Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-03-19

but never an open RUPTURE IL was
charged that Fitz John Porter virtually
turned traitor rather than sustain Pope
at the Second Bull Run, but impartial
investigation proved that he had actual
ly done jealous work not called for by
his orders and had obeyed orders to the
letter and saved Pope's army.
McClellan's removal and Burnside's
appointment, coming III the way they
did, caused bitter feeling in all ranks,
but Burnside himself had protested
against his own appointment and acted
30 chivalrously throughout that while
the other generals had no confidence in
him as the successor Of Mcclellan they
sustained him most Loyalty when it
came TO battle. General franklin, who
commanded the left wing of the Army
of the Potomac at the battle Of Fred
ericksburg, was made a scapegoat for
the horrible disaster TO the army on
that field, but Burnside had said to him
after the battle, Franklin, you held
up my hands that day. F"
All the troops and the generals adj
mired Burnside and felt for him in his
situation, but when he was succeeded
by Joe Hooker patience and sentiment
had been exhausted. The act seemed
direct slap in the face. Fortunately be-
fore that came some of the leading gen
erals had been relieved, among them
Franklin. Franklin has made no secret
of the fact that he would never have
served under Hooker. Had he been
forced to say so as bluntly as Marina
duke did of Walker the quarrel would
not have been confined to Franklin and
Hooker.
After Charlottesville the command
ers were not chary about letting Hooker
and the administration know their
views of Hooker. General Couch, the
commander Of the Second corps, yer
able soldier and splendid man. was nat
urally the representative of the protest
ing leaders. He said boldly that he
would no longer serve under Hooker,
and Hooker, instead of taking umbrage,
begged him to remain in the army. He
then stated that he would serve under
Meade, who was his inferior i'll rank,
but this was not until the command had
been offered to himself and firmly re-
fused.
Between Sickles and Meade there was
eternal war, so TO speak, and it is no
wonder that they came to two ways OF
thinking in the crisis at Gettysburg.
Meade said to Sickles when he reported
the enemy as active on the front, "Oh,
oil
attack u
Siokles looked upon Meade as a
military pedagogue whose true place
was in cloister teaching milksops the
theories of war. Perhaps the country
lost nothing and risked little when
these two generals had its destinies in
their hands, but who shall say? Meade
and Slocum, commander of the right
wing at Gettysburg also had misun-
Outstanding on that field, and Meade
was compelled or constrained to make
amends officially for statements in his
first reports. Slocum was transferred to
the west after Gettysburg, and Sickles
also left the Army of the Potomac. But
Meade's quarrels with subordinates did
not end. He removed General Double
day from command on the field at Get
tysburg. Soon after the army started on
its campaign toward Richmond in 1864
Meade stirred up the Irish i'll Phil Sher-
idan, newcomer from the west, and
thereafter these two were two, not one,
as commander and lieutenant should be.
Sheridan took his orders from Grant
after Meade set him to the task of wag.