Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-12-18
THE PssoGuESS o. THE WAR.
Annual Report OF the Generai-in
Ghtef.

Wsrenton, VI, On the 7th Of November 1862
Gen Hallerk urged Gen Burnside 10 continue
hi, pursuit. Of Lee toward Richmond. but Gen.
Burnside ,lec.iaed. desiring to move 10 Falmouth,
vet huslly consented to cos the knppahannock
10y the upper lords and occupy fredericksburg.
Gen. BurnsIde's final march 20 and occupation of
Falrne uin VS. never authorized approved bv
the authorities ~ Washington. The plan which
the Pes ent a--oufei 20 was 20 cross the river
Nv the ~ e. foTds aud occuuy the town. This
Gen Burnside did not do Gen. Sumner asked
permission TO do when he we'd II Falmouth.
the river being ioFdab.e. but il VAS refused. In
The meantime Lee got there and intrenched
The delIy OF the pontOOns. which should have
been ut Falmouth when Gen. Burnside arrived
there is explained by the iact that instead OF be-
ing AZ Washington. where they were supposed To
be. they were az Berlin aud Harper's Ferry, ana
hsh not been moved. because he officers in
charge did not receive Gen Burusides order 20
move them % Washington. The battle OF Fred
erck-burg occurred December - Through an
alleged NJ isinterpretation OF orders. Gen Frank
/ n'- attack on the eft Was only 4 reconnaissance
+ la force and the attack of Sumner and Hooker
on The right was Unsupported We were repulsed
with the loss OF | .l3s killed 9 l05 wounded, and
/ 2U7S missing. Gen. Burnside has never made
any official report ol these operations He saws:
The fact that decided to move from War
reuton on this line, rather against the opinion Of
!
/ sell. and thai you have leit the whole movement
IN NY hands, without giving me orders, makes
me the more responsible -
On the 25th ot January Gen. Hooker reliev ed
Gen Burnside Gen Halleck merely refers in
sentence to the campaign of General Hooker,
says he has official date Of it, and then
marks:
.It ~ also proper TO remark in this place that
from the time he was placed in comm nd at the
81 Dr.. al 4 Eaf-
! Station. on the l6.h OF June. few days before
! he vas relieved from the command, Gen. Hooker
\ renorieI directl, T. the President and received
instructions directly from him / received no
official information of his plans. or of their execu
! ton
Early ia June Lee moved ~ the Rippahan-
mock into the Shenandoah VALLEY. Hooker fol-
low ed on an interior line. Neither army could
obtain much information OF the other because oil
the intervening mountains Winchester aud
| Martnsburg were mere ou'posts. and orders were
i given on The 1 lth OF June TO withdraw the gar
rson Hsrper's Ferry; but these orders were
not Cbeved; and ON tue 18th Winchester was
---asllcked alAcaptarsl --Qn the 25lh OF June; at
/ Frederick. Md , Gen. Hooker at his own request =.
was relieved from the command of the Army Of
the Potomac.
Our force at Harper's Ferry at this time was
4 supposed TO be about II 900. Ii was incorrectly
represented to Gen Nj EIDE to be destitute OF pro-
visions. and that he must Immediately supply il
or order the abandonment OF the place Ac-
cordingly, Il few hours after he assumed com
mand, he assented To IN 9fs!er drawn up by an
officer Of Gen. Hooker's staff. directing Gen
French To send 900 men of the garrison to
Frederick, and With the RENAL nter-eytimaled at
4,000-to remove aud escort the public property
to Washington. his order, based on erroneous
representations, was not known in Washington
till too late to be countermanded. 1t. howe, er.
not entirely executed when Gen Meade very
judlciOu,I, dn ecte1 the reOccUpatiOn oil that i'm
pOrtaut point"
Gen HaIleck then describes the battle OF
Gettysburg: ascribes an error 10 Gen. Sickes.
which came near being fatal to us, on the second
day OF the fight But the rebels were finally
defeated anG Ito Gen. Meade belongs the honor
of well earned victory IN one OF the greatest and
best fought battles of the war The retreat OF
Lee anu the pursuit by Meade described,
closing with this:
In the meantime Gen French had reoccupied
Harper's Ferry, destroyed the enemys pontoon
train at Wi.llamsport and Falling Waters. and
and captured its guards. Hating day at Mid
dletOwn, Gen. Meade crossed The South Noun
tain and on the 18Th found the enemy occupying
a strong position on the hights OF Marsh Run. in
front Of WllianSport Instead of attacking Lee
in this position. with the swollen waters of The
Potomac in his rear. without any meins OF cross
ins his artillery, and when defeat must have
caused the surrender of his entire army, he was
\ allowed time 20 construct pontoon bridge with
lumrer collected from canal boats and the ruins
of wooden houses. ana the morning OF the
l4,h his army had crossed To the south SHE of the
| river. His rear guard. however, was attacked by
our cavalry. and suffered considerable loss. Thus
ended the rebel campaign north oi the Pot mac,
from which important political and military re-
sult- had Teen expected. Our own loss IN this
IL. HI
killed. l3 100 wounded, and 653 mi>Sius-n
all 23.ls2 We captured guns "A standards.
! ID 62l prisone-s anu u lis small arms .
General II ,lleck then briefly recounts the mi
nor operations oil the Army OF the Potomac up
u the battle of Rappahannock Station. but
gives no hew facts.
The operations in Western Virginia have
been mainly of a defensive character. in repeliug
raids aud breaking up the guerilla bands
The fplce ia the Department OF North Caro-
lima during the past year has been too >utll
for any important operations against the enemy.
But HIS oueraiious against Foster n North
Carolina. a. veil ~ Langstreet's against Peek
in Virginia. were entirely unsuccessful
General Gi.more's operations before Charles
ton are reciled 1T some length. with this com
mcn-:
"Geuera Gilmore'- operations have been
characterized by great professional Skiil ami
n
unknown in modern sieges Indeed. ms opera
tons on Morris Island constitute almost new
era in the science of en- .ueering and guuuery.
Sine. the capture OF Forts Wagner and Gregg he
has enlafgei these work. and established power
full batteries which cife, tually command Fort
Sumter, aud can render efficient aid to any, naval
, attack upon Charleston They also control the
entrance ui the htrbor -
In the Department OF the Gulf. operations
+ have been successful The preliminary move
, meuts "a the .iege of Port Hudson are given az
, length On the Ssh OF july the place uncoEdi-
tiunally surrendered We captured & .233 prison
, err. 81 pieces ol artillery. TWO sfesmsrs. 4 400
pounds of cannon powder. ) 0nO -rali arms. 800.
! OOa rounds ct ammunition. Sc. Our loss from
the 81 to tie 30th ct M,y. including the ass ,uli
on the 9th. ~ reported. was about 200
The Department OF the Tennessee = next re-
r viewed The object of Gen Gtant's campaign
~as the oreuing Of the Mississippi. in conjunction
with the army of ten. Banks. Gen Shermtn :
Z hrst attack upou Vickshurg filled because The
pl,ce vas more strongly fortified than hid been
, supposed. The iraop~ were then Withdrawn and
{ the capture OF Arkansas Post ,renm plished on
? the llth =. Janalrs We cap'utei At the latter
place 5000 prisoners. IL pieces OF cannon. 1000
-ms arms. Sc. 0O0 rounds of ammunition and
1 500 animals
Gen Gnpl then assumed immediate command
OF tie Army of TIE Mississippi. which was largely
reinforced Grsat -o"u became satisfied that the