Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-12-24

REVIEW OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS
OF THE PAST YEAR

OF THE PAST YEAR.
Gen. Falleck opens his very lengthy
report by taking M the army of the Po-
tomac at the time Gen Mcclellan was re-
lieved by Gen Burnside, at Warrentou.
Va, on the 9TH of November, 1862 Gen
Halleck urged Gen Burnside TO continue
his pursuit of Lea toward Richmond, bnt
Gen Burnside declined, desiring to move
to Falmouth. but finally consented to
cross the Rappahannock by the upper
fords and occupy Frederick burgh. Gen
Burnside's final march to, ard occupation
of Falmouth, was never authorized or ap-
proved by the authorities at Washington.
The plan which the President assented to
was to cross the river by the upper fords
and occupy the town. This Gen Burnside
did not do Gen Sumner asked permits
sion to do so when he arrived at Falmouth,
the river being fordable, but it was re-
fused. In the meantime Lee got there
and intrencbed, The delay of the pom
toons, which should have been at Fall
mouth when Gen Burnside arrived there,
is explained by the fact that instead of
being in Washington where they were
supposed to be, they were at Berlin and
Harper's Ferry, and had not been moved,
because the officers IN charge did not re-
ceive Gen Burnside's order to move them
to Washington. The battle of Fredericks-
burgh occurred December Is. Through
an alleged misintetpretation of orders,
Gen Franklin's attack on the left was on
" a reconnaissance in force, and the at
tack of Sumner and Hooker on the right
was unsupported. We We're repulsed with
loss of l,138 killed, 9,105 wounded.
and 2,07S missing. Gen Burnside has
never made any official report of these
operations. He says:
| The fact that | decided to move from
Wamenton to this line. rather against the
opinion of the President, the Secretary Of
| War, and yourself, and that you have left
the whole movement in my hands, with
out giving me orders, makes me the more
responsible"
On the 25th of January Gen Hook Ell
relieved Gen Burnside. Gen Halleck
merely refers in sentence to the cam
paign Of Gen Hooker, says he has no off,
clal data Of it. and then remarks
1t Is also proper in this place to re-
mark that from the time he was placed in
command Of the army of the Potomac till
he reached Fairfax Station, on the 10th
of June, few DAYS before he was re-
lieved from the command, Gen Hooker re-
ported directly to the President, and re-
ceived instructions directly from him.
received no official information of his
| plans, or of their execution
Early in inne Lee moved up the Rap
! pahannock into the Shenandoah Valley
Hooker follow ed on an interior line
Neither army could obtain much informa-
| ton of the other because Of the interven-
ing mountains. Winchester and Martins
| burgh were mere outposts, and orders
were given on the llth of June to with
| draw the ga: rison to Harpef's Ferry but
| these orders were not obeyed and on tht
! 18th Winchester was attacked and cap
tured On june IS. at Frederick. Md
/ Gen Hooker, at bis own request was re-
| lieved from the command Of the Army o.
I iiC 'lbiildG.
sour force at Harper's Ferry at thi,
time was supposed to he about ii ,000.-
| II was incorrectly represented to Gen
| Meade to be destitute Of provisions, and
that he must Immediately supply it or or
der the abandonment of the place. Ac-
cordmglv, few hours after he assumed
the command he assen,ed to an order
| drawn up by an officer of Gen Rockers
staff, directing Gen French to send 1000
men of the garrison to Frederick, and
| with the remainder estimated at 1000 :
( TO remove and escort the public property
to Washington. This order, based on err
roneous representations. was not known in
Washington till too late to be counter
handed 1t, however. was not entirely
executed when zen Meade very judicious-
ly directed the reoccupation of that i'm
portant point" ASH
Gen Halleck then describes the battle
of Gettysburgh ascribes an error to Gen
t5s aU a i'
Hs eI5f