THE THIRD DAY AT GETTYSBURG.

38 3

pointment that followed the “ escape ” of Lee’s army. It was promptly mani-fested, too, and in a manner which indicates how harshly and unjustly theArmy of the Potomac and its commanders were usually judged and treated;and what trials the latter had to undergo whilst subjected to the meddlingand hectoring of a distant superior, from which they were not freed untilthe general-in-chief accompanied them in the field. On the day followingLee’s withdrawal, before it was possible that all the circumstances could beknown, three dispatches passed between the respective headquarters.

First. Halleck to Meade July 14th (in part):

“ I need hardly say to you that the escape of Lee’s army without another battle has createdgreat dissatisfaction in the mind of the President, and it will require an active and energetic pur-suit on your part to remove the impression that it has not been sufficiently active heretofore.”

Second. Meade to Halleck July 14th:

“ Having performed my duty conscientiously and to the best of my ability, the censure of thePresident conveyed in your dispatch of 1 P. m. this day, is, in my judgment, so undeserved that Ifeel comp elled most respectfully to ask to be immediately relieved from the command of this army.”

Tltird. Halleck to Meade July 14th:

“ My telegram stating the disappointment of the President at the escape of Lee’s army wasnot intended as a censure, but as a stimulus to an active pursuit. It is not deemed a sufficientcause for your application to be relieved.” •&

Whatever the object of these dispatches of General Halleck, they are per-fectly consistent with a determination on the part of the War Department to

At tlie end of July the following letters passedbetween Halleck and Meade :

“ [Unofficial.! Headquarters of the Army, Wasii-*ngton, July 28tli, 1863. Major-General Meade, Armyof th E Potomac, Warrenton, Va. General: I takethis method of writing you a few words which I couldnotcommunicate in any other way. Your tight at Get-tysburg met with universal apjirobatiou of all militaryinhere. You handled your troops in that battle as well,Dot better, than any general has handled his armycuring the war. You brought all your forces into action‘jt the right time and place, which no commander of ther^uiy of the Potomac has done before. You may welle Proud of that battle. The President’s order or proc-uration of July 4tli showed how much he appreciatedy°ur success. And now a few words in regard to sub-^ G( luent events. You should not have been surprise,d orcxed at the President’s disappointment at the escape1 Lee’s army. He had examined into all the details ofending you reent'oreements to satisfy himself thatVery man who could possibly bo spared from other^ ces had been sent to your army. He thought thatee’a defeat was so certain that he felt no little impa-ence at his unexpected escape. I have no doubt, Gen-that you felt the disappointment as keenly as anye else. Such things sometimes occur to us without anyuit of our own. Take it all together, your short cam-lg . n k«'is proved your superior generalship, and youer it, as you will receive, the confidence of the Govern-s etl ^ a nd the gratitude of the country. I need not as-Wb ,e ^ 0u ’ General, that I have lost none of the confidence* fe lt in you when I recommended you for thejj J? an< L Very respectfully, your obedient servant,• w- Halleck.”

M Unofficial.] Headquarters, A. P., July 31, 1863.j or-general Halleck, General-in-Chief. My Dear

General: I thank you most sincerely and heartilyfor your kind and generous letter of the 28th inst., re-ceived last evening. It would be wrong in me to denythat I feared there existed in the minds both of thePresident and yourself an idea that I had failed to dowhat another would and could have done in the with-drawal of Lee’s army. The expression you have beenpleased to use in a letter, to wit, a feeling of disappoint-ment, is one that I cheerfully accept and readily admitwas as keenly felt by myself as any one. But permitme, dear General, to call your attention to the distinctionbetween disappointment and dissatisfaction. The onewas a natural feeling in view of the momentous conse-quences that would have resulted from a successful at-tack, but does not necessarily convey with it any censure.I could not view the use of the latter expression in anyother light than as intending to convey an expressionof opinion on the part of the President, that I had failedto do what I might and should have done. Now let mesay in the frankness which characterizes your letter,that perhaps the President was right. If such was thecase, it was my duty to give him an opportunity to re-place me by one better fitted for the command of thearmy. It was, I assure you, with such feelings that Iapplied to be relieved. It was not from any personalconsiderations, for I have tried in this whole war toforget all personal considerations, and I have alwaysmaintained they should not for an instant influence anyone’s action. Of course you will understand that I donot agree that the President was right—and I feel surewhen the true state of the case conies to ho known,however natural and great may be the feeling of disap-pointment, that no blame will be attached to any one.Ilad I attacked Lee the day I proposed to do so, andin the ignorance that then existed of his position, Ihave every reason to believe the attack would havebeen unsuccessful and would have resulted disastrously.This opinion is founded on the judgment of numerous