Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-12-30
sOF Frs fDERTCRSBUR D URG
REPORT or THE COMMITTEE.
ARMY OF THE p0TOMA

hep"f ~ Hc commute 0H lie COHHtCE ~ Lht
IFar, rsiatireto to The recent battle at Freder.
ich;sb"rg.
W.snlsGroN. Dec. 23.-Thc j>int Comulit.
Lac on tie conduct Of the War, reported. ir
answer t, tho Senate resn!uiin Of the ISL
instant; ra!liig on That Committee to inquire
nio the !ac's a'ing tn The recent battle ut
Fredericksburg. Va, aud particularly rs to
~hat officer or Gicers are responsible for the
assault, That they had proceede, 20 the Head.
quarters Of The Army OF the Potomac, and
taken the dcpositions Of Najor Generals Burn.
side, Sumner, Franklin, "ad Hooker, and
Brigadirr Generals Woodbury. AMI Haupt
.tnd Oh their rel'un to Washington, those OF
Attjor General halleck and Btigadier General
sNclgs.
{, hlj2the facts relating TO The movements OF
stsT. army under General Burnside, the for
r,i'ng .: ;,- ,,.:nv M, .:i.s, snr: the I,.-
3, I'll baltic :. Frcic,icksho,s,arc 81 fnllg au!l
:.'s'.' q stst'a' in rho tlccnsiriona herewith sub
mitled That the cnm",ttrr report thu loatno-
ny without comment.
MIor General Burnside, sworn.
=: b. the Uhairman:
Qucs.icl,--Y"u have seen the resolution OF
i.lc Senate. under which this Conmittce is
now actiDg--will you now 90 on and in your
own way, without questioning, give such nc.
GGnnt nl the matters cmnrac-d in that rcsoln-
t;GI as y0u may consider necessary and
p-npcri
n AnSwer--In order tia. TIC whole matter
E,EY he entirely Understood it may he we'll t.
20 back little.
Qaestion-Vcry well. Make your state
u;ent in your own way.
Ancwer-Whr', after TIE battle Of Antic-
tam, General Mcclellan drc;,lrd To cross t! c
prtnnac. ! said 10 hiIn that. in lny opinion,
be would never la 2hlc to take this Il. my on
BAT rnnie beyond the Rappahannpck, un!css
li' succeeded IN iigaIing The enemy at Solnc
pace on this side. Thnt if he proposed to 20
t. kIcnmnnd by lani. he would have tn go hv
way ni fredericksburg; arl in THAI he pnr
t'ai:F agreed ~lllI luc. After Wc had started,
-. lind another conversation on That subject.
ant several ether officers were present.
On TN 9th OF N0vemb"r, after this converse.
ii ia. General M:Cl"lqn gave ~ Vi der 10 Capt.
D.nm, his E:':ef E!rcir.er. tu have all his
pnntnon bridges NJ ria and III ti!at nrig:I-
hnriOnd. that could nc spared, taken M an!
sem down; III Wa. .lnngi"u, with 4 ricY nf
.,rttir = them down in this point in time. iu
care nc dcGihcrl " ~ by way Of FrcJcrickS-
burg.
The Letter cInynyiug thaL order was writ
ten nIl the 9Th Of November, bat, ~ undrr-
stand, was not received until the l2:h oi No.
ys,uhcr.
On li. ~ NJ 6th of Narrlnbnr, Iccciyed
~, o,d = from the Prcsid .nt OF the United
.St:,lu&, directing nr to take cvnm::7d uf this
A .,ay of ;Dc i'n,rmnc, and also cupT Of the
1fur: 'ciiuy"s General Mcclellan FROM. that
Gnmrand. This o:,ler was conveyed to me bg
ticp raj Is ckmshnm. who was attached u
tbs War Department..
alter getting over my surpr'ac-the shock
y T"lI ,Ion. buckingham that 1t pas rna,-
IcT :',at required "rry .cr'"ua thought. Tim.
