Headquarters Army Of The Potomac,
Berlin, Md., July 16, 1863.
I wrote to you of the censure put on me by the President,
through General Halleck, because I did not bag General Lee, and of the course I
took on it. I don't know whether I informed you of Halleck's reply, that his
telegram was not intended as a censure, but merely “to spur me on to an active
pursuit,” which I consider more offensive than the original message; for no man
who does his duty, and all that he can do, as I maintain I have done, needs spurring.
It is only the laggards and those who fail to do all they can do who
require spurring. They have refused to relieve me, but insist on my continuing
to try to do what I know in advance it is impossible to do. My army (men and
animals) is exhausted; it wants rest and reorganization; it has been greatly
reduced and weakened by recent operations, and no reinforcements of any
practical value have been sent. Yet, in the face of all these facts, well known
to them, I am urged, pushed and spurred to attempting to pursue and
destroy an army nearly equal to my own, falling back upon its resources and
reinforcements, and increasing its morale daily. This has been the
history of all my predecessors, and I clearly saw that in time their fate would
be mine. This was the reason I was disinclined to take the command, and it is
for this reason I would gladly give it up.
I consider the New York riots very formidable and
significant. I have always expected the crisis of this revolution to turn on
the attempt to execute the conscription act, and at present things look very
unfavorable.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 135
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