Lincoln Never signed, Never sent

[frontrank2]

July 14, 1863 OTD, President Lincoln writes a letter to General Meade regarding the escape of the ANV after the Battle of Gettysburg.

"I have just seen your despatch to Gen. Halleck, asking to be relieved of your command, because of a supposed censure of mine. . . . But I was in such deep distress myself that I could not restrain some expression of it. . . . I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. . . . Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it." [The letter was never signed or sent.] Abraham Lincoln to George G. Meade, 14 July 1863, CW, 6:327-29.

 

[frontrank2]

View the full text here: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/te...lJBb3QrSCnk59Y0gXfDd_tzq_rbiyibF4ocSzhb9fZQfo

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Thought the content and tone of this letter by Lincoln demonstrates not only the depth of his disappointment in the escape of Lee's Army, but moreso shows the prevailing regard Lincoln had for Meade. This is reinforced by the fact that the correspondence was neither signed nor sent.

 

[10th Michigan Infantry]

Lincoln was being especially unfair to Meade here, similar to how he'd been to McClellan following the Maryland Campaign. Both men had just had their armies battered in fending off against Lee's invasions, but still had been able to defeat Lee (Meade of course at Gettysburg, and McClellan at South Mountain).

 

[frontrank2]

I totally agree.

 

[frontrank2]

Lincoln was being especially unfair to Meade here, similar to how he'd been to McClellan following the Maryland Campaign. Both men had just had their armies battered in fending off against Lee's invasions, but still had been able to defeat Lee (Meade of course at Gettysburg, and McClellan at South Mountain).

Excellent point!

 

[Story]

Lincoln was being especially unfair to Meade here, similar to how he'd been to McClellan following the Maryland Campaign.

Probably a better Angel whispered in his ear and he saw his error, which is why it remained unsigned and unsent.

Think of how many communications we've made in the modern era that we regret, or wished we'd pondered before hitting 'send'.

 

[John Hartwell]

I think Lincoln needed to get his frustration off his chest (strange expression, that!), but realized he was being unfair to Meade, and that's why it was never sent. I wonder what other such 'unsent' notes might have been written but have not survived.

 

[Lincoln56]

I think Lincoln needed to get his frustration off his chest (strange expression, that!), but realized he was being unfair to Meade, and that's why it was never sent. I wonder what other such 'unsent' notes might have been written but have not survived.

Agree; interesting that Lincoln chose to retain the letter in his papers as opposed to writing it and, once deciding to not send it, destroying it. Curious the thought process behind the retention of it.

I've read of instances where this technique has been employed; kind of a self-mental health treatment. Getting ones frustrations out on paper without causing harm to others or to relationships by actually sending.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

Agree; interesting that Lincoln chose to retain the letter in his papers as opposed to writing it and, once deciding to not send it, destroying it. Curious the thought process behind the retention of it.

I've read of instances where this technique has been employed; kind of a self-mental health treatment. Getting ones frustrations out on paper without causing harm to others or to relationships by actually sending.

Besides the psychological aspect, I think the act of writing out a message and the time it takes provide opportunity for additional thought. How does the writer expect the recipient to respond? How likely is it that the same circumstances will arise again? How will the message affect the two parties' dealings with one another? Does the writer have all the facts or fully understand them? As @Story pointed out, today in the digital age, we hastily vent our opinions with the click of a button, often to our regret. But in the 19th Century, writing with a pen and inkwell, rereading while the ink dried, addressing an envelope, and then placing the letter in outgoing mail for posting or delivery by courier all allowed time to clarify one's thoughts and determine, finally, what is to be gained—or lost—by sending the message. Maybe Lincoln kept the letter to better recall his initial reaction to the ANV's escape. He wasn't known to be a diarist, but keeping the letter among his papers might have served a similar purpose.

 

[Story]

He wasn't known to be a diarist, but keeping the letter among his papers might have served a similar purpose.

I had to run oft and answer my own question. Anyone read this?

Lincoln's Diary - a novel: Fowler, DL: 9780615445533: Amazon.com: Books

Lincoln's Diary - a novel [Fowler, DL] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Lincoln's Diary - a novel

www.amazon.com

 

[Story]

Serendipitously tangential to this topic, a member bought a house SSE of the Union lines during the battle of Funkstown

Looking for my farm/ former occupant involvement in the civil war | Researching Civil War Records & Ancestry

Hello all. Looks like a massive knowledge base on the site here and Im hoping for a bit of insight on a subject of interest for the last couple of years. We bought a farm about that long ago the rests on the banks of the antietam creek directly west of Funkstown MD. At the time of the civil...

civilwartalk.com

Any order of battle experts know what Union units were near their structure?

