Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, December 11, 1864.
I fear you good people confine your efforts to suppress the
Rebellion too much to speechifying, voting, and other very safe and easy modes
of showing firm determination never to yield; but the essential element to
success, namely, turning out to fight, don't seem to be so popular. You will
have to stop filling quotas without adding to your armies before you can expect
to finish the war. Do you know that the last loud call for five hundred
thousand men has produced just one hundred and twenty thousand? Of these only
about sixty thousand were sent to the field, and the share of my army, one of
the largest in the field, was not over fifteen thousand; and of this number the
greater part were worthless foreigners, who are daily deserting to the enemy.
These are sad facts. I remember you were struck last winter with my telling the
Councils of Philadelphia that this army, of whose fighting qualities there
seemed to be a doubt, had lost, from official records, from April, 1862, to
December, 1863, one hundred thousand, killed and wounded. I have now an
official document before me in manuscript, being my report of the campaign from
the Rapidan to the 1st of November, and it has a list of casualties showing the
enormous number of ninety thousand men, killed, wounded and missing. All this
is strictly confidential, as I would be condemned for telling the truth; but
when people talk to me of ending the war, I must tell them what war is and its
requirements; because you can then see how much prospect there is of finishing
it, by forming your own judgment of the adaptation of the means to the end. No,
my good friend, this war is not going to be ended till we destroy the armies of
the Confederation; and in executing this work we shall have to expend yet
millions of treasure and vast numbers of lives. Nothing is gained by postponing
the exigencies which must be met. The people must make up their minds not only
that the war shall be carried on, they must not only subscribe and cheerfully
pay money to any extent, but they must themselves turn out, shoulder their
muskets and come to the army, determined to fight the thing out. When I see
that spirit, the men coming, and doing the fighting, then I will begin to guess
when the war will be closed. Undoubtedly, the South is becoming exhausted; its
calmly discussing the expediency of freeing and arming the slaves is positive
evidence of its exhaustion and desperation; but unless we take advantage of
this by increasing our armies and striking telling blows, it can prolong such a
contest as we are now carrying on indefinitely.
I thank you for your kind congratulations on my appointment
as major general in the regular army. If confirmed by the Senate, it places me
fourth in rank in the army — Grant, Halleck and Sherman only being my seniors.
Putting me ahead of Sheridan, from the popular position that officer now holds,
may create opposition in the Senate; but it is well known my appointment was
recommended by the lieutenant general, commanding, approved and determined on
by the President, when Sheridan was my subordinate, commanding my cavalry, and
before he had an opportunity of distinguishing himself, as he has since done.
No injustice, therefore, has been done him, though when his appointment was
announced in the theatrical manner it was, and mine not made, I felt called on
to ask an explanation, which resulted in a disavowal to do me injustice, and
the appointing me with a date which caused me to rank, as it was originally
intended I should. So that, what ought to have been an acceptable compliment,
became eventually a simple act of justice due to my remonstrance. Still, I
ought to be and am satisfied and gratified, because I think it quite probable
we are both of us placed far beyond our merits. I am afraid you will tire of so
much personality and think I am greatly demoralized.
_______________
* Brother-in-law of Mrs. Meade.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 250-2
No comments:
Post a Comment