, 1862-12-27
DIR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Issue between the Sennte and the
Cabfnet-The Fontoon Bridge Ques.
ti0n-Gsen. Hooker at Ffe8eFleka.
1uent of 7he SOUTH :

Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribune,1
WAsHNGroN, December %, 1862.
TIE ISSUE BETWEEN TIE SENATE AND THE !
CABINET |
Tie issue between the Cabinet and the DONE !
Inant party In the Senate is fairly made IN. /
Great anxiety is felt Us to the result. All the |
wires st The command Of Mr.. Seward, be is I
actively pulling, and his influence over the |
President, as well as his associates, he Is s.
Iently but ski1lfuily e1erting. It turns ont
that not a single member of the Cabinet is bold
enough to say, when brought faceto face with
the question now presented, what mort than
one has teen in the habit Of insinuating pri-
7ately, to Stewards disparagement. In effect,
al acknowledge the little wizards power, and
perceive that his fill involves theirs.
The Senate has thus fir met the crisis
brayely. But has it the nerve to continue the
contest to the victorious termination, which
it is undoubtedly within its power to achieve?
Has it the courage, If necessary to success in
the movement initiated in caucus, to state in
public the reasons which Influenced its action
there, and to pass, in open session, resolu-
ton Of want Of eonfdenees The men to
whose unselhsh and courageous patriotism
tle people owe this attempt to save the Ad-
ninistration, the Republican party and the
Union; the mover and the hearty supporters
Of the original resolution will not be wanting
to themselves in the edgency, but will their
following openly stand by their secret actIons
THE PoHTooS BRIDGE QUESTION.
There has been and is much criticism Of
Gems. Ha1leck and Meigs for their remissness
in The matter Of the pontoon bridges, which,
| it is said, they promised to deliver at Fa1-
] mouth in season to enable Gen. Burnside Is
army to cross Immediately upon it's arrival
That one or both Of them, or the subordinates
Ut one or both Of them were to blame for the
delay, cannot but be believed in the absence
Of satisfactory explanation But one cannot
but suspect that the attack upon them is
pushed So vigorously with view to the pro-
tcction Of others from blame. Look a mo-
mint at the facts:
When Gen. Summers advance reached Fal.
month, the Kappahannock was, as there is
abundance of coEtemporaneous testimony to
prove, fordable at that point, for cavalry and
i.,fa1atry, being not more than three feet deep
tue town Of fredericksburg was held By a sin
| gle rebel regiment, and the nights beyond
, | now bristling With cannon and bayonets, Wert
not held at al. What was to prevent the in
f,nt1y from taking possession Of the city ant
kills, from throwing up earthworks on tht
: latter ard constructing abattis, while the cav
airy ga1lorcd down the road along whicf
5 ,1sIaS # nd, !alfs his noye1nenty > aBut III,
riyer was 1iut foriuble for artiIlery,' is til.
+ nnrsfinn which the 1ontoon bridge fanatic
aiWays saw at this J,o;nt, Granted: bnt i
it impossible TO iull:rovise bridge: vii
3 none h,,f Fes1 P,,int appliarcrs sgrTea Ther
was plenty Of timber. Tie houses Of Fal
' ,nn,,th ard fredericksburg ,.cre y;itine I,
he torn down. Would Gen. Grant iav
. | stonnr7 for ,,ortoous
a,,.. ..aa--z.., ~, ,,,-,,>rz,,cz,e,,-1c
0hS' hooa1f3 a. r4..D.iA,en n8esa
e Among the things Which need explanation,
= the course pursued toward Ten HOOKER
his superior. Strange TO say, on Inc day G
the battle, when an attack was making Shlc
d he, OF all generals, was best fuallneu 70 cor
duct, he was lett praetlcaIty WITHOUT = CON
maa, EI a1 na,.1t ~ nr5ers M In -" cnrc
| W ~ usooesns tatsS ~ t;set H., Fo,,1t,,r5s- ~
ta,nrt focrnss t1,e riy,.r and stprm the 11ishts
Ii hnt Wbe,, conyinced that the 1ylan would b
n n,1t il, execution. he begged The pri,
d ilcge Of leading the column Of assault
in Tcrsnn. II an the only man. be suii
If Il II I am not kilIcd.S But Burnside. il
d stirred II n,ust be believed. less by his ow
! nnhil;tv Of nature than bv Gems. Sumner an
: TTanl;iin- 1sho are known to be Jealous {
Z Hool,rr 1,nt only refused his offer. but fl
/ 11adc him as well as the other co1nulanders
Grand divisions. from crossing thc river At al
g 1stcns5l}y On thc pro11n6 thai If he. hinse}
s3,ou1i1 hc Killed. fiIi command in chief yTouj
ilcrrIye mon one of them Consideriner IN
It Cen Rnrnsifc was in m ianrcr Of 11eai
r While Ic remained an the northern side
| In river. that: INIT one of fhe three Tould
ca1lcd ,1non to nccomr his Immediate s1,cce