Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, August 24, 1864.
I see you have heard of the promotion of Sherman, Hancock
and Sheridan, and noted the absence of my name. I cannot tell you how I felt
when I first heard this, but I determined to keep quiet till I could obtain
some explanation from General Grant. To-day was the first time I have seen him
since I learned the intelligence. On my asking him the reason of my name being
omitted when those recommended at the same time had been appointed, he answered
it was his act; that he had asked for the immediate appointment of the others,
but had not asked for mine; and the reason he had not asked for mine was, that
if Sherman and myself had been appointed on the same day, I would rank him, and
he wished Sherman to rank me. That neither his opinion nor that of the
President and Secretary had changed with regard to me; that it was still a
settled thing that I was to have the vacancy; and that he proposed to have me
appointed, when I should be assigned to the command of the Middle Division,
which he said he would have done before now, but for the peculiar position
Sheridan was placed in, having to fall back, and if superseded now, it would be
construed into a disapproval of his course, which was not the case. Of course
to all this I had nothing to say. My object was to ascertain whether any fault
was found with me, or whether any change of opinion had taken place since the
last time he had assured me I was to be appointed when the others were. As he
had disclaimed any such reasons, I did not care to know why I had been left
out. I never expected, nor did I much care about, the appointment except to
prove to the ignorant public that they had been imposed upon by a lying press.
Nothing more was said upon the subject. The whole substance of the explanation
was that he desired to advance his favorites, Sherman and Sheridan. I was left
out because it would interfere with Sherman's rank to have me in, and Hancock
was brought in because he could not appoint Sheridan before Hancock, not having
recommended him when he did Hancock. Of course I could say nothing to this
explanation. It would not do for me to claim promotion or express
dissatisfaction at not receiving it. I had the right to ask why, after telling me
I had been recommended, and would be appointed, I found I was not, but when the
above explanation was made, however unjust I may have deemed such reasoning to
be, I could take no notice of it, and could not with propriety complain. It is
the same old story, an inability to appreciate the sensitiveness of a man of
character and honor. Grant really thinks he is one of my best friends, and
can't conceive why I should complain of a little delay in giving me what he
tells me I am certainly to have. It is rather hard to have denied me the
vindication which the Government might give to my course, by conferring a
promotion that I have the most positive evidence it, the Government, has
acknowledged I merited and should have. However, I suppose this, like all else,
must be borne with patience.
We have had some pretty hard fighting to secure our lodgment
on the Weldon Railroad. Grant and Warren are the heroes of the affair. I must
confess I do not envy either of them their laurels, although in the Weldon
Railroad affair Grant was sixteen miles away, and knew nothing but what was
reported to him by myself. We lost a good many men in killed and wounded, but
principally in prisoners. Our army is becoming much weakened by these repeated losses,
and our only hope is that the enemy suffers proportionately. Their papers
acknowledge in their last affairs a loss of five general officers.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 223-4
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