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Meade and so became part of the Army of the Potomac. General Meade was in one of his irascible fits to-night, which are always founded in good reason though they spread themselves over a good deal of ground that is not always in the limits of the question.
First he blamed Warren for pushing out without orders; then he said each corps ought to act for itself and not always be leaning on him. Then he called Wright slow (a very true proposition as a general one). In the midst of these night-thoughts, comes here from General Smith bright, active, self-sufficient Engineer-Lieutenant Farquhar, who reports that his superior had arrived, fought, etc., etc., but that he had brought little ammunition, no transportation and that “he considered his position precarious.”
“Then, why in Hell did he come at all for?”
roared the exasperated Meade, with an oath that was rare with him.
June 2, 1864
To-day has been occupied with strategy; but our strategy is of a bloody kind, and even the mere movements have not passed without the sounds of cannon and musketry for two or three hours. Sharp as steel traps those Rebs!
We cannot shift a hundred yards, but presto!
skirmishers forward!
and they come piling in, pop, pop, pop; with reserves close behind and a brigade or two hard on the reserves, all poking and probing as much as to say: “Hey!
What! Going are you!
Well, where?
How far?
Which way?
How many of you are there?” --And then they seem to send back word: “There they go — down there; head 'em off!
head 'em off quick!”
And very soon General So-and-so, who thinks he has entirely got round the Rebel line, begs to report that he finds them strongly entrenched in his front!
Yesterday the 6th Corps drove the enemy 