The angry letters Lincoln never sent

In July 1863, after the Union victory at Gettysburg, General George Meade let Robert E. Lee’s beaten army escape across the Potomac River. Lincoln believed the war could have ended there.

He sat down and wrote Meade a letter. “I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee’s escape,” it said. The chance had been lost, Lincoln wrote, and the war would now be prolonged indefinitely.

Then he folded it and wrote on the envelope: “To Gen. Meade, never sent, or signed.” It was found among his papers after his death. Historians call these his “hot letters”, and there were others.

Writing let Lincoln feel his anger fully and say everything he wanted. Not sending it let him keep a general he still needed. It is one of the simplest habits a leader can copy: say it on paper first, then decide whether it needs to be said at all.