went
temporarily to the West. At dusk we rode down to cross the North Anna, midst a
fearful thunderstorm; some of the lightning fell so near that it really hissed,
which was disagreeable, as there was an ammunition train close by. The North
Anna is a pretty stream, running between high banks, so steep that they form
almost a ravine, and, for the most part, heavily wooded with oak and tulip
trees, very luxuriant. It is perhaps 125 feet wide and runs with a tolerably
swift and deep stream, in most places over one's head. The approaches are by
steep roads cut down the banks, and how our waggons and artillery got across, I
don't know! Indeed I never do know how the trains get up, seeing that
you are not over well off, sometimes, on a horse. . . .
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 122-7
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