Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, May 17, 1864.
To-morrow we shall begin fighting again, with, I trust, some
decided result, for it is hardly natural to expect men to maintain without
limit the exhaustion of such a protracted struggle as we have been carrying on.
The last few days have given our men rest, and the arrival
of reinforcements has put them in good spirits. There is a determination on all
sides to fight it out, and have an end put to the war; a result which I think
will most certainly be accomplished if we can overcome the army before us.
I received to-day a kind letter from Mr. Gerhard,1
written from his sick room, and informing me of the generosity of kind friends
in Philadelphia, who had subscribed to pay for your house in DeLancey Place. I
have replied to Mr. Gerhard, and whilst I have tried to express my sense of the
generosity of my friends, I have declined the gift, believing that, under
existing circumstances, it would not be proper in me to accept. At the same
time I have said if it should be God's will that I should fall in this war,
then anything to assist you and my orphans would be most gratefully and
thankfully received. I hope you will approve of my course, and that my feelings
will be understood. It would not do to lose our independence, and I don't think
we would be comfortable in a house bought with our friends' money.
I have been riding all day, getting ready for to-morrow's
battle. I shall now retire to rest, earnestly praying God to protect us, and
give victory to our side.2
_______________
1 Benjamin Gerhard, brother-in-law of Mrs. Meade.
2
Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864. Battle of Spottsylvania Court House,
May 8-18,1864. Federal loss — killed, wounded, and missing — May 5-21, 1864 — 39,791
(O. R.).
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 196-7
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