The New York herald., 1862-12-25


ter and the comlnissary departments The quarter
| ters department was very scaniKy supplied with
Ssasa dae o sss asanss % the rsy s say s
given me there was only possihe way OF suppl
The army with ponioon train in TIME. Had the e.
eency been made known to in any manner could II
disregarded the forms OF service seized teams teast
aud wagon mashers for instant service whenever ee
| lnd them. Then, with good roads and good weat
/ they might possibly have been IN time; but had
warrant for such course, which, after all, could q
! Chief, had conversation with General Meiss on
10TH IN which much was said about the work TO be
at Aqua creek; not word, SO far as can remerf.s
about the laad poncon trains, the department OF vii
General Megs is chief, cannot be justly blamed in II
matter My requisons for horses were answered i
medatey. lgr&t @fs4s An
TESTIMONY OF GENERAL HAL LICK.
Major General II. w. Hsneck was duly sworn and o
mined Ns
Queston-By the Chairman.-By resolution Of the 81
nate instructed to inquire II the assault
Fredericksburg and the for the delay in attack
the cnemy's works. There seems 10 be misunderstood
ing % TO whose duty to furnish the pcn,oon boa
appeared TO be material tina! they should have be
there at the same time the army got there. The arm
got there first, and the pontoons did not get there
some time afterwards, through mistake delay TbSa
is matter OF inquiry. state in your way, auythi
ysu think material which win throw light upon the So
ject Of our inquiry. and especially to the delay.
Answcr.-I viii state that all the troops in Washngd
and its vicinity were under the command OF Gener
Mcclellan when he was relieved and he issued his orde
directly to the commanding officer at Washington VIII
one single exception, that troops should /
| moved from the command or Washington until l WI
notified by General Mcclellan or the commanding oct
here In all other respects they were all uuder drectio
OF General Burnside. When lie relieved him was tol
that they remained precisely the same as before On m
visit to General Burnside at Warrenton the 18th
Navembor, In speaking about the boats and things thu
he required from here repeated to him that they wer
prevent the necessity of the commanding Officer here
porting the order for the boats here the order was draw
UP upon his table and signed by me directly 10 Geners
Woodbury. O, the evening of the 18th. think the even
ing that was there, General woodbury., my return
these matters he was under General Burnsidc's dircc
| tions. ! had nothing further to give him excep
to communicate that order to him, In con
! versation with him ana General keigs j.
| was proposed shat the train OF pontoon
should 60 down by land, they could be gotten dowi
sooner in that way, without interfering with the sup
plies which had to be sent 10 Aquia creek. gave nd
other order or direction in regard 70 the mnstor than thai
| ton He also Informed me, whiic at Warrentont
that Captain Duane, Chief Of the Engineers, had al
ready sent order TO Harpers Ferry the pontoon
train there to go down. The order had been issued
They being under General Burnsides immediate aud di
rcct command did not interfere at all IN relation to thcm
Question do you know whether there was any delay
Answer.--I think that there was delay from the
| was delay understood. in the train goig down
by land Of tue difficulty Of the roads and tho
had 70 be taken by water part Of the way II could not
get throug.by land considered. from the reports
|
ana the elements tnat had any control Gen.
Burnside eegraphod to me in relation to Cen Woodbury..
thinking thai he had not used due diligence but after
wards told he perfectly satisfied with what Gon.
Woodbury. had done and that he did not know but that
tne commanding officer Of the train that went down had
done his duty also that he disposed TO make fur
| satisfied.
Qestion-was there any request Tor you to delay ths
advance Of the ~ar until the boats arrived anything
I OF that knd9 nei
/ Answer-No sir rcmernber this, that General
"A
Burnside could not got down for several days after told
him. and that lie could not need the boats till General
Burnside arrived. think remarked him that did
not know exactly the day when General Burnside would
move that could tell him, the General did not
know himself. While was at Warrenon he proposed
this movement, and be directed to make al prepa
rations for it, but not to begin ii till the Presi-
noon Of the 18Th, and i think on the morning
Of the 14h had an interview with the President. in
which he consented to General Burnsdcs pRns aud i'm
medatsy tecgraphed HIM to 60 ahead as he had pro-
posed understood that there was considerable delay in
Ee,ns .he soa.s from Aqua erees Down 70 ne Kappa
transportation, &c but other delay than that which
would naturally occur over rough country like that and
delay laying the bridges reported to me from the
ineyperience Of the pontooncers, who laid the upper
bridges. There was considerable delay In that. We
could not the repairs Of the railroad Gen.
burnside took possession Of IT, was ell in the posses.
sion Of the enemy. That understood between Gen.
Hanpt and Gen Mcgs IN my presence Gen. Haupt went
over with me 10 make the arrangement in repairing the
early possible remember the conver saton
He could not have anything, but would have everything
down ready as soon be could and when he found Gen
Burnside was as - ~ possession @ he would commence
had General Burnside just assumed command Of the Army
! of the Potomac
| Answer.-rive days before, think
Questlon-Was there or not, any agreement or UNDER
standing between and General Burnside that the pom
toons and army stores either Of them should be fur
nished 10 HIM BY the authorities here without his look
| ing after them himself?
Question: win say any stores necessary lor him Ia
cross the river and move onward for Fredericksburg?
Answer--Yes, sir requested General Meigs as Chief
Quarermate and General Haupt charge OF the rail-
reads to 60 with tc consult with General Burnside,
and told him that every thing ut his disposition:
he must make his own requisitions and give his owA
| orders; that ! would not interfere, except 70
assist in carrying his views out much as I
| coud Whenever any thing was reported 10 me
as not being done that would render all the assistance
IN my power and just previous TO that time, with reie
mot to send me any requstons bui to make them on
the proper heads Of departments and n they did not do
their duty then immediately report it to me, but that
| could not attend 10 any relrsiisns ri all.
! Qucstion.-wheu you were there the time CON-
sdered that |, would take to move the army from where
| Il was TO Falmouth opposite Fredericksburg?
! Answer.-No, sir, fcr II not determined at that
time that the movement should be made
Questicn.-Wast 10 not determined that u should bs
| made, provided the President assented to H.?
Answer.--Yes, sir and he immediately TO COM
TO- until teiegraphed to the contrary but not 10 nuke any
movement.
Qucst,onwas or was not the time requisite for the
movement Of the army from where IL was Falmouth
1 considered al that timer
Answcr.It may have been spoken Of IN conversation
We had long conversation or three four hours and IL
may have been alluded to. Nothing definite decided
upon in relation 10 the time would take. Indeed
marked when left him that nc Of opinion that he
would portion Of his forces az the ords above the
junction Of the rivers That the opinion expressed
| before left.
| Question And the residue at FalmouthY
Ansver.-yes, sir.
Question you recolloct whether or no there was
any discussion when yor thore 10 the point that
il necessary that the pontoons and tho army should
arrive at Falmouth a the same period Of time that the
enemy should not know the point designated for the
crogsingf
Answer-l do not think that was mentioned. This
matter knew was mentioned that the pontoons should
no they could after wc had got posses
sion OF the road that they could be taken down.
Question "A. any time did Gen. Woodbury. 20 10 You
and suggest to yon that would be impossible to the
ponto0ns or stores al Falmouth as was
expected, and that tho would be advisable
that the movement o The army oil Gen. Burnside should
be dolaycdY