Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-09-21
"REMINISCENCES OF GENERAL
BURNSIDE.
A Former War Correspondents
RecOlIectiOns of the head
Rhode island Senator.

mr: Natnanlel Palge, formerly q
Journalist and war correspondent, now
a Washington lawyer, gave a Tribune
reporter, Thursday, some interesting
"reminiscences Of General Burnside.
was nj Of the Tribune's CORES
pondents with tho Army of the Po-
tomac,'' said Mr.. Paige" "and was
with Burnside in all the battles he
fought in Virginia. He was an ex-
cellent corps commander, brave as a
lion, energetic, intensely patriotic, and
exceedingly careful of the lives and
comfort of his men. AS the chief of
a great army, he was out Of place, and
no man knew it better than he him
self. He was one of the few leading
generals of the war who never sought
advancement. | was With him at
Warrenton when the news came that
he had been appointed to supersede
Mcclellan in the command Of the
Army Of the Potomac. He said very
earnestly that he was not competent
for the place, and instead of being
elated by his great promotion seemed
filled with anxiety. He attributed
his appointment to the good will Of
the soldiers Of the army, and he was
probably right there. Among Nc
Clellan's corps commanders he was
the most popular with the officers and
men. No other appointment would
have pleased the army as we'll at the
time.
General Burnside's fatal attack
on Lee at Fredericksburg was a move
ment planned by himself, but it was
approved by a majority of the mem
bers of the council of wa, to whom
he submitted it. Franklin, l believe.
was the only General who strongly
opposed it. When it was adopted
Franklin proposed that be be allowed
to cross the river with his troops
about ten miles below the town and
thus make a diversion to draw off a
portion of Lees forces from their
strong position on the hills back of
Fredericksburg. This was assented
to, but the crossing was effected too
late to be of much use as a hank
movement, and Lee, no doubt, under
stood that the main attack would
come uDon his front, and acted ac-
cOrdingly in the disposition Of his
forces.
Burnside was eager to make a
grand N~apoleonic stroke, and believed
that by a brilliant charge he could
break and shatter the enemy's army,
The war afforded few more splendid
spectaeles than the Smelling Of Fred.
ricksburg by our batteries on the Fal.
mouth Hills, the placing of the pom.
toon bridges, the crossing of oul
troops and the charge on the stone
walls back of the town; but the
movement was a fearful military
blunder, because the chances were al
against dislodging and routing apower.
full army having all the advantage O
position and firing from breastworki
upon u unprotected regiments
After the defeat and retreat of tn,
army across the river | was sitting
late at night in an old house, in Fal
mouth, writing my account Of the bat
tie by the light of tallow candle
when, to my surprise, | saw Genera
Burnside enter the room. He looked
like a man stunned and dazed
Oblivious Of my presence he threw
himself upon a big, old. fashioned bed
which, beside the table on which
was writing, was the only piece Of fur
niture in the room, and exclaimed
MY God what have Idonel What
dreadful calamity What a terribl,
sacrifice Of life fer no good" Fol
some minutes he continued to groar
and lament the disaster in broker
calculations. After a while he became
calmer and seemed to gradually realiz,
where he was. Suddenly he rost
from the bed and walked out Of thu
room without noticing me. l nevei
mentioned to him his strange noctur
nal visit to my quarters, and of courst
said nothing oft in my correspond
ence. He was no doubt half crazeC
by grief over the defeat at the time
but by the next morning he haC
regained his soldierly dignity ant
calm.
"He took upon himself all tn,
blame for the disaster in the mos
manly fashion, not seeking to shiel,
himself behind the decision of tn
council Of war, and he promptly aske,
to be relieved from the command o
the army.
Burnside was one of the mos
kind hearted Of men. He wa a
courteous to the private soldiers as t
the officers, returning their salute
and often stopping to chat with then
as he walked through the camps o
rode past a regiment resting on
march. Men liked to serve unde
him. because Of his careful attention
to the personal welfare of his troops
commissary supplies, doctoring, hos
pital service and the like, and of hi
kindly manner toward all subordinates
He could not be called a strict dis
ciplinarian, but he kept his command
in good military trim. His mel
marched we'll and fought well, anC
we're no doubt all the better soldier
for their hearty liking for their chief
Burnside was a tall, well-made
soldierly man, not so stout in thost
days as in recent years, and had a fine
stately presence, whether on foot o.
on horseback. rhe top of his head
was quite bald, he wore a mustach,
and heavy side whiskers. During thu
war, and for a time afterward, both il
the army and in civil life, his style o
beard was universally called Burnside
whiskers," aud this term has not We
wholly fallen int disuse. For a gen
Grafton in England, Wellington gave
name to top boots; so in this countr,
McClellan's nam attaches TO a saddle
and Burnside's to u certain style o
whiskers."
Reeds GiltEdge Toni regents malarii