Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-12-28

of Burnside-He directly Responsf-
bic for the Needless Slaughter of
$4,000 Wen-How the Presfdent Mars
the Campaign-He Responsibie for
the Escape of Lees Army I'm July
last-Burnsfde I'm the Light of Facts
pIexion OF the Committees, &C., &c.
Especial Correspondence of the Chicago Times.
WASHINGTON, December IA.
0fall the reports sent TO Congress at this time,
that of Gen. Hallack is by far the most import
ant Ii is the work of lawyer rather than of a
soldier. and it makes ,out good case for the
General-in Chief. The array of facts, however.
is unanswerable; and these facts prove beyond
all doubt that two of our most serious reyerses-
those at Fredericksburg. in December of last
year, and at Chickamauga, in September last
were owing directly TO the interference of the
President with Gen. Halleck's plans, aud to the
fact that the President upheld certain General
in positive disobedencs to the orders of the Cen
eral-in Chief SIngulary enough this disobedi-
ent General was the same in both cases, namely:
the butcher OF Fredericksburg. Ii ever there was
a title well bestowed. this is the one, and Burn
side is the 70 wear it. The loss of life on
part OF our brave soldiers. caused by these two
acts of insub0rdinati0n on the part of Burnside,
is absolutely frightful. At Fredericksburg our
loss in killed and wounded was Is GEO, although
the official statement made it only 10000 At
Chiekamauga our loss in killed and wounded
was fully 20 ,0O0 although the official figures, as
reported to Gen. Halleck and stated by him, are
only 1850. Here, then. is the blood of 35.U 900
men, useessly, needlessly slain by the obstinacy
and unfitneSs for command of one man.
Ms letters of December of last year and Janu-
airy, 1863. and those of September l9 and % and
November l6 last, contained the facts which
proved that, il Burnside had obeyed General
Hallecks orders. neither the defeat Fredericks-
burg nor the defeat at Chickamauga would
have occurred This report of General Halleck
now confirms the statements in those letters in
every particular.
If the statements set forth in this report as facts
are really true, as there is reason to doubt, it
is easy to see that there has been constant tri-
angular fight here, during the whole year, be
tween Lincoln. Stanton, and Gen Haleck, the
former two sometimes pulling together, but both
of them always pulling against the General-n-
Chief, countermandng his orders, and uphold
ing those Generals in the field who 6isobeyed
him. And it is easy to see, too, that, whenever
success has attended our arms, or even when we
have made successful retreat, il has been when
Gen. Halleck's orders have been Obeyed, and
those of Lincoln and Stanton disregarded; while
on the other hand, whenever Lncoln's orders
hrve been carried out and Gen Halleck's orders
have been disobeyed, defeat and disasters to
arms have invariably ensued. On the llth of
June Gen. Halleck teegraphed to Gen. Schenck
and Gen. Milroy, ordering the instant evacuation
of Winchester; obedience to which order would
have saved the 5000 troops and the three mil
lions of dollars worth of cannon and stores
which Tell into the hands OF the enemy. But
Schehck and Milroy, being on intimate terms
with Lincoln, disobeyed this order, and ON the
18th Winchester aud all it contained (even the
wives of the Union officers, whose husbands and
protectors ingloriousy fed) were captured. Hal
leck complained OF this act of disobedence and
its consequences, and with reason; but the Pres
ident cast his protecting arms around both the in
subordinate officers, aud shielded them from all
harm Schenck was allowed To leave the army,
and is now here in Congress. Milroy was brought
to trial before packed court martial But the
testimony which would have convicted him was
suppressed by orderof the President. and MiIroy
was sent back to his command. Both of these
men are shining lights among the abolitiOnists.
On the l0th of July last, the Union and Con
federate armies both .retreating from Gettysburg
toward the Potomac, found themselves oppo-
sire sides of the famous Antetam Creek. On
that day, Gen. Halleck telegrap phed his orders to
Gen. Meade to attack the rebel armies mmedi-
ately, and by DO means TO allow the latter to get
across the Potomac without a battle. In obedi
ence TO these orders. Gen. Meade had a series of
shsrn skrmishes on the ] lth, and on the 18th he
forced the passage Of that stream and occupied
Funkstown and Hagerstown The latter place
haG been Gen. Lees headquarters only the day
before. Gen. Meade intended to attack the rebel
army at WilliamspOrt on tie 18th. But on the
morning of thst day he received an order by tele
graph from the President, saying that the troops
which had been sent up by Gen. Dix from Fort
ress Monroe were then en- route from Baltimore
and would join him by the next day the l4th and
requesting him not 10 attack Lee until these
troops arrived, as il was important not TO risk a
defeat of the army Of the Potomac. Gen Meade
obeyed this order and the consequences were
most fatal During the whole of Monday the
18th. Gen Lees army was engaged in crossing
the Potomac River into Virginia. General Lee
himself had crossed in person on Sunday evening;
and ali day on Monday, he saw the long columns
of his troops deile before him n their way to
Winchester IL Gen. Meade had made the at
tack on the 18Th, as Gen Halleck had ordered
he would have won easy victory. The rebel
army was then divided by the river. and in
the very act of crossing. Although u line OF bat
tie was maintained all day. yet it was mere
show of force. and an attack would have proved
il mere shell On the l4th. when Gen Meade
did advance to the attack. the enemy were gone;
and a swollen river yawned between them.
This was an instance where obedience to Lin
coln's orders was positive benefit 70 the rebels.
The recent instance of Gen. Meade's disobedi-
once Of Lncoln's order TO tight the rebel ar
my saved both the Uuon army and the capital,
as | have heretofore shown: although it did not
occur till two weeks after Gen. Halleck's report
was written.
1t is difficult to see; in the light of thus report,
how even after the lapse of this time, Burnside
can escape a court martial for his uDaccountable
conduct in November and December of last year.
When he superseded Gen. Mcclellan, he was or
dered to execute and carry out the orders that
bad been given TO Gen. Mcclellan only few
days before: the substance Of which was to move
the army Immediately after the retreating rebels
Gen Mcclellan had been doing this, rapidly and
effectually during the preceding two weeks He
had moved the army Of the Potomac across that
river on the 9th of October, and by the 9th of
November the army had reached Warrenton.
Gen Lees army had crossed the Blue Ridge at
Thorntons Gap, and were at Culpepper. If Gen.
Burnside when he succeeded to the command
on the 7th had Obeyed Gen Halleck's order and
continued the movement, so energeticaly com
menced by Gen. Mcclellan. for only twenty -four
hours. il would have resulted in great battle at
Culpepper, or else in the continued retreat OF the
rebel army TO Richmond In the frat case the
rebel army would have been defeated, for onr
army vastly superior both in numbers and
discipline. In the second case there can scarcely
be doubt that our army would have succeeded
in getting back TO tl cir old works before the
walls of Richmond. which they had left only
three months before.
But Burnside disobeyed the orders Of General
Halleck. He appealed to the President, and
begged the great Rail Splitter to allow him "a
move the army away from. instead of towards
the enemy; to allow him TO move small part oi
bis army along the north side Of the Rappahan
mock to Falmouth. promising that he would throw
the main body across the head waters Of thai
str sam az SULPHUR Springs and move them do VT