Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-17

VINO seems wen acquainted Win men anu
things in the army of the Potomac, undertakes
to give ''true" account of its condition and
prospects. He shows a tendency to exagger-
ate, and is sometimes extremely confident
when it would be more reasonable to be some
what less positive; but he is familiar with his
subject, and aims to be faithful in his state
ment. We make some extracts from his let
ter, but without vouching for his correctness
in every Particular
''THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMY.
SIT is no secret that there is q want of har-
mony betweenthe Washington authorities and
the army. The administration looks with dis
trust upon the army of the Potomac. 1t
might be added, the army of the Potomac
looks with distrust on the administration but
of that anon. Gen. Halleck thinks it disaf-
fected, dangerous-report adds another word,
which hope he did not use, disloyal Army
of the Potomac? said he lately to Il general
who used the phrase, THE army Of the Poto-
mac has ceased to e1tSt.' And so far is this
from being mere figure of speech, that
project for its dismemberment was ac-
tually on the official slate at the
time. Sumner was to be sent out to
St. Louis to supersede Gen. Curtis
Hooker to be dispatched to North Caro-
lima, while Franklin should essay to hold the
line of the Rappahann0ck, without any at
tempt at active movement. In the programme
of the winter campaign, which the Washing
ton authorities have drawn out this army is
left with a role. confidential adviser of the
president the other day told me that the ad-
ministration confines its hopes now to, first,
opening the Mississippi and cutting off from
the rebels Texas and the western countries
whence they draw such enormous supplies;
secondly, gaining possession of Wilmington,
Charleston and Mobile, for the purpose of
making the blockade really efficient You
will form your own judgment on this scheme,
and its availability as a means of destroying
the rebellion. No doubt the supplies the
rebels obtain from the trans Mississippi re-
gion are immense. So are those which they
get through the ports just named.
''The luminosity i'll Washington toward the
army is amply repaid by the bitterness OF the
army toward the cabinet | make no attempt
to go to the root of the matter-no attempt to
decide on the justice or injustice of the feel
ing Imerely recorditS existence as an open,
paIpabie fact, which every one here knoms
And it pervades the whole army. Command.
ing generals and high officers have their own
grievances against the central military author
ity at Washington; and the private soldier,
though he may know none Of the secret un-
dercurrents, knows, at least, that for months
and months-fve, six, some even nine-he
has not been paid ; and that, while the Wash
iugton authorities undertake to manage mill
tary AFFAIRS they are badly managed for him.
Some Of the charges would appear TO you in
credible if | should mention them. 1t matters
not what the reality may be: if the army
thinks the administration capable of the things
with which it charges it, it is to say the least,
most deplorabe, and must go far to take the
very heart out of it.
GEN. BURNSIDE.
E'You are doubtless aAyare shat, since the
battle of Fredericksburg, Gen. Burnside has
twice rendered his resignation, and he has
lately been to Washington to urge personally
its acceptance. The president will not accept
it: Haleck will not allow him to move He
is left with the black cloud of that horrible
disaster hanging over him-held there help
less and hopeless. a letter, in which there is
nothing his but the signature and to which his
good nature, not bis conscience, consented,
exculpates the Washington authorities from
all blame in the matter, and relegates on HIM
self the responsibility. He already feels it to
be heavier than he can bear; and we hear
stories of strange scenes between him and
the Washington dignitaries. Here, too, the
air is full of plottings and conspiracies. Take
an example. An advance of The army was
positively ordered for last Thursday week.
Everything was arranged. AT the last mo-
ment the movement was countermanded.
Burnside went up to know the reason why.
The presidents answer was, that some Of the
generals had been up, and said the army had
no confidence in him, and that the movement
would be ill-advised! who were these gen.
erals? The president would not tell Had
they been dismissed from the service, thenT
They had not-whereupon, Of course, new
urgency in pressing the resignation.
Burnside will retire from the command
without blame for a failure for which it will
some day be known he was not as responsible
as he has tried TO make it appear, and without
having forfeited the respect of the ration for
his many fine qualities, both as man and
soldier. At the same time it will have to be
conceded that his own Judgment upon himself
was correct. 1t is substantially the verdict of
the army. He has no confidence in himself;
now is it to be expected that others are to
have confidence in him? His only shortcom-
ing is in the order of positive intellectual
power; his only lack is of that comprehen-
sive mental grasp and fertility of resources,
indispensable to the leader of armies. I'm
happily they are indispensable. Were they
not Burnside must have succeeded for he
has every other quality, His elevation spoiled
a good corps commander, and made bad
general, and his career but adds another to
innumerable instances of how possible it is
for a soldier to make brilliant success when
in a subordinate station, and melancholy
failure when in a primary one.
THE ARMY ORGANIZATION.
s'If it had been designed to devise an in
geniously bad organization of the army, 10
more perfect success could have been desired
than its subdivision into the three grand divi-
sions has proved. The plan was the inven-
ton of Gen. Burnside. At bottom the idea
was rot a bad one, and it is copied from a
good model-the French-though with differ
ences that are fatal. The design was to re-
lieve headquarters from the heavy press of
business that comes from immediate contact
with the army. But while itrelieyeS him of
this, it at the same time relieves him of much
without which the effective leadership of an
army is impossible. Every one knows Napo-
Icons marvellous knowledge of the minutest
details of his army. Such knowledge must
be possessed bv every head of an army These
elements are the counters with which he works.
and he can do nothing withoutthem. But Burn
side complains thathe knows nothing of what is
going on-that he learns nothing from his
grand division commanders. The Sub,isting.
furnishing and disciplining the force are en-
tirely in their hands. Take single exam
ple it is they that give leaves of absence;
there are no less than twelve hundred officers
thus away at the present moment, and the