Trivia 12-2-19 Who Said That

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A conversation before the 'race to Appomattox'.
Responding to the statement of a fellow officer, that "I think this will be the last campaign.", another replied, "Colonel, this is the fourth time that I have started on the last campaign."
Who were the officers?

credit: @WJC
 
"I went back satisfied that Lee had surrendered. Soon after we could hear cheer after cheer as the news spread from one division to another.
Thus ended one of the most brilliant campaigns of the war, and as some thought before it begun, the last. I remember hearing Colonel Cillie of the First Maine Cavalry say in the presence of several officers, "I think this will be the last campaign," and General Smith's
quick reply was : "Colonel, this is the fourth time I have started on the last campaign ;" ......"


Source

According to Wikipedia, Smith was Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General) Charles H. Smith (source)
 
My first source probably has the name of one of the officers spelled wrong.

The first officer, here named "Colonel Cillie of the First Maine Cavalry" probably is Lieutenant Colonel (or probably already brevetted Brigadier General at that time) Jonathan Prince Cilley and "General Smith" most probably is Brigadier General Charles H. Smith

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I remember hearing Colonel Cillie of the First Maine
Cavalry say in the presence of several officers, "I think
this will be the last campaign," and General Smith s
quick reply was: "Colonel, this is the fourth time I
have started on the last campaign."


Source "History and roster of the Fourth and Fifth independent battalions and Thirteenth regiment Ohio cavalry volunteers: their battles and skirmishes, roster of the dead, etc"

(p.s. This was a very good question.)
 
A) "I think this will be the last campaign" - Colonel Cillie of the First Maine Cavalry. I think the reference is being made to Col. Jonathan P. Cilley if required.

B) "Colonel, this is the fourth time that I have started on the last campaign."- General Smith. I think the reference is being made to Gen. Charles Henry Smith if required.

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=3...think this will be the last campaign"&f=false
 
I found the following in answer to the question:

"Thus ended one of the most brilliant campaigns of die war, and as some thought before it begun, the last. I remember hearing Colonel Jonathan Cillie of the First Maine Cavalry say in the presence of several officers, "I think this will be the last campaign," and General Smith s quick reply was: "Colonel, this is the fourth time I have started on the last campaign ;" but no one would have ventured the prediction that in twelve days from that time the Army of Northern Virginia would be turned out of its entrenched lines around Richmond."

The book did not have first names so I tried to ferret it out. I’m pretty sure that the first name of the Colonel in the quote is Colonel (Jonathan) Cilley (1835-1920). The General Smith that made the reply, was a tougher find but I believe it was General (Charles) Smith (1827-1895). Hopefully you will not need first names. I also found 2 different ways to spell Cillie/Cilley.

https://archive.org/stream/rosterfourth00astorich/rosterfourth00astorich_djvu.txt
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/chsmith.htm
 
"I think this will be the last campaign." Lieutenant Colonel (Brevet Colonel) Jonathan P. Cilley.
"Colonel, this is the fourth time that I have started on the last campaign." Colonel (Brevet BG) Charles H. Smith.
Both men served with the 1st Maine Cavalry. During the Appomattox Campaign Smith was command a cavalry brigade and Cilley commanded the 1st Maine Cavalry.

 
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