Major General George G. Meade to Margaretta Sergeant Meade, December 20, 1862

OPPOSITE FREDERICKSBURG, December 20, 1862.

My last letter was dated the 17th instant. Since that day I have been quite busy moving camp, and to-day have been occupied in writing my official report of the recent battle. I am quite anxious to know what you think and hear of my doings. For my part, the more I think of that battle, the more annoyed I am that such a great chance should have failed me. The slightest straw almost would have kept the tide in our favor. We had driven them for some distance. Lee in his report acknowledges that two brigades of A. P. Hill's division gave way before our attack. All we had to do was to have held our own, to have organized on the hill we had gained, and prepared for their assault till our reinforcements could get up. Instead of that, owing to the death of General Jackson and the wounding of Colonel Sinclair, two brigades were without commanders. It being in the woods, and no one being able to see what was going on around, our men pushed too far, and got right on a large body of the enemy, drawn up in line ready to receive them. Of course they immediately poured in a deadly fire, which staggered my disorganized line, and finally drove it back, with the loss of all it had gained. Had it been otherwise — that is to say, had we held the position gained till our reinforcements came up — I should have been the great hero of the fight, as every other attack had not only failed, but without even the success we could boast of. Well, I suppose it is all for the best, and cannot be helped; but it made me feel worse at the time than if we had been repulsed from the first. Yesterday I went to see Burnside, and found him engaged with the War Investigating Committee of Congress. They were just going to lunch and insisted on my going in. Zach. Chandler, Ben. Wade, John Covode and others were there, all of whom treated me with great distinction, particularly Covode, who claimed me as a Pennsylvanian. Old Chandler inquired very affectionately after you, but did not refer to your loyalty. They examined Burnside, Sumner, Hooker and Franklin. What the result will be I don't know, though it is said John Covode affirmed that when he got back he was going to raise a howl, and intimated it would not be against Burnside. Burnside proved that the crossing of the river had been peremptorily ordered from Washington, in the face of his opinion and of the majority of his principal officers. It is understood Halleck says: "This army shall go to Richmond, if it has to go on crutches," which (as over ten thousand cripples were made the other day) seems likely to occur before long. The army are willing enough to go to Richmond, if they could only see the way to get there. Two routes have already been tried this fall — the one by Gordonsville and this by Fredericksburg. Both have failed, and the only one deemed by military men as practicable they obstinately refuse to let us take — by the Peninsula. In our new camp I have fortunately got a room in a house for my headquarters, so that I am quite comfortable.

SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 1, p. 339-41

Major General George G. Meade to Margaretta Sergeant Meade, December 17, 1862

CAMP OPPOSITE FREDERICKSBURG, VA., December 17, 1862.

I wrote to you yesterday, giving a short account of the battle of the 13th, and my share of the same. You must, however, look to the newspapers for the details, although as usual they seem to ignore the Pennsylvania Reserves, except the New York Herald, which I understand says that we ran scandalously at the first fire of the enemy. This is the harder, because I saw the Herald correspondent on the field, and he might have known and indeed did know better. What his object in thus falsifying facts was I cannot imagine, but I would advise him not to show himself in our camp if he values his skin, for the men could not be restrained from tarring and feathering him. I believe I told you that yesterday I wrote to Burnside, officially informing him I had received my appointment as major general. To-day I went to see him to ascertain if there was any chance of my slipping away for a few days. He said he would be glad to let me go, but that he proposed to give me the Fifth Corps, now commanded by Butterfield. I told him, in that case I did not want to go. He said the order would have been issued to-day, but that Hooker (in whose grand division the Fifth is) objected to a change of commander in the midst of active operations. I expressed great surprise at this, and referred to Hooker having urged my assignment to his corps on the field of battle, and spoke of the letter he had written to Halleck urging my promotion. Burnside said Hooker had explicitly remarked his opposition was not personal to me, for he considered me one of the most splendid soldiers in the army; but it was on the principle of not changing commanders alone that he objected. Burnside finally said he was going up to see Halleck, and unless he ascertained they were going to send someone senior to me, he should put me there, and all that he regretted now was that I had not been in command of it the other day. More than this I could not ask.

