Annotation
[1] ALS, IHi. Major General George G. Meade's General Orders No. 68, July 4, 1863, after thanking his army for defeating ``an enemy, superior in numbers, and flushed with the pride of a successful invasion,'' continued as follows: ``Our task is not yet accomplished, and the commanding general looks to the army for greater efforts to drive from our soil every vestige of the presence of the invader. . . .'' General Alfred Pleasonton telegraphed General William H. French at 11 A.M. on July 6, ``Major-General Meade desires me to say, in consequence of a large body of the enemy being concentrated on the road toward Hagerstown, beyond Fairfield, he has suspended his operations for the present. Indications go to show that he intends evacuating the Cumberland Valley, but it is not yet positively ascertained. Until so ascertained, the general does not feel justified in leaving here and moving down toward you.''
``[The enemy is very much crippled. The general is under no apprehension of their attacking you, provided your cavalry keep a good lookout, and are kept well out to your front and flanks.]'' (OR, I, XXVII, III, 559). The brackets are in the source, and a footnote explains: ``The clause in brackets does not appear in the telegram as received 4 p.m. at the War Department.'' Had Lincoln seen the omitted paragraph, he would probably have been even more displeased at Meade's obvious intent to let Lee withdraw.