Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-12-31
Abstract of the Deposition of Burn
aide

er, woodbury., Haupt, Halleck ana Ne1gs
The Committee report the testimony with
out comment.
ABSTRACT OF GEN. BURUsiDEs DISPOSITION
Gen. Burnside said, when after the bat
tie of Antetam Mcclellan decided to
cross the Potomac, said, that in my
opinion, he would never be able to take
the army on that route beyond the Rap
pahannock, unless he succeeded in fight
ing the enemy at some place on this
side That if he proposed to go to Rich
mond by land he would have to 90 to
Fredericksburg. and in that he partially
agreed with me-
On the 9th of November, after this con-
versation, Mcclellan gave an order to
Capt Drum, Chief Of Engineers, to have
all the pontoon bridges at Berlin and in
that neighborhood, that could be spared,
taken up and sent down to Washington,
with a view of getting them down to this
town isscase he decided to go by way Of
fredericksburg.
The letter conveying that order was
written on the 9th of November, but, as |
understand. was not received until the
18th of November
Gen. Burnside speaks of the surprise
with which he received the Presidents
order to take command of the army of the
Pc;on ac, and that he had repeatedly ex-
pressed the opinion that he (Burnside)
was not competent to command so large
an army, and that Mcclellan was the fit
est person.
He then says: Hallcck came to see
me Nov. 4th. On the 9th made out a
plan of operations in accordance with
Halleck's order, and sent it to Washing
ton.
Gen Burnside then gives a detailed &C
count of this plan, and speaks of the dis
astrious delay in receiving pontoons, and
saws: On the 18th he started q column
to Fredericksburg, not knowing of the
delay. The pontoons did not, however,
start till the 10th, and that day it com
menced raining, which delayed them so
much and the roads became so bad that
when they got to Dumfres, they hsated
the pontoons off the wagons, sent to Wash
ington for steamer and carried them
to Aqua Creek, sending the wagons ar
ound by land. The pontoons did not get
there until the 22d or 23d of November
After the first delay in delaying the
pontoons, | think they were sent as quick
ly as they could have been, and the sup
plies and quartermaster stores have al
ways been In as great abundance as we
have expected, for after the 10Th of Nov
ember the weather and roads were par
ticularly bad
After reaching Fredicksburg, saw at
once there was no crossing the Rappah-
annock with the army at that time
Q-Since you have assumed command
of the Army of the Potomac, have all
its movements Deen made according to
your own Judgment? or have some of
them been directed by the Generalin
Chief, the Secretary of War, or the Pres
ident of the United States?
A-THey hare all been made in occor-
dance Nth my o,cR Judgment In some
cases have submitted my views, which
have been approved.
Q-Who did you understand was res
ponsibIe for the forwarding of the pom
toons to Falmouth
Al understand that Gen. Halleok was
to give the necessary orders, aud then
the officers who should receive the orders
were only responsible for the pontoons
coming here.
could have carried out that part of
the plan through officers of my own, but
having just taken command Of an army
with which | was but slightly acquaint-
ed, it was evident that it was as much as
| could attend to, with the assistance of
all my officers, to change its position from
Warrenton to Fredericksbar and felt
indeed | expected that all the parts of
the plan which were to be executed in
Washington would be attended to by the
officers at that place under the direction
OF the different departments to which those
parts of my plan appertained.
Odd you not understand that YOU
were to be responsible for seeing that
these orders were to be carried out?
Al did not; | never imagined for
moment that | had to carry out anything
that was required to be done at Wash
ington; Gen. Meigs told me distinctly
several days ago, in Washington, that be
never saw my plan of operations until |
showed it to them on that day.
Q.-Do | understand you to say in your
statement that you expected Gen. Frank
lin to carry the point at the extreme left
of the ridge in the rear of the town, and
thereby enable our troops to storm and
carry tue Qualifications
Al did expect him to carry that
point, which berg done, would have plac
cd our forces in the rear Of then extreme
LEFT, and which 1 thought at the tins
would shake their forces in the ridge 10
Suci an extent that the position IN front
could be easily stormed and carried
Q-To what 10 you attribute the failure
to accomplish that?
A.-To the great strength of the D stion
and the accumulation of the enemvs
forces there | expected that the bridges |
would be built in two or three hours |
after they were unloaded, which was
about daylight. Instead of that those Oh |
the right were not built until three o clock /
in the afternoon, and | had only the
means of getting across one division over |
the bridge on the right.
General Franklin bridges were built |
about noon, and were held by our troops |
on the opposite bank. This gave the |
enemy time to accumulate their forces, |
which We're stretched along the river /
from Port Royal up to the battle field, |
before | was able to order the attack. |
There had been a great deal of divis- |
ION of opinion among the corps comman- |
ders as to the place of crossing. but af |
ter al the discussion upon the subject, |
the decision to cross over here was we'll /
received and understood by all of them |
Wv hat was the conduct of officers |
ana men duriDU tho attach