I have received your letter by Clem. Barclay. Poor fellow, he did not know till his arrival that his nephew (Dr. B.'s of the navy's son) was killed in Chapman Biddle's regiment. This regiment behaved very well and did good service. You will probably see Alexander Coxe in Philadelphia. I sent him up to Washington with the bodies of Dehon and General Jackson, and told him, after turning them over to their relatives, he might run up to Philadelphia for a few days. He will tell you all about the fight.

SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 1, p. 338-9

Brigadier General George G. Meade to Margaretta Sergeant Meade, August 21, 1862

CAMP OPPOSITE FREDERICKSBURG, August 21, 1862.

Generals Reynolds and Seymour arrived yesterday afternoon, and to-day the division is to be reorganized, Reynolds taking the command of the whole, I of the First Brigade, Seymour the Second, and General Jackson (recently appointed from the colonelcy of the Ninth Regiment) the Third.

We have very exciting news to-day. It appears that General Pope has been obliged to show his back to the enemy and to select a line of retreat, as Jackson, having advanced with a large force, General Pope has been compelled to retire from the line of the Rapidan and across the Rappahannock.[1] I expect that in a few days we will have exciting times, and expect hourly orders for us either to hurry up to Pope's rescue or to fall back upon Washington. The enemy are evidently determined to strike a blow before McClellan's army can get into position here to co-operate with Pope. To do this with any chance of success, they must attack us in the next ten days. By that time we will have collected here the greater portion of McClellan's army, with their baggage and trains. For my part, the sooner it comes off the better, as I think, after the next great struggle is settled, we will begin to see some prospect of a settlement. If we can only give them a good thrashing, a regular out-and-out victory, I think the demoralization of their forces will be such that they will find it very difficult to collect and organize another army.

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¹ Engagement of Cedar Mountain, Va., August 9, 1862. Federal loss, killed, wounded, and missing, 2,381 (O. R.).

SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 1, p. 305

Brigadier General George G. Meade to Margaretta Sergeant Meade, August 16, 1862

BALTIMORE, August 16, 1862.

I left Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon with a great crowd of returning officers and soldiers. I think I wrote you that it was reported in Baltimore that the Government had taken possession of every available means of transport. When I got on the boat, I met Colonel Falls, the proprietor of the line, who was so civil to me when wounded, who told me confidentially that the army was to be withdrawn from the James River, and that he was expecting Mr. Tucker, Assistant Secretary of War, to go with him to arrange about the movement. On my arrival at Fortress Monroe, General Dix said something was going on, but was too diplomatic, or did not know enough, to give me any useful information. I therefore continued on to Harrison's Landing, arriving at nine o'clock Thursday evening. I found the troops of our division were then embarking. On repairing to headquarters, I met General Seth Williams and General Porter. They informed me that McCall and Reynolds had been released and returned; that McCall had been ordered to Washington, and Reynolds assigned to the command of the division. It was so late, being near eleven o'clock, and having borrowed an ambulance from a friendly quartermaster to take me up there, I did not make an effort to see McClellan, but returned to the boat, where I slept. The next morning, after much trouble, I found Reynolds, who received me very warmly. He said he had not yet assumed command of the division, and would not do so till it reached the end of the movement by water (Acquia Creek), and that the best thing I could do would be to rejoin it there; that I would have the First Brigade, Seymour the Second, and Jackson the Third. I immediately returned in the mail-boat, reached Old Point last night, and this place this morning, and would have been in Washington by this time but for the failure of my baggage to get up to the train in time. I shall go to Washington this afternoon, and if there is a boat leaving to-morrow (Sunday), go down in it to Acquia Creek. I see the papers have got hold of the movement; still you must not repeat what I write. McClellan's army is to be withdrawn entirely from the James and be posted at Fredericksburg and in front of Washington. This is a virtual condemnation of all McClellan's movements, and must be a most bitter pill for him to swallow. When at Fortress Monroe, I understood he had come down the night before and telegraphed to the Department and returned apparently disgusted. It was believed he earnestly protested against the withdrawal, and asked for authority to advance on Richmond. It was peremptorily refused him.

I have been informed that Burnside has been twice urged to take the command of the Army of the Potomac, but always refuses to supersede McClellan; but I believe the thing will soon be done without consulting either of them, for the more I see the more I am satisfied that McClellan is irretrievably gone, and has lost the greatest chance any man ever had on this continent.

Reynolds looks very well, but complains bitterly of the want of courtesy shown towards him in Richmond.

SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 1, p. 302-3