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These twenty-two letters were written by James Cornell Biddle (1835-1898) to his wife, scattered dates May 23, 1863 through September 11, 1864. All letters have transcriptions. James Cornell Biddle was a Civil war Union Army Officer. He was soon tabbed to serve on the staff of Major General George Gordon Meade, performing that duty from May 1863 through the July 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, and through the end of the war. On November 5, 1863 he was discharged from the 27th Pennsylvania, and was promoted to Major and Aide-De-Camp, US Volunteers. He was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel, US Volunteers on August 1, 1864, for "faithful and meritorious services in the field" and Colonel, US Volunteers on April 9, 1865 for "gallant and meritorious services during the recent operations resulting the fall of Richmond and the surrender of the insurgent army under General R.E. Lee". He was once taken prisoner by the Confederates. These are exceptional detailed content - the best of the Biddle Letters. We will show brief excerpts:(Headquarters, 5th Corps, Stoneman's Station, Va., May 23, 1863), to his wife, 4 pp, in part: "...There are no signs of an intended movement...The Richmond papers of yesterday announce the falling back of Pemberton after a fight of nine hours duration, this coming from the Rebels is very good news. It is later than anything we could have possibly have received and eases our mind with regard to the retreat of our forces from Jackson, Mississippi. They may have left there & gone in the direction of Vicksburg which probably was the case, It is a very severe blow to the Southern Confederacy and it will tell with wonderful effect upon the end of this rebellion. If we had only been successful here as we should have been, all would have been right and I think the rebellion would have ended. It was reported that Lee was reinforced, but that has been proven to be incorrect. Longstreet got far as Hanover Junction and after our retreat was ordered back by Lee. We ought to have gained a great victory and we failed for the want of a General. This feeling is universal in the Army. Meade stands in the opinion of those capable of judging at the head of all the Generals in our Army. I have a very high opinion of him. He is as superior to Hooker as anything can be. But he has no political influence and therefore stands no chance. He is active, energetic and a thorough soldier. Birney, Sickles and men of that class are the men who go up the scale because they are politicians. Sickles was made a hero of the late fight and at first I thought he deserved credit for what he had done, but I have since changed my mind. You recollect my writing and at the time thinking we were firing into the Rebel train, preceding the retreat of the Rebels. This was the report and although I thought it singular he should retreat taking their wagons in range of our guns, I was assured it was so and came to the conclusion it was necessity which compelled them. At this time Sickles was ordered out to capture this wagon train and not knowing where he was going or what he had to encounter, found out he was cut off between Lee and Jackson from the rest of our Army and was obliged to fight to get back within our lines. This train being Jackson's ordnance train going round to our right for Jackson's benefit. Such is war and Sickles is really spoken of as Commander in Chief. Alas! Alas! Cannot we get men of moral character in high places? There are a great many stories of goings on at Sickles' Head Quarters. Hooker, Sickles, Mrs. Farnham, Mrs. Salm Salm. Mrs. Farnham is the wife of a Col. Farnham who was Captain of the Slaver Wanderer who you recollect was captured and taken to Savannah...." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, July 31, 1863) to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...It is almost impossible for me to write. There are at least a dozen persons talking in and around my tent. It is never empty. It is the first tent and there is almost always some person here. Genl. Meade said last night in answer to the question as to whether the reported demoralization in the Rebel Army was true or not that we now had almost every day deserters from states from which we never had deserters before. For instance, Mississippians came in and gave themselves up saying they understood their states were overrun by Yankees, and that it was no use to fight any longer. I only wish they would all act in the same way...." