Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, April 3, 1865.
The telegraph will
have conveyed to you, long before this reaches you, the joyful intelligence
that Petersburg and Richmond have fallen, and that Lee, broken and dispirited,
has retreated towards Lynchburg and Danville. We have had three glorious days,
the fighting not so severe as much we have done before, but in the results. We
are now moving after Lee, and if we are successful in striking him another blow
before he can rally his troops, I think the Confederacy will be at an end.
George1
is quite well, having left his uncle at City Point, where it was deemed
advisable he should stop for awhile. Willie2 was doing very well,
and is not considered in any danger.
Markoe Bache
arrived this morning just in time to march into Petersburg with us.
The strong
demonstration we made on Lee's right caused him so to attenuate his lines that,
notwithstanding their strength, we broke through his left, and poured in such a
force that he had to fly to save himself. He was fortunate in keeping us out of
the town till dark, which enabled him to get over the Appomattox what remained
of his army. The last estimate of our prisoners amounted to fifteen thousand,
and deserters and stragglers are being picked up by the thousands. Let us hope
the war will soon be over.
_______________
1 Son of General Meade.
2 Brother of Mrs. Meade.
SOURCE: George
Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 269
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