News from the front vague and unsatisfactory. Our papers
dwell on the masterly movements of Meade, and street rumor glorifies him, but I
can get nothing to authenticate or justify this claim of wonderful strategy.
Lee has made a demonstration, and our army has fallen back, — “changed its
base,” they call it at the War Department; in the vernacular, retreated. This
retreat may have been, and probably was, skillfully executed. It is well to
make the most of it. It is claimed Meade has shown great tact in not permitting
the enemy to outflank him. Perhaps so. I shall not controvert, if I doubt it. I
would not decry our generals, nor speak my mind freely if unfavorably impressed
concerning them, in public. Meade does the best he knows how; Halleck does
nothing.
The election returns come in triumphantly for the Union.
Woodward and Vallandigham, both Rebel sympathizers, have been defeated. General
McClellan, whose reticence and caution have hitherto been well maintained,
unwisely exposed himself. I am informed he refused to write a letter until
assured by those in whom he had full trust that there was no doubt of
Woodward's election. I doubt if his letter helped Woodward to one vote, but it
has effectually killed McClellan.
SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles,
Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30,
1864, p. 470-1
No comments:
Post a Comment