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Culpepper, Sept. 26, 1863), to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...Bragg from his own dispatches lost very heavily in officers & men and all they have gained so amounts to very little. If they are defeated it will have a very depressing effect upon the rebellion...I am sorry Hooker has been placed in command...He is a man of such notoriously bad character, and I think after Chancellorsville is is very strange giving him a separate command. I trust before very long we may see some signs of peace...The President I believe spoke to Genl. Meade...when he was in Washington. Genl. Meade told him he had himself received a sword a short time ago and it would not look well for him to issue an order prohibiting the presenting of one to Gen. McClellan...Moseby this morning early made a raid on the bridge at Bull Run & burnt it. It was rebuilt in a few hours..." A second letter from the same location, Sept. 27, in part: "...I believe Pickett's Division of Longstreet's Corps composed of Virginians refused to go to Tennessee, and the Rebel Government were obliged to send troops on the Peninsula, Wise's Brigade and others in their place. They sent the poorest portion of Lee's Army to Tennessee, and I do not believe Bragg's reinforcements from here amounted to more than 10 to 15,000 men..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Culpepper, Oct. 3, 1863), to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...Sherman's Corps with the 11th and 12th of this Army ought to be able to smash Bragg & if they are successful, it will be a severe blow to the rebellion, one they cannot recover from...I should think they must see their cause is hopeless, but Davis and his followers have risked their all and they will hold on till the last..". (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Culpepper, Oct. 7, 1863), to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...I read Lee's report of the battle of Gettysburg. He tries to detract from the doings of our Cavalry. They whipped the Rebel Cavalry whenever they met them, but when they drove them back to their Infantry, of course they had to fall back. He says nothing of the fight at Falling Waters and tries to make out Genl. Pettigrew was killed by a small body of our Cavalry, who succeeded in getting through their pickets without being discovered and that the two guns we captured were stuck in the mud, and owing to the horses being so worn out, could not pull them off..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Culpepper, Oct. 8, 1863), to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...The attack on Murfreesboro appears to only to have been a Cavalry raid, and the Rebels from the accounts today have been driven off. If Rosecrans can whip Bragg, it will be a great thing for us and help to bring this war to a speedy end..." Overwritten second section of same date and time, in part: "...My own servant is a mulatto. He might at anytime pass for a white man. I could at first hardly credit his being a Negro..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Auburn, Oct. 18, Centreville,1863), to his wife, 1 pp., in part: "...It is a Sunday and is as quiet as can be. I hear nothing of the movements of the enemy. I do not believe they will attempt to attack us here, and from all I have seen, I see nothing to indicate that they have been in front of us in force. Hill's Corps or at least a portion of it followed us, but I have heard nothing of his whereabouts of Ewell's or any other troops. Genl. Sickles was here yesterday. I do not know what he was after, but he returned again to Washington. He is not in fit condition to be in the field. It was with great difficulty he could move about. It would be the best thing for us in the world if Lee would attack us here, but I am afraid there is very little chance of it, and before long I expect we will be after him...I am looking with great anxiety to events as they are passing in Tennessee. I should think before very long a great battle will be fought there and one that will tend to bring the rebellion to an end. The elections are as important as a victory in the field, and it shows the South they have nothing to hope for in holding out longer. That there is nothing but ruin staring them in the face the longer they hold out...It will be soon impossible for either Army to do anything, and I then look forward to a long leave of absence..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Auburn, Oct. 29, 1863), to his wife, 1 pp., in part: "...The news from Charleston seems to indicate there is something about to be done there, but I am at a loss to know what it is. I would not be at all surprised if they were making preparations to attack Wilmington, N.C. The Rebels have been running the blockades very extensively there and I should think we would do something to put a stop to it. Charleston is pretty effectually blockaded by our holding Morris Island, and if we only secure Wilmington, it will be difficult for them to get any assistance from abroad during the coming winter...Capt. Sebad of Genl. French's staff was gobbled up a few days ago. He rode into their lines at Bealeton Station not knowing that Genl. Buford had fallen back from there. I believe the Rebels have declared as exchanged 15,000 prisoners in excess of those we have on our side who have been taken and paroled... (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Nov. 4, 1863, Col. Murray's) to his wife, 3 pp., in