dr. not want in3 cominsnd, That i htil
bras rF"rr'i IN u,c ice b, ire, and did nnt
ircl h.l could tnkr il. cnmD~a'l-d with
Two T., my s;uii cticcrs III regard tr It, for. |
c5!1,:;..l !:-is. ~, h...5 az. ~. They ur. t''i
upon mc that had no ris h!. ns Il suliirr to
d,snh,y ll,r order, aal that had already tx
pressed t" thr government my unwil'ngnt>
10 take tnr cor.lInsnI. told them Whist my
views wrrc win reference 10 nay ability t. rx-
er.i,c inch command, ghch views were thoss
had alrc"iy unrr',:trr,liy express ed that !
wu, l.ur crinIi:.;t.nt In command Smcn lar"r
ar,nv ~ tins. | had sad tho same thing over
and ever again Ia the President and Secretary
Of VA; aud a,sj that Il Inat;;rs could be-
Satis:a .:urily arranged with zen. Mcclellan. |
Thought hn could command the Army Of the
PotnU,nG better rlIam any other General in it,
hn; they had studied the subject more than |
hmi. and knrw more about their obligations
/" Gen. M"rlaian than did. There had
been some conversation with regard TO the re-
irnval Of Gen. MrClallan whru he Gss bring
ing hi; army from before Richmond.
rhc lirSt Of these conversations with the
President and Secretary nf War occurred at
that time and then after General Mcclellan
h ,d got hack tT Wellington, anl before the
ru,u,n-nccu,rnt "f the Maryland campaign
tir.rr WIS smother conversation of Lie SaInu
lid mr; on bath Of tnr'c occasions, | ex-
pressed L., tn" President the opinion that |
,,"i not ,i.i"k tl.:lc WAS any one who could
80 IS nIch with that army as General Nc
C.riian could. If matters cnuld be so arran ,cd
as 10 rsl,pye lh"i "hiHcrNns to him.
4 ter had crnvcrIrd with M staff otli-
GELS | ucnt 10 see tirncral MrCIrilan himself
smd lie ;l.lrcd with them. that This WAS an
oEdrr which |, as asodicr, had to obey. llr
sad that Inc could not rc!aIn the command
c:r he, aS IL soldier would have to obey the
ar,l..r directing him to g!7c up that com.
mala.
l,. he midst IF violent snow storm, with
.ha army IN position that knew little Of
4 lai previously commanded bat one corps
ur'pI the cXtre!Ic right: and had been upon
;ha extreme right and in the advance since
TINT campaign had beenu,) probably knew
les; than ary other ccrps commander ol the
position and rc!ntive strength IF The several
ca; y nf tina army.
en- Mcclellan re-" aimed some two or three
day. tu arrange his affairs and came with me
as iar rs WarlnHtOn and then left, having
civG; me- ali The information he could in re-
ference ~ the army.
Gen. l!al!cck came down to sec me on the
lIlh of Novc;ns,nr On tn. 9th made out a
plan Of operations in accordance with the Or
der of. Gen. lIaI!cck, which directed me not
only to take a"m.uand, but also 10 state what
proposed to dc with 1t; That plan wrote
On the mer nrg of the OH Of November, and
sent ii ry special messenger to Washington.
can Furnish tic Committee a copy Of The
plsn ;f they desire it. do not have it here
now.
Qucr'i n-S!a,e The substance CT it, if you
pleas"
Answer state in substance, That
;ho,a.iit !: advisable tn roncrntratn the
army in the nriShrnrhnUd Of Warrcnton to
make snail movement across the Kappa
hammock aS Cclnt. with view To rlivert the
attention OF the cncInF, and icad them To be-
iicyr We wcrc go H.; umnve in the direction
pf Gnrdonsviiic, and tirn to make a rapid
movement Of the whole army 10 Frcdcrcks-
burg OH .!:i5 side Ct the i;appeIrlnnock. As
nv reasons for that, stated thnt the further
We got inrn the interior Of Virginia, the
longer ,ecud his cur line Of communications,
aud the srtatsr you'd b" the difficulty We
world have III keeping them open. rs the cnc-
ny h ID upon our right lsnS corps that at
,lmnsi nnv ti;rc cGllil bv a rapid movement,