H.Q. Cav’y Escort, A. of P.
Before Petersburg, July 27, 1864
Though I wrote to you last week yours of the 8th inst., which has reached me since, induces me, from the extreme hilarity of its tone, to renewed efforts. What the devil’s up? What are you howling at? I never saw such a man! Has the bottom of the kettle tumbled out? That our success this campaign has not been so brilliant as it was last I shan’t dispute, but why howl out in agony and cry sauve qui peut? I see no signs that the American people and their policy are to be turned topsy-turvy just yet. Even if they are, what then? I have ever found that sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, and be today ever so black tomorrow somehow or other, all prognostications to the contrary notwithstanding, is found bearable when it comes. I am not going to trouble myself about the ways of Providence any more than I can help, and I recommend all of you to do the same. At the same time I must confess your position makes success sweeter and failure far more bitter than we feel them here. When bad news comes I like to hide my head in the trenches as much as I may.
Meanwhile of the future, here or hereabouts, I can tell you no more than I can of the future of Sherman’s operations. Here we are just where we have been so long and no one knows anything. Hancock’s Corps with two Divisions of Cavalry moved off toward Richmond last night, and we hear of some small success of theirs this morning, but no one knows why they went or what they expect to accomplish. It looks to me like a counter on Richmond for Early’s raid on Washington, but that’s a guess. You’ll know all about it before this letter reaches you. So too of the south west. If you take the Army and Navy Journal you know all that I do, but I believe the Minister objects to taking the only reliable military publication in the country, and prefers still to get his information from that uncontaminated fountain of pure lies, the correspondence of the daily press. The removal of Johnston puzzles me. I can only account for it on the supposition that he plainly told Davis that he could not undertake to endanger the existence of his army by making a stand at Atlanta and that Davis, feeling that such a stand might successfully be made, put Hood, the fighting General, in his place to try the experiment. If this is so, it is playing our game with a vengeance. One can never be certain of results in war, but fighting generals of Divisions make, as a rule, poor work of it in command of armies, and from what I know, I should say that the rebel army there stood many chances of annihilation if once opposed fairly to our Army. However this again is all guess-work. Sherman will be heard from soon enough and before this letter reaches you, with Hood and these southwestern troops opposed to him I think he will give a good account of himself.
How about this Niagara Falls peace business? Is Greeley going to steal your thunder? What’s become of Yeatman? It seems to me our Uncle Abe did Messrs. Clay and Holcombe very much as the venerable Mason did our Moncure D. Conway, of whom we have heard. Is there any revival of your negotiation? Such things seem now to be the order of the day and I shall be little surprised if you’re not intriguing again. . . .
