The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-01-14
BURNSIDE TO HOOKER.
A Valuable Contribution to War
History.

cause 1t is often dry and dull, he should consult
the fresh and sprightly pages of this monthly
and be reformed.
The January number is the best yet issued
The frontispiece is the finest engraving of Gen
Logan yet produced, and is supported by an
interesting article entitled Slavery in Ameri-
ca" His writing needs no commendation.
A most interesting article upon Paul Re-
we're is by L. III. Goss. A handsome tribute
is paid to the memory of the late Nice-Presi-
dent Hendricks by Hon: James W. Gerard. Gen.
William Farrar e. Baldy') Smith contributes
Operations Before Fort Doneison." Maj. Will
liam Howard Mills contributes From Burn
side to Hooker. Transfer of the Army Of the
Potomac, 1863" Washingtons First Cam
paign is by T. J. Chapman, A. M. princess
or Pretender: A Leaf of Old Louisiana His
tory" is by Charles Dimetry, while the care
fully-edited, printed number is
closed with "The New Years Holiday Its
Origin and Observance" by the editor. Pub
lished at 30 Lafayette Place, New York.
Maj. Mills was formerly of the 14th q. S.
Inf, is citizen of Washington, a prominent
member of the Grand Army of the Republic
having been an id-de-Camp on the Staff of
the late Commander in -Chief-and other kin
dred organizations, and is withal good friend
of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
His monograph is valuable contribution to
our national history, as the author quotes the
exact words of some of the most prominent
men of that critical period in the existence of
the Republic, including President Lincoln,
Secretary of War Stanton, and leading Gen
erals He makes important corrections of his
torical record, as for instance: the War De-
partment in 1877 published q book entitled
Reports of Military Operations During the
Rebellion, 1S60-'65," which gives the organ
ization of the Army of the Potomac December,
1862, Maj Gen. A. E. Burnside commanding"
as three grand divisions, composed of the First,
Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth and Ninth Corps.
The book referred to has been adopted as au-
thority by historical writers. Maj. Mills gives
the organization in four grand divisions, adding
to the Right, Left and Center, the Reserve Grand
DiuisiOn, commanded by Maj Gen. Franz Sigel;
composed of the Eleventh Corps, under Brig
Gen. Julius II. Stahel, and the Twelfth by Maj
Gen. Henry w. Slocum.
1t will be remembered that the gallant Brig
Gen. Joseph K. L. Mansfield, of the Regular
Army, Major General of Volunteers, died Sep
tember, 1862, of ,cOunds receired in the battle Of
Antietam, Md, while commanding the Twelfth
Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
The Eleventh Corps marched from Fairfax
Courthouse Dec. TO- 1862, to join the Army of
the Potomac, arriving at Falmouth Dec. Is.
Maj. Mills we'll remembered the reorganization
of Pope's demoralized Army of Virginia and
the Army of the Potomac, by Gen. Mcclellan
while on the march from the defenses of Wash
ington to the Antietam field.
Not wishing to make any statement to which
the facts would not bear witness he consulted
Lieut.-Col. Robert n. Scott, Sd U. S. Artil-
lery, in charge of the office for compilation and
publication of the official records of the Union
and Confederate armies. BY courtesy he was
permitted access to the returns of the army,
made at the time and ascertaned the facts as
stated.
Of the "Mud March" Maj. Mills says:
Accordingly the army moved on the morning
with pleasant weather The Grand Divisions of
Gems. Hooker and Franklin moved up the river by
parallel roads. while Gen. Couch's Second Corps
went below Fredericksburg to make demOnstra-
tions. To Gen. Sigel, with the Reserve Grand
Division, was assigned the duty of protecting the
line of communication and the river front.
Positions for the artillery had been selected by
Brig. Gen. Henry ]. Hunt, Chief of Artillery, tho
guns were well up, and the pontoon train only
short distance behind when the army encamped
for the night in the woods at convenient distance
from the fords. 1t was decided to make the cross
ing early next morning.
During the night the most terrible storm of driv-
ing snow, sleet, and pouring rain experienced
in that vicinity overlook the unfortunate army,
rendering the roads impossible All the long
hours OF that fearful night large numbers of soldiers
toled at the guns with the horses i'll the futile effort
to haul them up the nights and place them in posi-
ton.
double and triple teams of horses and mules
were harnessed to each wagon carrying one pom
toon boat and by morning 10 boats were at the river
bank but five more were needed to complete
bridge. Long stout ropes We're attached to the
guns and pontoon wagons, a hundred and fifty men
being put on each, who worked and tugged with
the horses and mules. The animals dropped dead
by the score, while the men. after fioundering
through the mud for few feet, were breathess.
Virginia mud has national reputation, the upper
geologic deposits affordng unequaled elements for
bad roads Ii is soil out Of which the bottom drops
when it rains tenacious that extrication from its
clutch is almost impossible.
The ever watcldul, intrepid Lee had discovered
the movement of the Union army during the night,
and by morning, notwithstanding the war of the
elements, had massed his army to prevent the
crossing. Night came again, but the guns and pom
toons were not up. A chaos Of artillery and pom
toon wagons encumbered the road TO the river
supply and ammunition wagons were mired by the
way,-all in sight OF the enemys pickets, who
jeered and taunted the dispirited army, shouting:
Say! Yanks! We'll be in the morning and
haul your guns and pontoons out of the mud for
you Wen build your bridges and escort you
over why didn't you let us know you Were
not going to cross again at fredericksburg?
You ought not to get mad quick. We had
a first-class reception fixed up for you last
time,-n you had only come where lived
but if yon had called again, instead of bringing
away up here such an Internal night as last night,
we would have given you regular warming
hare painted the tocn red-before we allowed you to
go back
rain and storm, and things generally went from
bad to worse. The more hopeless the undertaking,
the more tenacious Burnside; and he early deter
mined TO leave his artillery-eyen his pontoons-
where they were, hopelessly stuck in the mud,
cross in the face of Lees army with such pontoons
he had at the river, and make bold attack upon
the arrogant insulting enemy.
Gen. Hooker stoutly protested against so recll-
less venture, and other Generals were virtually
insubordinate.
"Ascertaining the three days rations carried in
the haversacks of the men TO be exhausted and
realizing the violent opposition of the rank and file,
who had become aware OF his purpose, he reluc-
tantly abandoned the forward movement, but not
until he had teiegraphed Gen Halleels he would be
glad TO meet him at Acquia Creek Or if IalleclS
preferred, he would run up to Washington for an
hour
- Being told In reply that he must be his own
graphed back: i shall not go up He then
dered the army back to the camps il had left in the
vicinity Of Fredericksburg.
THE problem Of n backward movement was
almost as serious as the forward movement he had
abandoned.
Nearly the whole army was put at work oordu-
roying the bottomless roads and getting the artil-
lery. pontoon and other wagons on to the corduroy
=" Early on the morning of the 23d the army
moved, fioundering and staggering as best it could
back TO camp, desperately humiated.
The recollections of that terrible Mud March
will ever live in the memories of its participants
" 10 was an ample vindicaton of Gen. Mcclellan
for resisting the almost universal and popular de-
mand OF the people at home-by their comfortable
firesides--for Il forward movement during the
Winter months, when he WAS in command. 1t
should have forever stopped the daily bulletin from
Washington All quiet on the Potomac. Only one
picket Shot last night; responded to by the innu-
merable host OF croakerS with Why don't the
army mover
1.-The position in which Burnside now found him
self was unfortunate as huniliatng He had
he supposed, that his campaign
would have been failure even had the weather
continued favorable for the that the leading
officers of his army lacked confidence in his ability
aud.