Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, October 11, 1864.
I have been occupied all day riding round the lines, showing
them to Major General Doyle, of the British Army, Governor of Nova Scotia, who
has done this army the honor to visit it. The general is a very clever,
intelligent and educated Irish gentleman. He is a brother to the then young Doyle,
who, some thirty years since, was in this country attached to the British
Legation under Sir Charles Vaughn.
The general expressed himself very much amazed at the length
of our lines and the amount of engineering work we had done, and said that in
Europe they had no conception of the character of the war we are engaged in,
the obstacles we have to encounter, and the completeness of our organization.
De Chanal, indeed all our foreign visitors, say the same thing; and say it is
impossible for us to realize the ignorance that exists in Europe of America and
American affairs. General Doyle is the person who behaved so well recently at
Halifax when the steamer Chesapeake was seized and carried in there, he
giving up the vessel and crew to a United States vessel of war that was after
her. Another visitor whom I had yesterday was a Mr. McGrath, a Commissioner
from Pennsylvania, sent down to take the soldiers' vote to-day. He seemed
rather disgusted with the result of his mission; said very few of the soldiers
had qualified themselves to vote and altogether appeared quite indifferent. He
seemed to think the soldiers' vote would be very insignificant. I have noticed
this fact myself, that is the indifference to politics on the part of officers
and men. They don't seem to have much respect for either party, and are of the
opinion that the safety and honor of the country are more dependent on what we
do here than on the success of any political party. I don't say this is a very
healthy or proper state of feeling, but I say it exists, and is due, I believe,
in a great measure, to a want of confidence in the integrity and patriotism of
party leaders.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 233-4
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