Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-02-17
TIE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC :
IT'S DE B'OTTO.g' no .gEeCEEEA.G.g''
HTS DEIEOEALHLEZED CONDITION !.
FFHG6 BFsgI be Done TFTth II


: ITS DE5EORALHLszRD oOEDETsON
q TE'hGt gTsI be Done TE'ith Il
E Special core pondsnes Of the Missouri Democrat
y WAsHNsroN January 29.-I have litils heart &
q Wre Of atairs concerning tue arEy Of the Potomac
Jf Is recent faiures aud sfbseuuent change Of com
= mauders your read a'raady know. Something 100
& condition both before and since the change ter ua1
y have surmissd but Of It's status aud persona
character adequate conception can be formed saFg
/ rom eiose- view then D permitted TO many Sone
orc ooseefet soon after the breaking ont Of the rebellion
maj " afe making history very fast. Tha we have
Fitln The past year made aueh of e he 1aest petty
ana eonfamphle power earth Ha wen be ashae
20 one wiz question. What viii HISTORY what can it
~ ~ my tloa s'i p ne n1ere1i y orse i1-1
1Heiee az SD hour WIN the national existence Is
staSe etcause q faat o. harmony between the civil
o5l-l'5 IN p1lsly NUT
tlt p ac9d s grand armies, the lives OF ITS
citizen soldiers fha honor of ifs ea1sa in the hands oT
Aitl-ly tsilets OF ~ own selection and then supar
sa o91 tAs to~7I eaecS me control ot those chefs
ana even withheld ron Them honorable confidence
such has been the history Of the grand army Of tho
l9tsae rom - oFsanfzation e the present hour
3 interference with military Plans bY unmiitary men
hFared hs eaptlre Of ths rebel captai months ago
tae same interference has hwarted aed crushsd Burn
side now Nothi1g on earth prevented bis army reach
ing Richmond Us first attempt and doubtless s CAP
ture long ago. bus ts failure Of the government 10 fur
mn me means Of crossing the Rappahann7ek. Had
Burnside himself had supreme control Of all that
necessary Or his success does any doubt that he
!
fradericksburgl Does any one now question that
lAey were ordered here before the army len Har-
psrs Ferry, IN anticipation that they might Be
I71so tlsiet bat tas control % thts matter was BY
order of the Pres dent in the hanIs of Alr Haeek an
e.--4,l Ht'ae Nlr 20 Als present position con
es lt -ls never aaNls even witnessed battle IN ais
ti.s snd in having compiled from the military libraries
Or west hoiqt work upon military science-a thing
niih any otnar cesE stadsut OF enthusiastic antigua
rian might have done. This gentleman assumed the
ground-1pon consulting bis own profound aud original
oook-that If be sent the poutoons TO Fredercksburg
Z FTe N
at Harpers Ferry. And the fact is they were ne yer
started in chat direction until after Sumner had reached
thai eoua be done, By summ01u the town to surrender
anu giTin then time to consider: ana gbsr Sac t-
expired exteeding L Burnsids lid the best thing he
could not suecsed yvthdrsVz hi[ ar1r oro5itabiy, a.
stunned uie responsibility gracefully. aud sought The
earliest opportunity OF trying again After repeated
Efforts at movement in an Of w ch be foiled BIZ
Ns ani t-t Ioi.lA iiflei aldi When Just upoh the
point Of striking blow where the enemy least expected
H and vi every human assurance of success with his
counus actually in motion Peramptory ordsr is re-
eeived from the President to make no movement with
ou' nrst consuming a Of course his military
ptonptar me eminent eylan ana sasg teal compiler
aforementioned What was ie for this gallant soldier
and noble man 70 DO but ressni lie had overcome
oosta'e after another which were thrown in ais way by
the civil auzhores; had overlooked interference
siier another from the source looking only the
honor Of the cause and sacrificing hselfto 10 its Tceess
until be that no personal effort nor personal saer
hce would avail agans the opposition chat met and the
plots that thiekened around him
( The parent iviuci5iiat least she power Of the
rebel army ia Virginia. due solely to the compact
ness and ugidsy Of its organization coupled with the
reference ON Richmond no fire in the rear q
permitted OF offered But, with army, the caprice
Of civilians and the whus Of military pretenders
eue is eorls that t has come 90 that pass that hard
iy any military man, with soldiers honor can be
found who is wiling 20 sacrifice biuef upon the tempt
ing sAIi9tiae 1l an TINS oalng o. uitary Effort the
soldiers discover their cid inriing enemy which they
dread more than they do the rebel batteries They
readiug men, they scan closely every daily paper;
they understand the whole case as thoroughly As the
maa 81 home by his resid3. In fact they know the
better than he special n1esdnq can niseaf
kno7g th@na Aaa A7rv sIs driven 70 one ol the
causes Tor the raj Of Burnside older than an sep
arats from the immediate interference Of the govern
m5nt with his plans. but which the immediate result
Of the action Of the government
Less than three months ego, when Gen Burnside /
took command of that army ho found IL the most I
thoroughly organized, compact and wieldy body Of men
condition now presurnes desires question the fact
that no such magnificent and perfectly maohine-ike
that its officers thoroughly iubued with the spirit
and heartily acquieseius in the plans Of their leader
the soldiers Almost wonhipng their commander, and
Less than ninety days have passed and Gen Burnside
gallant soldier whom everybody loves and honors
attempts 60 move that spieodid army of but yest rday
