Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-02-26
THE MUD EMBARGO.


THE MUD EMBARGO
Soon after Gen. Burnside was called to take command
of the Army of the Potomac the New York Times ad-
ventured the prediction that under his energetic admins
tration we should have no talk about mud
obstacle to military Hovemens. How far this prediction
was realized need not now say in view Of the "mud-
lock- which recently arrested the advance of that
An army correspondent, writing to the Morning Chroni
Gle soon after the failure of the late movement made the
following reference to mud"of which we were to hear
no more after the removal of Mcclellan:
"Our late campaign was to all appearances going off
gorouy but the elements conspred together aganst u.s.
Water and EARTH formed to the consstence OF mortar de-
TERED from going very far only got eight miles,
when ordered to halt and 60 into camp 1t was
terrble-mud up to horses bellies and up to guns
axetrees never in my soldier life the like. Itwas
impossible to again at that this time. Our cam
pagn only lasted four days We are now back 10 our old
quarters. We about three miles from Belle Plain
coming here make convenient to draw forage The
army to be 10 excellent spirits and we look forward
good weather and better roads, when we can again
forward with better for the cause OF the Re
public We mired and consider ourselves fixtures
that's certain"
To this we may add the still detailed statement of
army chaplain, whose letter the subject addressed
to friend in this city communicated to US soon after
the events which describes As he drew rather gloomy
picture of the military situation at that time, we did not
care to be any haste to reproduce his
but the morale Of the army said to be perfectly
restored there be harm in giving the history OF the
late movement viewed by an intelligent and conscieu
tous observer The letter from which we cite the follow
ing paragraphs written under date of the Gath utmo
Again the Army Of the Potomac has essayed an on
ward movement The attempt to inaugurate genuine
winter campaign has been made. The resut has been
disastrous failure. The movement was well under way
when of the Northern papers seemed TO know augh
concerning it,
Judge however that whatever incidents Of the
may have been disclosed the public have not had the
ngy frequent The very talk of consolidation bill has
largely helped to ruin all esprit de corps While the army
under orders for the late advance movement the
troops began to be paid not in full but only TO the 3st Of
for active operations Moreover, it was universally OPP
posed to the Inauguration of winter campaign, knowing
had right to look for success as all considered
winter campaign n this climate aud country as simply an
mpossbty The result has proved i'll say this feeling
universal.
But the movement commenced in the midst of paying
the troops and before many of them were paid at all The
army began to move Tuesday morning. The whole at
mophere predicted violent northeast storm The troops
all expected the movement to be cOuntermanded-to re-
orders to return to their camps all felt they would
return to camp without accomplishing the mission aim
ed at.
"It was terribly cold and raw on Tuesday, and the
troops suffered much The roads being very heavy pro-
gress slow, and troops, after travelling about
two miles from their camps and standing shverng in the
cold for hours returned to their camps for the night This
the with division aud thought 1t was the
end Of the movement, it rained furiousy all night long
|" But on Wednesday the army was again in motion at
daylight 1t rained fierce rain all day Hourly the
roads, already execrable, became and worse until
they almost utterly impossible for even men and
horses, wholly for artillery and heavy wagons. The
movement went en- the army soaked, cold 10 no spirits
wretchedy uncomfortable, heavily laden and oundering
through the mud, often knee deep.
Our division made six miles on Wednesday, and in the
afternoon was turned into the woods to bvouack until fur
her orders There remained the residue of the day
all night it was cold and raining hard all the time.
"Tburfday opened with rain, and it raned nearly all
the day About noon the army turned out TO mend
roads, to make them pasabe for artillery and wagons
back to their The movement per force at an
end All that afternoon division worked on the roads,
and returned to their bvouack after dark literally covered
with mud.
Friday morning at daylight they were at it again until
BY this time the roads such that caDnon and
wagons with great difficulty could be gotten back TO their
old camps but it required great eIeron To one ten
FOUNDER in one instance were hched thrtytwo horses.
Battery wagons drawn by eight horses aud sxeen
mules, twenty four animals in all Almost always the
batteries had to double taking all the horses for half
be guns and after getting them to camp returning after
the rest The ponoon train was in like mbedded
in the mud In fact the whole army was nud-ridden.
"The men call the whole thing Burnsdes mud raid
never saw any thing Ike it. To describe il would be
impossible only thoee seeing and experiencing have
any adequate conception Of what II 10 fact and what
the army suffered who outside of it can ever know
Horse flesh especially suffered all sides horses had to
be shot Men had the seeds Of disease implanted in them
from which they will The hospitals will
be filed with broken diseased from that move
ment
I'VE returned to our camps Friday morning worn
out sad wretched To have attempted to still further
push the campaign would have been than madness
Another doy and the provisions the carried would have
been exhausted and to supply the army BY wagons awsy
from the railroad base Of supplies, would have been u
possible Besides, nothing could move in that mud Ar
tery would be necessarily abandoned at every STEP The
D, ntoons mmovabe, ammunition wagons the same.
/" 1t mercful Providence for devout,
nest sincere gratitude to God that the movement was
rested this side Of the Rappahsnnock Had we gained
the south sde and the storm then set in it would have
proved the utter ruin Of this entire army We could not
have gotten back could not have advanced we could
not have supplied the army. The enemy quietly his
stronghods with his supplies hand could have opened
upon worried captured Starvation would have
broken up the army and the would have fed towards
Washington in confusion, abandoning every thing and
power could have prevented it, But God saved us from
that and look upon it signal mark Of His favor
manifestation of His being the side Of glorious Union
cause"
gentleman had occasion TO advertise recently for
cock Among other applications In TO the sdver