New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-01-27
ruE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.

| HIIE ARMY OF THE FOIOMAC'
AZ, ,ior-Gen. Burnside is relieved at his OWL
reuua st, and Fighting Joe Hooker" com
|mands the Army of the Potomac. The change
will IN, dly excite surprise. Burnside assumed
the ctief command reluctantly; and it is I'M
derstood that he rendered his resignation three
times bet. re it was accepted. Ever since the
battle of iintietam, Hooker has been looked
upon az tAa inevitable General.
During I'm eleven weeks at the head of the
army, Gen. burnside has labored under pecu.
liar difficulties. His self.dstrust ut the outset
did no dise7edit to his ability. 1t was only
the expression OF q frank, ingenious soldier.
He knew that few men, among the worlds
great names, bad proved equal to such po-
sition "Thero never were but three Gene
rails" said Napoleon, "WhO could command a
hundred thousand men, and am one OF them. y
But some of Ba,nside's factious subOrdinates
turned his own modesty against him. They
said, publicly and repeatedly: He declares
himself incompetent; and surely he ought to
know the measure Of his own capacity" Such
language was communicated through the ranks,
destroying confidence and breeding disaEection.
Whatever decentralization now exists IN the
Army of the Potomac springs frem two causes.
The most of il is traeeable to that disastrous
lead ership which prevented success for twelve
months before Burnside took the helm, cuhn-
mating in McCellan's failure to improve the
golden hour and make Antietam o browning,
overwhelming victory. 1t is not in human ma
ture that regiments which have fought so fire.
qaenty and so spendidly-which have again
aud again faced the foe till thirty, forty, oven
fifty per cent of those going into battle have
falen-whose shattered ranks contain to-day
but one or two hundred Of the Thousand men
who swelled them year aso-should remain
confident and hopeful without a single en-
phatic and improved victory to write upon
their co0rs. Burnsde's address to them be.
fore his late movement, which the elements de-
ieated, is melancholy commentary upon their
history. He recalled no success of theirs to
inspirit them; but could only cite the ripe vie
tories of their fellow soldiers in Arkansas,
Tennessee and North Carolina.
All INC uihduc'tiou, o'.Vhu tho, Vt'S'o"t'"
with oficers. 1t has been spreading down.
from various headquarters, through the ranks;
not up, from the men to their leaders ma
iority of those who opposed McClellans removal
have done their duty, proving that they held
their country dearer than any leader. Others
OF his special. violent champions have taken
! the opposite course. They now say: 1--WE
always predicted that McCellan's removal
would ruin the army see the evil 1t has
caused" The truth is, while Mcclellan was
in command, those who doubted and those
who utterly disbelieved in his capacity, gave
him. not merely nominal obedience, but prompt.
unroscrved cooperation. Since his retirement.
some of his partisans have generated and in
tensifed the very disafTeciion they talk Of, by
persistently denouncug and belittling his sue
cessor, and opposing the policy of the Govern
ment itself. They will doubtless attempt the
same course with Hooker; but he is hardly
the man to tolerate the least characterization,
OF officers not earnestly. yitally loyal. There
is but one remedy for the evil: to partially re-
organize the army aud cashier n few leading
offenders. The fate Of FitzJohn Porter has
already produced a psrceptbly healthy effect
upon those maEgnauts.
! Gen. Sumner who ranks Gen. Hooker has
been relieved, in Difference to his own wishes.
II is reported that he has asked 10 be assigned
to a command in some other department. He
has given to both Mcclellan aud Burnside the
Jealous, hearty support worthy enc who has
served so long and 10 faithfully.
Gen. burnside will receive the grateful ap.
probation of the country for his earnestness,
purity, and unselhsh patriotism. Gen. Hooker
has risen. step b. step. to the chief command.
In all former positions he has acquitted him.
self not only with credit, but with distnc-
ton. His new position is one requiring the
highest ability, but his antecedents justify the
nation in regarding his accession to it with sat
isiactien and confidence.
vrnHuTnRS xYAnTuUV