C. A. Dana to Epwin M. Stanton, July 6, 1864

Ricketts’ division, of the Sixth Corps, with a force of dismounted cavalry, from 8,000 to 10,000 men in all, embark this morning for Baltimore. Nothing new along the lines yesterday. Burnside reports that the gallery of his mine had advanced 290 feet yesterday morning. He intends to divide the gallery into five branches, and to put a ton of powder in each. Some prominent officers say that the enemy is aware of the mine, and has constructed a new line within that he means to blow up. Meade told me yesterday that he was at last convinced that Early and his troops had gone down the Valley. Ewell, as you are aware, is disabled, and commands in Richmond. The Richmond Examiner of yesterday urges that no prisoners should be taken from raiding parties. Richmond is suffering for want of vegetables, butter, and milk, all owing to the drought. 10 a. m.—After another examination of the angle in the rebel lines in front of Warren, General Barnard yesterday telegraphed* his former recommendation that it should be assaulted. He had satisfied himself that the necessary position for artillery could not be obtained. C. A. DANA, Hon. E. M. Sranron, Secretary of War. Ciry Port, V. A., July 6, 1864—1.30 p.m. Ricketts is not yet embarked, but will be started in two or three hours. His division numbers 4,500. General Meade thinks the dismounted cavalry will make as many more, but we have no precise report yet. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. City Point, V. A., July 7, 1864—8 a.m. (Received 6 p. m.) A change in the commander of the Army of the Potomac now seems probable. Grant has great confidence in Meade, and is much attached to him personally, but the almost universal dislike of Meade which prevails among officers of every rank who come in contact with him, and the difficulty of doing business with him felt by every one except Grant himself, so greatly impair his capacities for usefulness and render success under his command so doubtful that Grant seems to be coming to the conviction that he must be relieved. The facts in the matter have come very slowly to my knowledge, and it was not until yesterday that I became certain of some of the most important. I have long known Meade to be a man of the worst possible temper, especially toward his subordinates. I donot think he has a friend in the whole army. No man, no matter what his business or his service, approaches him without being insulted in one way or another, and his own staff officers do not dare to speak to him, unless first spoken to, for fear of either sneers or curses. The latter, however, I have never heard him indulge in very violently, but he is said to apply them often without occasion and without reason. At the same time—as far as I am able to ascertain—his generals have lost their confidence in him as a commander. His order for the last series of assaults upon Petersburg, in which he lost 10,000 men without gaining any decisive advantage, was to the effect that he had found it impracticable to secure the co-operation of corps commanders, and therefore each one was to attack on his own account and do the best he could by himself. Consequently each gained some advantage of position, but each exhausted his own strength in so doing, while for the want of a general purpose and a general commander to direct and concentrate the whole, it all amounted to nothing but heavy loss to *So in copy on file, but it should probably read—withdrew his former recommendation, &c., or, telegraphed withdrawal of his former, &c. ourselves. Of course there are matters about which I cannot make inquiries, but what I have above reported is the general sense of what seems to be the opinion of fair-minded and zealous officers. For instance, I know that General Wright has said to a confidential friend that all of Meade’s attacks have been made without brains and without generalship. The subject came to pretty full discussion at Grant’s headquarters last night on occasion of a correspondence between Meade and Wilson. The Richmond Examiner charges Wilson with stealing not only negroes and horses, but silver plate and clothing on his raid, and Meade, taking the statement of the Examiner for truth, reads Wilson a lecture and calls on him for explanations. Wilson denies the charges of robbing women and churches, and hopes Meade will not be ready to condemn his command because its operations have excited the ire of the public enemy. This started the conversation in which Grant expressed himself quite frankly as to the general trouble with Meade and his fear that it would become necessary to relieve him. In such event he said it would be necessary to put Hancock in command. City PoInt, V. A., July 7, 1864—8.30 a.m. Nothing of importance since yesterday morning. The firing on Smith’s and Burnside’s lines was pretty constant during the day and night, and is active this morning. Drought continues. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. City Point, V. A., July 7, 1864—9 a. m. (Received 8.30 p. m.) An intelligent refugee, who came into our lines by way of Reams’ Station, reports that the rebels are at work repairing the Weldon railroad. They have a large wagon train running from the break on the south toward Richmond by way of Dinwiddie Court-House. The same refugee says that as soon as Atlanta is taken Alabama will quit the Confederacy.

. C. A. DANA.