and absolutely falls to pieces in his hands and only
the St rws Of heaven save it from destruction. It
Is not rhat the soldiers ore wanting either IN
courage endurance patience. These two latter
attributes Of The true soldier they have eXsmpi-
fed amid disaster and defeat as 10 army Of voluu
teers ever exenphae1 them before Their abiding eour
age attsst-d their last encounter with the ensv
when almost every man Of those who crossed the fated
river believed be marching the very ia7ys Of
death. Then what is iii Why is this grand army Of
noble men and gallant soldiers utterly dsmoralzed
u less than ninety DAYS that it is absolutely pcersss
10 march against The enemy The facts have ststed no
man in all his broad land attempts question: and the
Wnetner We IKE thein or not Turn where we VIII, seek
avoid may-rafuse 70 look at them the facts
stare us n the face and the cause cannot be put aside
however mus we may attempt IT, The soldiers elsmor
for the leadership Of Mcclellan. That short sentence
tells the wnoie sory- an perfectly aware Of The ten
der roint touch here's know fu wei the opinions Of
ths people Of The West. and also Of many here upon
this subject, and 20 very great extent share them
myself bat I am giving Won Simply the fselncs-tha
who has aud c0nversed with the men, who has /
mingled With tie soldiers ia their camps visited the
maimeiin their hospitals knows beyond Psrsdven-
ture to be the indsputabs facts think myself that
much Of their confidence is mispiaesd that the eau
inspire Dis soldiers with such uu1uestiOuing faith his
generalshp but they view it in different light; il is no
debaiable question with them They claim every
fight upon the peninsula q oriSt victory for themi
every argument Co the contrary is offensive and in
Hrns their position and since that memorable ant
weAf0uglt and won oatte they ii0hzed b m
nof7 tlan ever l1l entire army excepting
some Of Furnishes original corps were dissat-
sisd a1d asgri-Ted beyond expression az the chsnge
which took Mcclellan from them aud only he IN eili
gent patr1isnl oi the men Wlieneld them nom open
mutnY. Nobody knew this better than Burnside, and
was The ground of bis hesitaton and indeed repeated
retuaas 90 assume me command Of the army Bus e.
patriots knowing sad feeling the importance Of the
stake for hich they fought the soldiers determined to
do their duty Hsd Burnside been successful much Of
their former attachment for and couddence in their for
mer commander would have been Transferred to hin,
and the army would not have been ia its present cond
ti0n- But after his drst faure to take Frederckaburs
-i fer.a -7,i s-ts1f-f 10 ofsesrs ~ everv Grade
who had been sient before and 1t the time Of the last
effort a. a movement such the want Of confidence
a eo-oDeraion that division brigade and reqimentsl
commander rushed 20 tie President protest against
the movement This caused the peremptofy srier Of
the Presidelt and resulted IN the resignation Of Burn
era Franklin shows that be was Of the protesting
officers and shows also that this want Of confidence ex
tended even 30 grand division commanders. Major
General John Cothrane another and IS supposed 10
bs the officer put unier arrest by General Burnside
snow IL Is oue duty TO stand by every comm ander
pi1cea over cur army hope for the best ana speak as
aur1gy for success. But the present change viii be
unproduetiVe of good results Nobody undsrates the
gsIant 80. Hooker as Sighting general aud believe
hat f hs-arrv eoul place iuuicit confisnea i'm 1im
be would give bem victory end our cause success
But they have uot tias coincidence they believe him
les competent to handle that vast army thsn Burn
side aad he additional C-auges following he resigna-
.i ~ ~ Iar have nv i4creased their distryisf aud
dissatisfaction. Fraukln gra division had the hish
est possible estimation Of their oomaudeTi and his re-
moval has bad very disastrous effect 1pon them.
Of Hooker and lis uuviingness to serve under him
and The roopsof bis Cd division c9rps and grand dyiS
which aobla nlasf fellows his master have their dis
trust fortified aid their dissatisfaction is intense. lt Is
elnaes al ae W % nlitaIy loI some s-
70 come f0r Ia tha present temper Of he Army Of he
Potomac should Nflnt 70
arms u hls ained for week past, and just closed up
with Six or eight inches Of snow Mud almost bottom
less mud gns snprsns and the roads utterly I'M
[ pa sable for troops and artil cry
New has come upon tho army az last, what all both
soldiers and people, mosi dreaded-7Tinter quarters.
some will hone that shs may tend 70 wear of their
present grievances aud heins s paid OF and rsci0thed,
tdey ly come forth ngigorated and cheerful, ready 70
foR asy chief chosen bY The goFernen 20 lead them
to lA tgy Du la1st confess that this IS hope
f1i view than feel warranted IN taking such IS
fhe re.al5 Of experience As 70 winter quarters This
has always been the hana Of the soldiers hfe and is
ever prslide Of increased dissatisfaction fear twill
be So his case Sschs the blind nfafuafion Of these
men for Mcclellan that am faly convinced that-no
/ ofher commander can accomplish anything against
powerful and Wa-y foe with thas army So thst the I
fusare with sreducsd to this either shsir choice q
comm inder must be given them; this army mst 9e
detaehf aud sent % different fields Of duty ana Or tne
two think ihe government viii choose the atier asEn-