To George B. McClellan1Jump to section
Major Genl. McClellan July 3, 1862.
Yours of 5.30. yesterday is just received. I am satisfied that yourself, officers and men have done the best you could. All accounts say better fighting was never done. Ten thousand thanks for it.
On the 28th. we sent Gen. Burnside an order to send all the force he could spare, to you. We then learned that you had requested him to go to Goldsborough, upon which, we said to him our order was intended for your benefit, and we did not wish to be in conflict with your views. We hope you will have help from him soon. To day we have ordered Gen. Hunter to send you all he can spare.2Jump to section At last advices Halleck thinks he can not send reinforcements, without endangering all he has gained.3Jump to section
A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, IHi. McClellan's dispatch of 5:30 P.M., July 2, sent from Berkeley, Harrison's Bar, via Fort Monroe, reads in part as follows: ``I have succeeded in getting this army to this place on the banks of the James. . . . I have lost but one gun. . . . An hour and a half ago the rear of the wagon train was within a mile of camp, and only one wagon abandoned. As usual, we had a severe battle yesterday and beat the enemy badly, the men fighting even better than before. We fell back to this position during the night and morning. Officers and men thoroughly worn-out by fighting every day and working every night for a week. They are in good spirits, and after a little rest will fight better than ever. If not attacked during this day I will have the men ready to repulse the enemy to-morrow. . . . Our losses have been very heavy, for we have fought every day since last Tuesday. I have not yielded an inch of ground unnecessarily, but have retired to prevent the superior force of the enemy from cutting me off and to take a different base of operations.
``I thank you for the re-enforcements. Every 1,000 men you send at once will help me much.'' (OR, I, XI, III, 287-88).
[2]