Section #1 - Three Days At Gettysburg
Chapter 39: July 5–16
On July 7, Meade receives a series of telegrams from Halleck in Washington informing him of a promotion to Brigadier General in the Regular Army and encouraging him to pursue Lee:
“You have given the enemy a stunning blow at Gettysburg. Follow it
up and give him another one before he can reach the Potomac.”
Meade does swing into motion on the 8th, backed by a replenished force of 85,000 troops who harass Lee’s retreat in hopes of bringing about one more set piece confrontation. The closest he comes is just short of the Potomac crossing on July 13, near Williamsport. But his chance ends when Lee slips away in the night.
Pontoon boats ferry Lee’s men and equipment over the river on July 14 as Henry Heth’s men provide needed covering fire. Among those failing to escape is General Pettigrew who is killed at Falling Waters. He becomes the sixth General lost to the Confederates during the Gettysburg campaign.
Lee reaches the west side of the Potomac on July 16 and sends a message to Jefferson Davis. In it he says that morale remains high and once he has received needed supplies, he will be ready to try to fight on, either in the Shenandoah Valley or further south along the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers junction.
On the other hand, messages from DC to Meade convince him, correctly, that President Lincoln is critical of his failure to trap Lee. In response he sends a letter of resignation to Halleck on July 16 who offers a face-saving apology. Hence Meade will remain as Commander of the Army of the Potomac all the way to Appomattox, albeit subordinated by then to Grant.
Meanwhile, in early August, Lee sends a request to resign to Jefferson Davis who dismisses it.
