The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-14

THE BLACKLIST DEFEAT OF THE
CIVIL WAR.

Dreadful repuse al Fredericksburg. Va,
of the Army of the Potomac under Burn
side by the Army of Northern Virginia,
under Lee, Longsireet aud Stonewall
Jackson.
While the removal by Lincoln of Nc
Cle,lan from command of the Army Of
the Potomac, November Z, 1862, was justi-
fable, the succession of Burnside was in
explicabie. Burnside had no record to
justify his promotion compared with a
number Of other generals; he had COM
manded brigade ar Bull Run; he had
successfully led Is, 600 troops against 8, 900
Confederates at Roanoke island; he had
captured Newborn, n. c., after fight that
cost some 500 killed. wounded and miss
ing. He was responsible largely for the
indecisive issue of the great battle Of An
tietam, because. ordered to attack the Con-
federate right simultaneously with Hook
ers attack on their left at a. m, he did
not attack until 3 o. m. when the attack of
Hooker had spen. its fury in vain. He was
not ready then in time; he never was
ready afterward; he was ordered by Grant
to have his Ninth corps in position in line
of battle at the Wilderness to attack ST.
simultaneously with Gen. Hancock's corps
at 6 o'clock. May 6, 1864. Hancock at
tackled promptly as ordered at 6 a. M, but
Burnside did not get into position to at
tack until O'Clock in the afternoon; he
was behind hand all through the rest of
the campaign to Petersburg; and he so
grossly neglected his obvious duty at the
Battle of the Mire that he was relieved
from land and censured by the court
of inquiry which Investigated this great
disaster.
The only explanation of Burnside's high
rank under Mcclellan is that he had been
his comrade at West Point and his asso.
ciate in the Illinois Central railroad Office
He was large, tall, handsome man, of
kindly. magnanimous nature, gallant, un-
selfish, but without capacity for a
larger command than of a brigade,
or at most of division. He was
slow, unready always. impulsive and
warm-hearted; at one moment self-dis-
trustful and irresolute; at another full of
reckless self-confidence and obstinacy, the
kind OF man that never buys q share of
stock until the market has risen to dizzy
height and is tottering to its fall: never
sells a share of stock until the market has
tumbled into ruin. He was appointed to
succeed Mcclellan largely because as Nc
CleIlan's friend and partisan he was ex-
pected to be able, to command the loyal
support of his subordinates. and yet when
he was appointed he not only was dis
trusted, despite his universal personal
popularity, by his subordinates, but he
distrusted himself. Lincoln said "Mc-
Clellan was an admirable engineer with a
special talent for stationary engine" but
Burnside was as slow as Mcclellan with a
propensity when baked to be bull-headed
and rush at n gate.
1t was a month after Mcclellan left be-
fore Burnside was ready To cross at
Fredericksburg. Lee had used the month
10 entrench and yet when so daring and
pugnacious soldier as Hancock warned
Burnside of the folly of attacking Lees
fortified position In front Burnside an
swered him bitterly. Hancock in the
dreadful battle that followed lost half of
his division and his dead were found
nearest the enemy's works. Burnside's
good angel deserted him on the 18th of
December, 1863. when after promising an
order to Frauklin's wing of 40 600 men TO
push an attack against the enemy's right,
where there was fair chance OF success.
he changed his mind aud early on the
morning of the 18th of December
ordered n hopeless attack on the
intrenchei hill and stone wall in
front. The remonstrance of Couch.
Howard, Hancock and Hooker again st
the hopelessness of the attack on the
enemy's left had no effect and Fred
ericksburg ended with loss of Is. 900 men
against less than 5000 for the foe. Burn.
side the next day intended TO renew the
attack, but finally yielded TO the remon-
strances of his best and bravest officers.
Gen. Franklin wrote Halleck that Burn
aide acted like q man who had lost his
mind. The night before the attack, &C
complished soldiers and daring fighters,
like Sumner, Hancock, Humphreys, Getty,
Hooker and William f. Smith, solemnlv
warned Burnside that there was not in.
fantry enough in the whole army to storm
the heights NJ Fredericksburg. defended
by IS, eco troops. entrenchei behind stone
walls and defended by batteries. Warned
by every bold fighting general in his com.
mand that 1t would be 3 fg!ghtful and use.
less slaughter, murder not warfare. Burn.
side dashed his army 10 fragments agains;
the impregnable left OF Lee. while bat
1890 OF our left wing, under Franklin
were seriously engaged, although franklin
had in vain begged for an order the night
before 10 flng his whole $1,000 on the vut
nerahle Confederate right. Burnside mad,
his attack in force against the impregnab
left Of Lee, where lie should hav,
skirmished, and our men charged sis
times through artillery and musketry
until lo.0C0 men lay dead or dying, piled
three deep on the field.
We were hope,essly beaten before We
started and the men Anew ii. LougstreeI