Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-01-10

sssgsss 81 s.s ee.nn.ss.ss.
Report qf ibs Committee on tie C0aaact ot ple
Har Rsiatioe to ne Recent Battle at FEEDER


Report ef iEe Committee on tie Coadact Of The
fFar Rstafige to ne Recent Battle at Ffedsf
ieksbarg.
j WASHINGTON, December q The Joint committee on
the conduct of he way reported 10 ths ate
op ions of tbe ism ns caihng that committee to
nquie into ths facts relad 70 me recent battle s
Fledesiessearg Nirg!aia and particularly IS to what
officer officers sFe Irresponsible for the assault that
they had proceeded 10 the headquarters OF tie army 81
She Poerae sad tsken the oePosinons o. MAJOR Gen-
eTsl Burnside, SunntT Franklin an Hooker, and Briga
4 dier-Gsnegais Woodbury. and hauPt and on Their re
turn " eshington. those of Major General Halieck
sI,d Brigadisr General Meigz.
All t1e faetR relating 70 the movements Of the army
under General Burnatie she Forwarding If poutoons
aud supplies and The raeent battle at Fr dercksbuFg
fHy and clearly stated in the depeiitions aere
With submitted that the couantse reports the test
i "a ono without comment:
MsjorCiauersl Burstie, swern.
By tie Chairman
QaestionYou have seen the resolution Of the senate
under Which his eonlntee Is now aeting--yy you 90
on and IL your cwa way, without questioning. give
sUch aeconat Of & matters embraced in that resolution
I as yos may eons der necessary and pFoperg
4 us4er-In order that the xhole matter may be en-
tiraly understood s. may be well % 90 back little
/ Qussdon-YeTy wei. maseyour statement in you own
Answer-sThsn. afer the battle OF Antietsn, General
u eGelaa decided to cross the Potanae, said TO him
thar ia my opinion he poud never be able to take his
army On tat route beyond the 1tappehannoes' unless
be suCeeeed in fighting the enemy st place on this
side, Hha.H be proposed 70 90 70 Richmond by iand
- would have 10 90 by way q freaslle ksi and -
that lie PARTLY q "a ed with After we hsd started,
had aucti4r eonv- -Tss0n that subject snd sew
eral other officers were present
tlu the OH Of November after this conversation,
fsuer fcgiailan gave order to CAptain drafn his
fef e.er 10 have all his 20 toon bridges Berlin
tht uei zhbofhood that could BE- spared taken up
a. Il sent down to Weshingten, with WV OF gethhg
tbe down to this Point in time, ia case he decided to
- iov yvsv q FredeIieksburg
q5a l+frr conveying thar order was written the
Sta Of Move na6er bat as IN ierstanj was not received
until the i2h Of November
On The 7th OF sgh Of NaveznoeE received an order
from ths President Of the United Stses directing He 10
take command Of the army OF the Potomac ana Als2
c Of the order relieving General Mcclellan from that
command This order conveyed TO ms by General
Bue.ingham, who was attached to the War Depart
msnt. go, r ia
a eri Buckingham that il matter that required
verv serious thought That did not want the com
lnsnd That had been offered TO me twice before sne
did not feel that could take ~ 1eohseHs9 Win W.
Of NV sa officers regard to Il, tor 81 ula thnk an
hour and half They urged upon me that haa no
rbt as soldier TO disobey the orusr, ana tnaI hau
evrressed to the government my unvilngness
~ tsk the conamaBd told them what nay views We're
with reference - ag ability TO eEereise sen colla
,e Cieyvs 1Ars those had already unTeserYedly eK
ness, s-thst was not competent TO command sueh
isrra army as this had said the same thing over anG
over sgain 70 the President ana oeelssat a. y - 80
sls9 th4t if c0ud be saisiaetoIily sItnsee
,vifb General Mcclellan, thought he could command
the army ofthe better than any oner gsneLsl
inii bur they mai studied the saplet more la H' ss
ma ,e,- more about their o5lig gaiions 60 6eneral NC
s,csl tbsa did There hal bean some conversation
viii eggra TO the removal Of General 1ctleiisn "heh
! 80. 6,joein~ IA army nom before Richmond
iie y - ,B eo,1ersations vi the President and
q - ~ a. occurred at that time and then after
I Il rersl Mcclellan had got back 70 washington 4ho
foT fhe commencement OF the Maryland camp gn
fbsy was n@t her C. nyersstion Of tne sans Alnl ll
en- both Of these scasops expressed 70 tne F4esoeh.
- ifgr tfaf i did not think there was any one Who
e5 io s mach with that army as General AaeJlellan
coud If matters could be Sd arIsnsea as 70 Ioil0fs
'15ls l 4srd with my staff officers went to
s C ~ Nef,esn himself and ne agr ed " IA 'nerA
gl % was Tr order which ], soldier, had 10 oOey
IFrlf rata
soldier would have 20 obeythe erdsr directing nm 70
give up that command 10, -. i -
In midst Of violent snow Storm Win tne army ID
a nifi5n tar knew little Of q mad previously coma
nanded but corps upon the e1tresls su 80 80
been upn the extreme right ara n 11 ass nc % ~, @ Ley
campaign had begunl pTeoaOiy knew Ieas ~ aItss
other eorps commander of ths position ana reAAefo
strength II the seversl corps Of the army s.
