New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-24

m bearir date Nov -. 1864 ond written nearly
fhrco . ter the occurrence OF tie events which il
desoy,h n all the aids that can be derived by the
writer he eTidence given by Gen. Burnside be-
fore 60 ni.tee on the Conduct Of the War. the
lap and he present want Of public Interest il
The M pears Be in tnany respects Al answer to
m 0 the Report Of the Joint Committee Of
e. . be Conduct OF The War" After CON-
pa .-. Reply with the Report DO not find that
T.. ll.. quires any correction from aUght in the
lat Ds "a the other bend, the Report Of Gen.
IL i.ains statements at variance with the
" ~. This shall endeayOr 70 make aqpa-
n 2. ia space as possible
Ia.' Burnside states. "in speaking OF this
crest OF ridge shall speak Of il occupied by tho en-.
envy; and shall call the point near the Massapoaa1 the
rTh OF the cFcst and that on tie river end rear o.
and above tie town. the it" all tins dated Soy. -
Ton Dec H. lsoa in his letter to Gen. Halect quoted
Min III repot be saws: To do this We Ana 20 gain q
blight on the extreme night Of the crest which hight
Commanded new rood, ETC., etc.
assert iht in dis letter, the right referred 10 mems
ite right Of me crest as We saw it, oAd not las oecu-
TO 6iogc his quote Gen Burrsde's evidence be.
fbr3 tho Committee Oh tie Conduct OF tie War; Dec.
T. DO understand you 70 say fiat Won expected
Gen Franklin TO carry the point at the extreme left Of
To- az, al he Of the town AID thereby enable
a. lid pect him 70 carry thet point which being
dome would have placed forces in rear Of tAer tx
II,
S.oond Gen Hooker's evidence regarding Gen.
Bunside's intentions il the following:
bat Gen Burnside said that b fayore place Of attack
'baAon the Telegraph Road sid he III at be- evays been
~ fsyorte place Of stisca Tie army vas accordingly
stiyded to make two attacks
(oucson Yon speak Of tie Telegraph Road; will you -'e
r3ore definitely what thai, rosdis! .
anoyer-st ard through depression in the bill in the
direction Of Bowling Green-ls Keep Com on Con. Of War
THESE extracts prove Tint on Dec H. 1862 in writing
tieB. Hslleck Gen. Burnside speaks Of hight on the
Sxreme yieA. Of the crest which We had to GAIN and
Su Dec 20 1902 lie speak, Of ono on the extreme In
That he expected 10 take. Gen. Hooker states that
fho point ON the Telegraph road was Gen. Burnsides
faroIe place Of attack and shows That tns point was
bn the right az we saw IL. Until tais Report dated
Nov - leG5 saw the light there nothing TO show
hat Gen. Burnside when he spoke of ae right and left
cf this cSest in lo6@ meant them cas- Occapod by the
tnemy.' On the contrary, everything shows that he
ean them any person OOging al them from our side
oi the river would have understood them. No person
Belonging 10 the Army Of the Potomac ever spoke Of
thehaLks OF that crest rs they appeared 10 the enemy
and no military writer except Gen. Burnside used
Che expressions right and left in the enemv's sense Of
those terms unless be spoke Of the cnemys troops.
The whole object OF his remarks this subject ap-
pears be TO confuse the reader as 70 hrs letter 10 Gen
HaeIk OF Dec H. 1862 aud they have no point eXcept
when viewed IN that hight.
Third Gen. Burnside states that the move ments Of
Ghn- samIer's and my commands we're ~ intended
"a be Simultaneous To prove this he pr ms together
thsordcrs TO Franklin SuDner and Hoo er In the order
named and states that be sent Inc oopy Of he order
20 Gen Sumner. The inference r he drawn from his
statement is that had the orler 10 Cen Sumner
)before my movement commence Il
Now this inference wou0 be false For my order
was brought by Con Iie' din. and informs nc that
vii be forwarded to 80 bv an orderly yerv soon" Nv
Oleinehi vas ootnV enced at once and l did not
Seise .le rred 10 until late in the morning
30 theso ciuers " Gen Sumner could have no influence
with mo in tho INTERPRETATION Of the order 10 me NV
oh guiaS ordering the attack that order; and
"opeIasios no one IN ieadEs can come to any otnI
tI =. than that 1t meant that Gen Sumner md
eoan tack the eDemy's left and right TANKS stimuli.
