The Portland daily press., 1862-12-25
The Portland Daily Press has the largest
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the city.
Report on the Conduct of the War.

The Joint Committee on the conduct of the
war, having taken the depositions of Generals
Burnside, Sumner, Franklin, Hooker, Wood
bury, Haupt, Halleck, and Meigs, report the
evidence without comment. Gen. Burnside
made long statement, and was in no way
contradcted by his brother officers. He COM
mences with his appointment to the chief com
mand-a position which he did not seek, and
for which he did not feel competent, and then
details all the steps taken up to the retreat
from Fredericksburg. The whole plan of the
campaign was his, approved by Gen. Halleck.
He says:
Gen. Halleck came down to see me on the
11th of November On the 9th wrote out a
plan of operations, in accordance with the or
der of Gen Halleck, which directed me not
only to take command, but also TO state what
proposed to do with it, That plan | wrote
on the morning of the 9th of November, and
sent 1t by special messenger to Washington
can furnish the Committee with a copy of
that plan If they desire it. do not have it
here now.
He proposed the Fredericksburg route, in
preference to the Gordonsville, for reasons
which he gives, and says:
ed that barges, filed with provisions and for
age, should be foated to Aqua creek, where
they could be easily landed, that materials be
collected for the reconstruction of wharves
there, and that all the wagons in Washington
that could be spared, should be filled with
hard bread and small commissary stores, and,
with large number of beef CATTLE started
down to Fredericksburg ON the road by way
of Dumfries, and that this wagon train and
herd of cattle should be preceded by pom
toon train large enough to span the Kappa
hanock twice. | stated that this wagon train
could move in perfect safety, because it would
be all the time between our army and the Po-
tomac; or, in othc words, our army would be
all the time between the enemy and that train,
but at the same time | said that if a cavalry
escort could be furnished from Washington,
would send some of my cavalry to guard the.
train.
On the morning of the 14th of November,
feeling uneasy with reference to the pontoons,
as had heard of their starting, directed my
Chief Engineer to telegraph again with refer
ence to them.
Question. To whom did you telegraph?
Answer. telegraphed to Gen. Woodbury.
or to Major Spaulding. 1t subsequently, APP
peared that it was the first they ever had
heard of my wish to have the pontoon train
started down for Fredericksburg, although the
authorities id Washington had had my plan
sent to them OIL the 9th of November, and it
had also been discussed by Gen. Hacck aud
Gen. Meigs at my headquarters on the nights
of the l1th and 18th of November and after
discussing it fully there, they sat down and
sent kilograms to Washington, which, as sup
posed, fully covered the case, and would Sc
cure the starting Of the pontoon trains at
once. / supposed of course that those por-
tions Of the plan which required attending to
in Washington, would be carried out there at
once. i could have sent officers of my own
there to attend to these matters, and perhaps l
made mistake in not doing so, as Gen. Hal
leck afterwards told me that ought not to
have trusted TO them in Washington for the
details. In reply to the telegram had order
ed to be sent, Gen. Woodbury. teegraphed
back that the pontoons would start on Sunday
morning probably, and certainly on Monday,
which would have been on the 10th or 18th of
November and would have been in time
They did not, however, start until the 10Th,
and on that day II commenced raining, which
uof.Jvs -i-~su 80 ~-a-
so bad that, when they got to Dumiries, they
foated the pontoons off the wagons, sent to
Washington for steamer, and carried them
down TO Aqua creek by water, sending the
wagons around by land. The pontoons did
not get here until the 22d or 23d of Novem-
Der. On the 18th of November started the
column down the road to Fredericksburg, not
knowing anything about the delay in the start
ing OF the pontoons, because the telegram an
nouncing the delay did not reach Warrenton
junction until had letto come down here
with the troops, and that telegram did not
reach me until arrived here on the morning
Of the 10Th, when it was brought me by an or
dcrly, who hnd brought it down from War
renton junction.
Reaching Fredericksburg he found crossing
impracticable; it was raining and the ryier
was on the rise; Gen. Sumner proposed to
cross by the ford, but Burnside advised differ
emily; if he had then crossed, the crest of the
hill, easily defended, could have been taken
and occupied by our troops. He says:
After the first delay in starting the pontoons,
think they we're sent as quickly as they
could have been, and the supplies and Quarter
masters stores have always been in as great
abundance as we could have expected, for af-
ter the 10th of November the weather and the
roads were particularly bad Horses, mules.
DC, We're sent down to us, SO that our cavalry
and teams were in very good condition After
1t was ascertained there must be a deay and
the enemy concentrated in such force as to
make 1t very difficult to cross, except by a
number or bridges, we commenced bringing
up from Acquia creek all the pontoons we
could; after enough of them had been brought
up to build the bridges, / called several coun-
ellis OF war to decide about crossing the Rap
pahannock.
1t was first decided to cross down at Skin
ner's Neck, about twelve miles below here
but our demonstration was simply for drawing
down there as large force of the enemy as
possible. Ithen decided to cross here, because
in the first place, | felt satisfied that thew did
not expect us to cross here, but down below:
in the next place, l felt satisfied that this was
the place to fight the most decisive battle, be-
cause, If we could divide their forces by pier
cling their lines at one or two points. separat-
ing their left from their right, then vigorous
attack with the whole army would succeed in
breaking their army in pieces.
In order to gain possession of new road
cut by the rebels, he proposed making an at
tack on the extreme left, and did not intend
an attack upon their right till this position had
been gained, when he proposed to make di-
rect attack and drive them out OF their works.
he built three bridges and took his whole army
over. Two attacks were made, but both were
repulsed. Says Gen. B.:
That night / went all over the field on our
right; in fact was with the officers and men
until daylight. | found the feeling to be rath-
er against an attack; in fact, it was decidedly
against it.
returned to my headquarters, and after
conversation with Gen. Sumner, told him that
wanted him to order the 9th army corps,
which originally commanded, to form the
next morning a column of attack by regi-
ments, lit consisted of some eighteen old regi-