November 6, 1864
I was remarking in
my last, a week ago to-day, that General Meade spoke of being obliged to write
his report. Yes! as you say, it is a pity he can't have some signal success.
The Shaws need not be against him on the negro-soldier question, for if he has
a bias, it is towards and not against them, and indeed it would go to the heart
of the best Bob1 to see the punctilious way in which he returns
their salutes. I can say with certainty that there is not a General in this
army from whom the nigs might expect a judicious helping hand more than from
Meade. As to his being slow, it may be so; but I can't see that Grant, on whom
rests this entire campaign, is any faster; yet he is a man of unquestioned
military talent. If you knew, as I do, the number of men killed and wounded in
this campaign from the Potomac Army alone, you would think that a strong
opposition from the enemy had as much as anything to do with the want of
crowning success thus far. To show what sort of work we have been through: at
the assault of June 3d, at Cool Arbor, we lost, in four or five hours, 6000
men, in killed and wounded only. That is a specimen. Even in our move to the
left, the other day, which some would call a reconnaissance, and others heavy
skirmishing, we had a list of killed and wounded of not less than 1200. In
fact, we cannot stir without losing more men than would make a big battle in
the West, and the Rebels, if we have any chance at them, lose as many.
Last Sunday, which
I was just speaking of, was marked by the arrival of one Alden, a rather dull
Captain of the Adjutant-General's Department, who was however a welcome bird to
the army, as he brought a large number of brevets for many deserving officers. . . . To my surprise there did appear, or
reappear, Major Duane, who has taken to visiting me as usual. He is better, but
not well. To celebrate his arrival, and to retaliate for our rush into the
Mine, the Rebs made a dash on our picket line, gobbled up some fifty stupids,
who (being recruits) thought it was the relief coming round, and were then
driven back; upon which, of course, every man fired off his musket a few times,
to show how alert he was, the artillery threw all the shells whose fuses
happened to be ready cut, and then all went to sleep again.
_______________
1 Col. R. G. Shaw, who commanded the first
negro regiment sent to the war.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 256-8
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