Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/257

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< iciicr.il Mr.tdc that its head had apprarrd again in the lower Shn andoah Valley. Upon thix General Hallerk, seemingly having |o>t all patience with his subordinate's ignorance of the situation in which he \va> a ( -hit !' (actor, and manifest inability to procure accurate in- formation of ( ifiu-ral Lee's movements, or divine his intentions, an- swered him in the following tart strain:

WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON,

October /<?, '893.

Major- General Afeadc, Army of the Potomac :

The attack on Charlestown was not in great force. Enemy finally repulsed. General Sullivan had promised details, but none received. Lee is unquestionably bullying you. If you cannot as- certain his movements, I certainly cannot. If you pursue and fight him, I think you will find out where he is. I know of no other way.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in- Chief.

The sneering tone of this dispatch was of itself sufficient to arouse the temper of a much more placid man than General Meade under normal circumstances; but at this juncture there were two extraor- dinary considerations which made it to him peculiarly aggravating. As shown above, the peppery Union commander was already chaf- ing under the knowledge that his movements of the previous ten days had been unsatisfactory to his superiors, and that his falling back upon Washington before an inferior enemy, with whom he had been seeking a general engagement ever since Gettysburg, had caused distrust of his capacity, as well as desire to again meet his able Con- federate antagonist; secondly, Halleck, of all the others, had been most urgent for an offensive stand against General Lee from the in- ception of his movement, as well as a covert critic from day to day of the continued retreat of the Federal army from the Rapidan.

MEADE'S REPLY.

General Meade was not a man to tamely submit to bullying, even from a superior, and one cannot help admiring the warm spirit with which he now resented Halleck' s attitude, as well as the manner of it. This was his quick retort: