Headquarters Army Of The Potomac, June 21, 1864.
My last letter was written on the 17th, during the battle of
Petersburg, which lasted off and on from 4 o'clock on the afternoon of the 16th
to dark of the 18th, day and night, during which time we drove the enemy more
than a mile and a half, taking from them two strong lines of works, capturing
over twenty guns, four colors and nearly seven hundred prisoners. In all this
fighting and these operations I had exclusive command, Grant being all the time
at City Point, and coming on the field for only half an hour on the 17th, and
yet in Mr. Stanton's official despatch he quotes General Grant's account, and
my name is not even mentioned. I cannot imagine why I am thus ignored.1
I think I wrote you on the 17th that I was fighting Mr.
Wise. Since then I have seen a Petersburg paper, announcing the wounding
severely of George D. Wise, his nephew and aide, also of Peyton Wise, another
nephew and aide-de-camp.
On the 18th we found the enemy had retired to an inner line,
which I had reason to believe was not strongly fortified. I followed them and
immediately attacked them with my whole force, but could not break through
their lines. Our losses in the three-days' fight under my command amount to
nine thousand five hundred, killed, wounded and missing. As I did not have over
sixty thousand men, this loss is severe, and shows how hard the fighting was.
Your accounts of the fair are quite amusing. Hancock and
myself have much fun over the sword contest, and are both quite sorry to see we
stand no chance for the five thousand dollar vase.
Mr. Lincoln honored the army with his presence this
afternoon, and was so gracious as to say he had seen you in Philadelphia, etc.,
etc.
We have been very quiet for two days, having given up the
idea of taking Petersburg by assault. Indeed, the army is exhausted with
forty-nine days of continued marching and fighting, and absolutely requires
rest to prevent its morale being impaired.
_______________
1 Cold Harbor to Petersburg, June 11-20, 1864.
Federal loss — killed, wounded, and missing — 9,665 (0. R.).
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 2, p. 205-6
