Headquarters Army Of Potomac
February 22, '64
General Meade is in excellent spirits and cracks a great
many jokes and tells stories. You can't tell how different he is when he has no
movement on his mind, for then he is like a firework, always going bang at
someone, and nobody ever knows who is going to catch it next, but all stand in
a semi-terrified state. There is something sardonic in his natural disposition,
which is an excellent thing in a commander; it makes people skip round so.
General Humphreys is quite the contrary. He is most easy to get on with, for
everybody; but, practically, he is just as hard as the Commander, for he has a
tremendous temper, a great idea of military duty, and is very particular. When
he does get wrathy, he sets his teeth and lets go a torrent of adjectives that
must rather astonish those not used to little outbursts. There came down with
the General (who returned yesterday from Washington) a Mr. Kennedy, Chief of
the Census Bureau, a very intelligent man, full of figures. He can tell you how
many people have pug noses in Newton Centre, and any other little thing you
want. There was a bill passed in the House of Reps to raise 100,000 negro
troops, from the free colored men of the North. When the bill came
before the Senate, Mr. Kennedy sent in word that there were less than 50,000
colored men who were free and capable of bearing arms in the whole North, which
rather squelched the bill! He says that the free negroes South increase hardly
at all; while those in the North even decrease; but the slaves increase
more than any other class. So I think it will be best to free the whole lot of
them and then they will sort of fade out.
There are perfect shoals of women-kind now in the army — a
good many, of course, in Culpeper, where they can live in houses. The rest of
them must live a sort of Bedouin life. The only one I have seen of late is Mrs.
Captain Commissary Coxe, for behold we had a service al fresco, near
General Patrick's tent. There was Mr. Rockwell as clergyman, quite a good
preacher, and very ready to speak, nevertheless not too long in his remarks. I
marched over with a camp-stool very solemnly. There were quite a collection of
officers from the Headquarters, also a company of cavalry, which was marched
down dismounted and stood meekly near by; for this cavalry belongs to General
Patrick, and the General is pious, and so his men have to be meek and lowly.
Likewise came some of the red-legs, or Zouaves, or 114th Pennsylvania, who
finally had an air of men who had gone to a theatre and did not take an
interest in the play. There too were some ladies, who were accommodated with a
tent open in front, so as to allow them to see and hear. The band of the
Zouaves sang the hymns and were quite musical. . . . To-night is a great ball
of the 2d Corps. The General has gone to it; also General Humphreys. None of
the Staff were invited, save George Meade, to the huge indignation of the said
Staff and my great amusement.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 73-5