Battle of Funkstown - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

Probably a better Angel whispered in his ear and he saw his error, which is why it remained unsigned and unsent.

Think of how many communications we've made in the modern era that we regret, or wished we'd pondered before hitting 'send'.

Interestingly enough, that angel was O. O. Howard, who went to see him and set him straight.

 

[rbasin]

I think you're overlooking the obvious, namely Lincoln the politician realized that it would be unpopular to criticize the commander of the first army of the nation after stopping Lee.

Simply read Halleck's letter to Meade.

Letter from Halleck (July 28, 1863)

On July 28 general-in-chief Henry Halleck wrote Meade an unofficial letter to clarify his and the president’s reactions to Lee’s escape after Gettysburg. I take this method of writing you a few wor…

searching4meade.com

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Agree; interesting that Lincoln chose to retain the letter in his papers as opposed to writing it and, once deciding to not send it, destroying it. Curious the thought process behind the retention of it.

I've read of instances where this technique has been employed; kind of a self-mental health treatment. Getting ones frustrations out on paper without causing harm to others or to relationships by actually sending.

Agree. Thought the retention of this proposed correspondence was the most interesting aspect of events surrounding this letter.

In modern times, some consider it beneficial as a cathartic experience (in appropriate circumstances) for individuals affected by intense inner turmoil to externally express their feelings in written form, then destroy what they penned shortly afterwards – as a form of release.

Here, on the basis of the bare letter contents, Lincoln at the time was clearly experiencing deep emotional disturbance (he repeatedly makes reference to the intensity of his 'distress' twice in the letter exhibited).

But upon later reflection, Lincoln allowed the calmer reasoned thoughts (perhaps aided by advice) of his nature to prevail over the deep upset that he felt at the time of penning it – that's why the letter was unsigned and unsent afterwards.

Wonder then, what motivated Lincoln to retain this letter as a reminder or record of his own resolved personal dilemma? Or, as was read somewhere, did he simply put the letter away and forgot about it, never to look at it again?

 

[Cycom]

Probably a better Angel whispered in his ear and he saw his error, which is why it remained unsigned and unsent.

Think of how many communications we've made in the modern era that we regret, or wished we'd pondered before hitting 'send'.

Excellent point. Imagine if some of these Civil War era personalities had access to Twitter and Facebook

 

[Story]

Excellent point. Imagine if some of these Civil War era personalities had access to Twitter and Facebook

Or ACW journalists were news-vacuuming each sides' Twitter postings (as is happening now with the RussUkraine War)

 

[rbasin]

Agree. Thought the retention of this proposed correspondence was the most interesting aspect of events surrounding this letter.

In modern times, some consider it beneficial as a cathartic experience (in appropriate circumstances) for individuals affected by intense inner turmoil to externally express their feelings in written form, then destroy what they penned shortly afterwards – as a form of release.

Here, on the basis of the bare letter contents, Lincoln at the time was clearly experiencing deep emotional disturbance (he repeatedly makes reference to the intensity of his 'distress' twice in the letter exhibited).

But upon later reflection, Lincoln allowed the calmer reasoned thoughts (perhaps aided by advice) of his nature to prevail over the deep upset that he felt at the time of penning it – that's why the letter was unsigned and unsent afterwards.

Wonder then, what motivated Lincoln to retain this letter as a reminder or record of his own resolved personal dilemma? Or, as was read somewhere, did he simply put the letter away and forgot about it, never to look at it again?

Politics was always Lincoln's motivation

 

[Cycom]

Or ACW journalists were news-vacuuming each sides' Twitter postings (as is happening now with the RussUkraine War)

Indeed! Journalism has really taken a nose dive lately, hasn't it?

 

[Story]

Indeed! Journalism has really taken a nose dive lately, hasn't it?

I was thinking of the near-instantaneous global transmission of Battle Damage Assessments, viz the Operational Security good (the Ukrainians) and bad (the Russians). Between the OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) observers professional and amateur, the general public has a pretty good idea of battle lines within 24 hours. Then again, Meade & Lee didn't have cell phones.

War Journalism has always been slimey. Oh look, a free book!

The first casualty : from the Crimea to Vietnam : the war correspondent as hero, propagandist, and myth maker : Knightley, Phillip : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

435 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 21 cm

archive.org