part: "... The Guerrilla parties are very troublesome, and it seems to me some means should be invented to break them up. They surrounded Genl. Merritt returning to his Head Quarters from Genl. Buford's yesterday, and demanded him to surrender. He put spurs to his horse and escaped amidst a shower of bullets. We now have very little to do as the telegraph runs to all the Corps Head Quarters, and when we do go out, take a sufficient escort. They never attack an officer unless he is by himself and unprotected...The Rebels have destroyed the railroad from Acquia Creek to Fredericksburg so thoroughly that it will take a month to repair it. This they did last Tuesday. Do not say anything about this unless it is in the papers...if Genl Meade does not do anything before Christmas, he will have the papers abusing him up and down, but I do not think he minds that in the least. I know for myself, I look upon their opinions with the greatest disgust..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, near Brandy Station, Dec. 10, 1863) to his wife, 3 pp., in part: "...I see by the Tribune they are circulating a pamphlet among the Senators containing charges against Genl. Humphreys to prevent his appointment from being confirmed. All I know is Col. Fricke the author of the charges was dismissed [from] the service on charges preferred by Genl. Humphreys and that a more gallant soldier than Genl. Humphreys as proven on the battle field does not exist. He is also a man of great military ability. The papers are bound to have Genl. Pleasanton as the next commander of this Army. It is very amusing to those who know him. He is the last man fit to command the Army and the mention of his name is absurd..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, near Brandy Station, Dec. 14, 1863) to his wife, 2 pp., in part: "...I wrote today to your Uncle Sully asking him to make inquiries about my servant, but I do not suppose he can find out anything about him. I presume he has been sold into bondage, and the Rebels will not be likely in that case to give him any satisfaction..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Feb. 18, 1864) to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...The Chronicle mentions deserters coming in from Longstreet's Army at the rate of six a day...The Officers who have escaped from the Libby Prison ought to have some interesting news to divulge as to the condition of affairs in rebeldom...The papers state they had a plan previously arranged by which to escape, which was divulged by one of their number. Some Union people living in Richmond were to furnish them with arms, and they were to fight their way out, but now some of the Union people were in jail in Richmond in consequence and would probably be hung for the offense...I asked your Uncle Sully if he had heard anything in answer to the communication I sent him about my servant...I have no doubt they have sold him into slavery..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, Cool Arbor, June 11, 1864) to his wife, 4 pp., in part: "...I see the Baltimore Convention have nominated Lincoln & Johnson for President & Vice President. I would rather someone else had been chosen. I do not think either of them possess the qualifications that the Chief Magistrates of our country should be possessed with, but still it is of no use of expressing an opinion...I am sorry they did not take up Grant...I think if I had managed the campaign, we would have been in Richmond now...If we had sent 60,000 men to City Point as a base, we would have had Richmond by this time and a great loss of life have been saved thereby..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, July 8, 1864) to his wife, 3 pp., in part: "...I am very glad that the Alabama at last has been destroyed. I am sorry Semmes got off. It is an intricate question to decide as to whether we can now claim him as a prisoner of war. It seems to me that Kearsage ought to have taken Semmes and the party with him off the Deerhound before they were allowed to land. Semmes had surrendered and a neutral ship has no business to shield him...(Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, July 25, 1864) to his wife, 2 pp., in part: "...It is reported that Genl. Butler is to be made Sec'y of War. I do not know whether there is any truth in it...I am very sorry to hear the death of Genl. McPherson. He is a severe loss to the country. He was only 30 years of age & had a bright future before him..." (Head Quarters Army of the Potomac, near Petersburg, Augt. 3, 1864) to his wife, 3 pp., in part: "...The Rebels are supposed to be trying their hands at mining and some think they intend attacking us..Some of the prisoners we took the day the mine exploded told they were expecting to attack us. We are very strong for defense, and for my part, I do not believe the Rebels have any idea of attacking us...Genl. Meade is very much put out at Burnside, blaming him in part for the failure of the last assault...
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