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Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/netscrib/public_html/civilwarcavalry/wp-content/themes/wittenberg/functions.php:1227) in /home/netscrib/public_html/civilwarcavalry/wp-includes/feed-rss2-comments.php on line 8 Comments on: A Civil War Witch Hunt: George Gordon Meade, the Retreat from Gettysburg, and the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War
https://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=4280
Bringing obscurity into focusThu, 11 Apr 2019 15:39:26 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.22By: Kevin Campbell
https://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=4280&cpage=1#comment-95507
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 01:06:55 +0000http://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=4280#comment-95507Was able to review all six of your blog posts on the Meade “witch hunt” on my way out to the east coast. I think your spot on regarding the committee’s bias. Bureaucrats, at least in my opinion, are the worst kind of evil. They promote their opinions, without objective thought, for their own political aspirations and Wade was no exception. I don’t know that much about him politically other than he was a radical Repub. Was he possibly a Hooker or McClellan supporter and trying to injure Lincoln for a previous general’s dismissal? Whatever the reason, he defiantly tried to give Meade the proverbial short end of the stick.
I think that the Pleasonton factor cannot be overstated. I’m sure he spent his short time as chief-of-staff trying to figure out how he could advance his career (Did in mention I am not a big Pleasonton supporter). He was ineffective on a tactical level, unproductive regarding intelligence gathering and, at least in my opinion, willing to forgo his own responsibilities if it meant getting a leg-up with the promotions board. Even in cased where it was widely known that his reports and/or information were unclear or flat out wrong he never, at least that I can find, ever corrected the record or admitted he was incorrect. The fable of him ordering the charge of the 8th PA cav. at Chancellorsville is a good example. Even after Huey called him on it he still continued to spin the yarn. And I have never been able to understand why he never recalled Gregg? It makes no sense to me.
Butterfield was also another fly in the ointment. He was close to Hooker throughout June and saw up close the difficulties his friend was experiencing with Washington. He did not like Meade in the first place but is it possible he worked to undermine Meade in order to make his friend and former boss look good? I just finished putting together a first draft of a chapter covering the dysfunctional communications between Washington and AotP headquarters from 10 to 18 June. It’s unreal how noncommittal Halleck was, except when someone else tried to take the initiative. Hooker was trying to do what he thought was right and wanted but seemed to get stymied at every turn. Butterfield experienced all this as well. Could he have been trying to make Meade look bad so that Washington would be questioned for letting Hooker go? Just a though?
I also agree with your premise regarding supply. Both armies had spent three day trying to kill each other. Neither could continue unless they had something to shoot at each other. Lee, by moving toward the Potomac, is shortening his supply line. He is moving toward his supply base. Meade, if he immediately pursues and takes the same course is moving away from his. His supply line is lengthening and his ammunition has to catch up with him. While the Sixth Corps was still in decent shape, the remainder of the army was pretty much dry of ammunition. An immediate push by the Federals along the same line of march could have put Meade face to face with Lee with nothing to shoot awhile his adversary had restocked his limbers, caissons and cartridge pouches. Just my opinion.
From the common soldiers standpoint many were disappointed that Meade did not attack on the 13th. I’m sure they would have felt differently if the attack had been ordered and Longstreet had been given another chance to “kill them all.”
A couple of years back I found a letter written on 17 July from Israel Thicksun, a private in the 83rd PA, to his brother expressing disappointment that Meade did not attack. I believe the original is in the Thicksun Family Papers at the USAHEC. There is a transcribed copy in the vertical files at the GNMP Library. Thicksum wrote “there was a great deal of dissatisfaction throughout the army because Meade failed to attack the rebs at Williamsport, but as it is said that he held a council of war in which Gens. Sedgwick French Sykes and Slocum opposed an attack no one seems to find fault with Gen Meade except for holding a council of war at all.”
I believe that Meade made the correct decision on 13 July. But, it would not have mattered what he did, some bureaucrat in Washington would have demanded his head.
]]>By: Kevin Campbell
https://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=4280&cpage=1#comment-93568
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 03:40:40 +0000http://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=4280#comment-93568I was on vacation last week and finally had some time to sit down and read your Pipe Creek and Retreat posts.
I have always been of the impression that Meade received the short end of the stick regarding his performance not only for his work at Gettysburg but for his body of work during the war. For instance, timely support at Fredericksburg may have saved Burnside’s bacon. It’s nice to see an articulate defense of Meade presented so well. The next person who tells me Sickles saved the day at Gettysburg by moving forward and engaging Longstreet along the Emmitsburg Road is gonna get an earful.
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