The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-01-02
THE COMMAND OF THE ARMY
OF THE POTCNIAC.
Extract from the Testimony Of Gen. Burll-
side before the Committee on the
Conduct Of the War.
Burnside thinks Mcclellan could
Command the Army better than
any other Man.

We publish elsewhere portion of the
testimony of BURNSIDE before the Com
mittee on the Conduct of the War, but the
following most important passage was
omitted in the journal from which the ex-
tract was made BURNSIDE says:
On the 9TH or 9Th Of November l re-
ceived an order from the President of the
United States, directing me to take COM
mand of the Army of the Potomac, and
also copy Of the order relieving Gen. Nc
Clellan from that command. This order
was conveyed to NE by Gen. Buckingham,
who was attached to the War Department
After getting over my surprise, told Gen.
Buckingham that it was matter that re-
quired very serious thought; that | did not
want the command; that it had been
offered to me twice before; and that l did
not feel as if | could take it. | counseled
with two of my staff officers in regard to
it for, l should think, an hour and a half.
They urged upon me that had no right,
as soldier, to disobey the order, and that
| had already expressed to the government
my unwillingness to take the command
| told them what my views were
with reference to my ability to exer-
else such command, which views were
those I had always unreservedly expressed
that was not competent to command
such large army as this | had said this
over and over again to the President and
Secretary OF War, and also that, if matters
could be satisfactorily arranged with Ger.
Mcclellan, I thought he could command
the Army Of the Potomac better than any
other General in it :; but they had studied
the subject more than l had, and knew
more about their obligations to Gen. Nc
Clellan than | did. There had been some
conversation with regard to the removal
OF Gen. Mcclellan when he was Bringing
away his army from before Richmond
The first of these conversations with the
President and Secretary of War occurred,
at that time, and then after General Mo,
Clellan had got back to Washington, and
before the commencement OF Maryland
campaign, there was another cSnyersatiop
of the same kind and on both Of these
occasions l expressed to the President the
opinion that l did not Think there was any
one who could do as mush with the army
as General Mcclellan could, if matters
could be so arranged IS to remove their
objections to him. After I had con-
versed with my staff officers, | went
to see General Mcclellan himself,
and he agreed with us that this was an or
der which I, as soldier, had to obey. He
said that he coull not retain the command,
for he, as solder, would have to obey
the order directing him to give up that
command, in tie midst of violent snow
storm, with tie army in position that I
know but q little Of I had previously
commanded but one corps, on the extreme
right and inthe advance since that campaign
had begun. I probably knew less than
any othercorps commander Of the posi-
ton and relative strength of the several
corps Of the army. Gen. Mcclellan re-
mainedsome two or three days to arrange
his Affairs, and came with me as far as
Warrnton, and then left, having given me
all tie information he could in reference
to tie army. SAYS 4a ~