It’s well known that after Abraham Lincoln died, angry letters he never sent were found in his desk drawer.
The most famous one he wrote was to General George Meade after the Battle of Gettysburg, chastising him for not chasing after Lee’s army allowing what was left of it, escape to Virginia.
But if you look at the whole board, you see why Meade stayed put.
55,000 bodies from both sides, needed to be buried; 5000 dead horses dealt with. What was left of the Union Army, many besides exhaustion, were felled with the Old Soldier’s Disease, a snappy name for diarrhea according to author Michael Shaara in his historical novel, The Killer Angels, from eating too many raw cherries.
Toss in July 1863 was one of the hottest ever, and I’ll personally rest Meade’s case.
One good thing about writing longhand back then was you had the space to pause, a chance to change your perspective once your anger simmered down.
I know many times in the heat of the moment was later sorry for something I said or sent.
There’s an acronym in 12 Step called THINK, asking yourself before speaking or sending…
is it THOUGHTFUL, HELPFUL, INSPIRING, NECESSARY and KIND?
Nine out of ten times you realize the delete button is more apt.
So the question still remains.
Would one of the most esteemed men in history, if having access to email, have sent Meade that explosive letter now along with his other papers in the Library of Congress?
I love Abe, he’s right up there with Audrey, dogs and pie, but be that as it may, he was human like the rest of us, so I’m saying yes, without a doubt, would have ripped Meade a brand new one.
But I’ll also say, being the sensitive soul that he was, deeply sorry afterwards.
SB
The Killer Angels…Michael Shaara (1974)