General Mcclellan remained some TWO OF thles uaysto
his aaairs and came with me as lar as warren
ton aud then left having given zoe an 'lio NOi
be could IN refHreace TO the army. =. .bo nh of
General Haeck down 10 see me On ~ - y
Ncr7fbgr On the 9sh made out pls1 Of OF erattyns
ia erdsaee with she order Of General mares "
dreet sd nae not only 20 take command ool Aso ~ .i
5shst ,osal 10 do with It. The Pianl "ro1e on the
riF al rA stll Of November, and sent 1t by special
messengs TO Washington. can lal i1sn y @ -, S Il
a cory Of the plan if they desrs II. 10 Ao' Ae' "
uss aeSoastate the substancs of it if yoq please
Answer--I state in substance, That .to
neiahborhOo of Warreaton 70 MAKE q siuAA. @ = =.
s.rt tae Kappa 1snuo ck AZ felnt win d Wv ~ ~
vert nfl
ifs Va ara poiug 20 move in the direction oi cor
dons Ills mud to nlske rapid m9senlens u t7
whole army Fredericksburg on lals aas ~ ~ NJ &
sahanaock Iay reasons Tor that alt-se. - - -
furtber We got The interior Of fHslnlS ne onse
womb be our Ine Of communications and TIE greater
yvoul d De the dfii -ulty We would nave ~ 49,
orsu az tt- enemy h4d upon our nght nank d corps
thst at aino any time could, % faplt IL ilo
seeorsi,, einbar ass MS Il caught by me ele
- far from our base Of supplies, and a. N same
tiroe fn the eneys country, where thY na0 means Oi
gettinr infoTuzfin that had not Il might,
prove disastrous TO the army, as We hSo Oos eHe ' -
railway bY which TO supply It, - n, A. 4;r,,
In "a wing upon Fredericksburg we wound sH ne % ttHe
be as near Washington as wooid the Sleuy' uu 80, 80
arriving az Fredericksburg We would % a. P2IHIss
nearer to Riehmoud than We Syoad De even y ne oui
- ~ fser5ousyile line the enemy, in my ,lnlon'
o4 not give us a decisive battle at any 7lace ms
si'le of Richmond They would defend 60 donsylie
I,Dfi sugb tirns as they fslt they hsd gwen US
check aud then with 50 many lines o. Iareso Vpsu y
th=la they wauld move upon Rienmona OF qpoh - er,
c and III either case the difficulty OF following thea
would be very gtest. .45 .h+
10 connection with this movement, 4 Ieques,eu tnas
t,res flIed Wi provsions and forage should De 1os
I'D 10 Aoui- creek where they conld be easAy aIuse
fastefiais be cenectsd for the res9nstruc59a q ne
that could posi- y be spared be nllee WIN 80 l ~
ana small ceaznissary stores, snd VITA - : - -
~ sf cattle be started down to tredeElckaeaIB On eA9
p M nv vyav Of Dumfries ami that this wagcR IRAN
ann herd Of cattle should be pTeeeeeed py PoiisooD
train large enough to sPsn me lAsp Efet
stated that this wagon tram ceuu mo- - - .r
safstv because it would be al the time oetee @ oL
army and the Potomac OF, IN osher Fto1u' ~ ~ 80, =
would be all tn tiEnc between tue enemy anu l : 60. 60
80 Il tle sane time said that if cavalry eseost
conid nof be furnished from ashington would seha
4 serne Of my cavalry - guard tBe ttsln- s.,, -
IN the Iaoraing OF the 14th Of November, fee1g IN
& q, refsreres to the PORTIONS had not heard q
their sarting directed my culel en- sl-ssi -
: aga d with refe5enc &c 70 them.
I elrastion--To whom cid he tetegraphf
6sv5er-He autographed to Gen woodbury. OF .
Major ssaalding It subsequently appeared that that
va he rst they had ever heard Of my wish to have
the pSnfoon train started down for Fledereksourg, al
though The authorities IN Warrington had had my plan
sent 70 them the 9th of November and It had slso
bse, iscevefed bY Gen. Hasok and Gen. Meigs a. my
Headquarters the nisht OF the i!th ana LIN OF No
esTob r and after discussing Is fully there, they sat
down aud ssnt esgrans Washington which as 1snp-
posed covered fully the case, and would secure the
stsrBg the pontoon trains at once
Isupposed Of course that those portions Of the plan
which required 70 be attended to in Washington would
be e-rried out there could have sent otcers
Of nv own there to attend those matters, and perhaps
made mistake innot doing 50, as Gen Halsek 81 err
ward told me- that ought not TO have trusted 70 these
n Ngsshnglonfo for the details.
In reply TO the t.legram1 had ordered to be sent Sen
woodbury. teisgvaphsd back that the pontoons would
start on Sunday morang probably, and certainly on or
Bonday nofnng which would have been on 10th or q
OF November and would have been in time. They dlc
not however, start until the l9th, ana on that day i
CON fieueea raining which delayed them 50 much, aae
the roads became bad that when the train got Z
Domfries hey hoated the poontoons of the wagons
ssnt TO Washington Tor steamer and carried then
dovnt Aeuis Greek by water, sending The wagon
a-onnd BY land be pontoons did not get here Until IN
s2s or ed OF November
the road to Frederieks bnrg, not knowing asythinl
sooat the delay in th starting Of the pontooHs beeaE
the teegam announf ing the delay did not reacn " az
rntoa Jun tioIs unt had left 70 come down here wit
tha troops and the telegram did not reach untiss
arrived here the morcing ot me 18Th when II 70
bandei ne BY orderly Who had brought Il down :
Nsfrenfon Iuucticn
fter reaehihg here saw as once that there was 2
chance for ossing the RapfahanRock with the army
hat time. Itcommenced rsntng, and the EIyer sss4
5 rise net Is any great extent but did not hnoW hoe