GDG- a good deal dissatisfied

[Tom Ryan]

Dennis, please provide the source of Lincoln's message to Halleck.

Tom



-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com
[mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]On Behalf Of Dennis Lawrence
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 9:32 AM
To: gettysburg at gdg.org
Subject: GDG- a good deal dissatisfied


Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


To Henry W. Halleck [1]
Soldiers' Home,
[Washington,] July 6, 1863--- 7 p.m.

Major-General Halleck: I left the telegraph office a good deal
dissatisfied. You know I did not like the phrase, in Orders, No. 68, I
believe, ``Drive the invaders from our soil.'' Since that, I see a dispatch
from General French, saying the enemy is crossing his wounded over the
river in flats, without saying why he does not stop it, or even intimating
a thought that it ought to be stopped. Still later, another dispatch from
General Pleasonton, by direction of General Meade, to General French,
stating that the main army is halted because it is believed the rebels are
concentrating ``on the road toward Hagerstown, beyond Fairfield,'' and is
not to move until it is ascertained that the rebels intend to evacuate
Cumberland Valley.

These things all appear to me to be connected with a purpose to cover
Baltimore and Washington, and to get the enemy across the river again
without a further collision, and they do not appear connected with a
purpose to prevent his crossing and to destroy him. I do fear the former
purpose is acted upon and the latter is rejected.

If you are satisfied the latter purpose is entertained and is judiciously
pursued, I am content. If you are not so satisfied, please look to it.
Yours, truly, A. LINCOLN.

Annotation

[1]   ALS, IHi. Major General George G. Meade's General Orders No. 68, July
4, 1863, after thanking his army for defeating ``an enemy, superior in
numbers, and flushed with the pride of a successful invasion,'' continued
as follows: ``Our task is not yet accomplished, and the commanding general
looks to the army for greater efforts to drive from our soil every vestige
of the presence of the invader. . . .'' General Alfred Pleasonton
telegraphed General William H. French at 11 A.M. on July 6, ``Major-General
Meade desires me to say, in consequence of a large body of the enemy being
concentrated on the road toward Hagerstown, beyond Fairfield, he has
suspended his operations for the present. Indications go to show that he
intends evacuating the Cumberland Valley, but it is not yet positively
ascertained. Until so ascertained, the general does not feel justified in
leaving here and moving down toward you.''

``[The enemy is very much crippled. The general is under no apprehension of
their attacking you, provided your cavalry keep a good lookout, and are
kept well out to your front and flanks.]'' (OR, I, XXVII, III, 559). The
brackets are in the source, and a footnote explains: ``The clause in
brackets does not appear in the telegram as received 4 p.m. at the War
Department.'' Had Lincoln seen the omitted paragraph, he would probably
have been even more displeased at Meade's obvious intent to let Lee
withdraw.


                   ---------------------------------------------------------
-------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg

You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup

View archived posts from May 2004 -  present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/