.S sy with columns Of division at least nj
sop me time to keep ny whole command in position
-" rapid movement down the Old Richmond Road -
out even had read the order TO Cen Sumner in
connection with that 10 me- doubt whether L would
not then have considered the movements sjtujfaneonS
Summers headquarters not more than lalf milo
IRON Burnsldes. Mine were moro than two miles dis
tanti so that II was quite natural thai Sumner should
De Instructed TO wait the arrival Of Gen. Burnside at
his headquarters as he doubtless received his order
unite half an hour before received mine, and insruo.
tons should have been given him to wait If the move
ments were to be simultaneous.
Fourth: Gen. Burnside knows that Gen. Meades
Division was selected to make the attack for the best
reasons That the attack WIS CALAMITY made there is
no question. IL was severely repused, bat from Rebel
reports II is apparent that impression was
made by it upon the cnemvs line. This column of q
division at least threw itself against the whole Of
JacksOns Corps IN literal obedience 10 orders. Tie
only attack which could have been successful ought TO
have been organized during the night When morning
came and orders were received to make the attack
which was made, il was TOO late to have moved the
troops then In position without Hsrderous loss OF
life
But the proper dispositions TO be made during the
night were explained To Gen. Burnside on the even
ing OF Dec r. ~ Gen. Smith, Gen. Reynolds and N.Y.
self They woro insisted upon so strenously that
feared were making ourselves offensive IN our per
tnaoiy "a 10 the early dispatch OF the orders But,
alas all that said produced so little Impression
upon him that no reference Is made IN The order to the
plan of attack which advised, and am afraid that
1t was entirely forgotten by him.
j have received nom my freud, Gen. VIM. 7. Smith
letter bearing on this subject which fully corroborates
the statements given her The following copy of it;
'No II EAST FIFE FsTHsT Newly ork, March 8, 1866
DEAR GENERAL: In the report oiGen Burnside, published
in THE New York TRIBUNE oithe th inst, great injustice
Is done you statements snd differences with reference 10
sken by the Sixth Corps in the battle OF fredercS
burg Dec. d. 1862 and volunteer explanations which
service TO make use OF YOU see proper 80 70 DO
The Sixth Corp crossing the RappahannocA, the
right Of your command With two divisions ~ hue Of battle
end one The right Of the corps rested Deep
Ran and The line of battle generally IN the direction
as the road called by Gen BGrnde the old Richmond read
We were under the fortified hills OF the enemy that
our position only made tenabe by the deep cut Of THE
road aordrg shelter 20 portion OF the lines and he valley e
eep Run itself which b. aliu- 10 the lcf iu an front Of
right gave shelter portion OF the sommaUd Of Gen
Brooks right division 81 the corps The Third Division
ma.sed the bridges possible be % Tar as pac
low our right The bridges directly In rear Of your ex
IRENE right while the attack ordered from yonr extreme
left so that Il absolutely essential 20 keep The line the
sixth Corps had taken up long there was any necessity
for guarding usn. crossings Of the river snd only
means Of communication with ihe rest OF ne army ana peh
Burnside himself Beside TINS the sixth from s p3l
y to the eneys works aud lines could not be relieved by
other troops daring daylight without suhcctns all the troops
fnsaced the movement 10 oss great Hs tley w0ud have
s-red ia sharp engagement lasting THROUGH the same time
Tie night before the battle Gen Burnside came TO your
hesdauarters aud IN conversation with yon Cen Reynolds
.nd myself these csreuly explained TO him. He
Wa that the only point In your hoi' yoaf which WIS
practicable assault extreme lett aud lie was
adyised yourself sud two Corps commanders y maze
hi. Aght there rather an az any other POINT o. ms me and
90 MAKE that attack with tho whole Of the Len Grand Division,
Al, A