The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-07

GEN. HOOKER IN COMMAND.
Rurnsides Retirement-Gen. Hooker Reor-
ganizes the Army, Revives It's Spirit. and
Introduces Many Useful Reforms Discus
sion of Plans of Campaign.
In tracing the development of military
operations as they stand related to the
army that was the agent of their execu-
ton, 1t Is important to mark not only the
army's condition of material strength and
well-being, but those moral transfOrma-
tons with which. in SO large degree. its
efficiency as a living organism is bound
up.
Nothing is more difficult than to ind
cate. in precise terms. that blending OF
qualities. passions, prejudices, and illu-
siOns. that at any given time make up
what is expressively called the morale of
an army. Like the imponderable forces
of physical philosophy. it is inapprecM-
Bile by material weight and measure. Yet,
it difficult of analysis, it does not fail to
make itself felt as Il paipable power: and
the foremost master of war attempted to
convey his sense of its potency by the eX
preston that in military affairs, ''the
moral is to the physical as three to one
That the morale of the Army of sthe
Potomac became seriously impaired after
the disaster at Fredericksburg was only
too manifest. Indeed it would be impos-
sible to imagine a graver or gloOmier,
more sOmber or unmusical body OF men
than the Army of the Potomac a month
after the battle. And a. the days went
by, dependency. discomfort, and all evil
Inspirations. with their natural conse-
quence. desertion. seemed to increase rath-
er than to diminish. until. for the first
time, the Army of the Potomac could be
said TO be really demoralized 90
ARMY DEMoRALIZED.
The cause of all this could not be con.
cealed: it was the lack of confidence in
Gen. Burnside sentiment that was uni
yersal throughout the army. Troops who
have by experience learned what war is.
become severe critics. 1t is mistake to
suppose that soldiers, and especially such
soldiers as composed the American army.
are lavish of their lives they are chary Of
their lives, and are never what newspaper
jargon constantly represented them to he
-"eager for the fray" 'The soldier"
says Marmont, acquires the faculty of
discriminat ting how and when he will be
able, by Offering his life as a sacrifice, to
make the best possible use of it, But
when the time comes that he discovers in
his commander that which will make this
rich Offering vain. from that moment he
gin to work those malign influences that
disintegrate and destroy the morale of
armies. Gen. Burnside had brought his
army to that unhappy pass that, with
it distrusted and feared his leadership !:
while the general officers had little belief
in or respect for his military plans. 1t
is easy TO see how fatal to the success of
any military operations must have been
this state of affairs: and this received
striking illustration in the two attempted
movements which fill up the remainder of
10f<x III <xf
the Army of the Potomac. The first of
these movements was undertaken fort
night after the battle of Fredericksburg.
toward the close of December. Gen.
Burnside had determined to cross the Rap
pahannock seven miles below Fredericks-
burg. with a view TO turn the Confederate
position and in connection with this opera
fion he resolved TO send a cavalry expedi-
tion to the rear of Lees army for the
purpose of cutting the railroad commune
cations of the Confederates. Now the raid
ing column had actually got under way.
and the whole army was in readiness for
an immediate move. when. on the Both
of December. Gen. Burnside received dis
patch from President Lincoln instruc. ing
him not to enter on active operations with
out letting the President know of it. Sur
prised at this message, Gen. Burnside re-
called the cavalry expedition, and pro-
ceeded personally to Washington to ascar-
tain the cause of the presidential prohi-
bition. On seeing Mr.. Lincoln. he was in
formed by him that certain general officers
OF the Army of the Potomac had come I'D
to see him, and had represented that the
army was on the eve of another movement !;
that all the preliminary arrangements
were made and that they, and every promi-
nent officer in the army, were satisfied, If
the movement was entered upon, it would
result in disaster. In consequence of this
nf fant ssl.~
prohibiting a move, judged that any large
enterprise. at that time, would be injudi-
ci0us and Gen. Burnside returned TO his
headquarters amazed at the revelation of
the state of feeling in the army that was
notorious to every one in il save the conf
mander himself.
UNHAPPY STATE FOR BURNSIDE
The position i'm which that officer now
found himself was as false as il was humil-
iating: and was one that neither his own
sense of honor. nor the Government s
sense of the public welfare. should have
permitted him to occupy. He had lost the
confidence of the army: he was unable to
obtain the sanction of the General in Chief
to any proposition for movement and
at the same time the country looked ia
him for action. In this unhappy situation
Gen. Burnside's conduct was marked by
a self-sacrificing and patriotic spirit: bu,
lie was utterly helpless to extricate him.
self from the coil that enveloped him. Al
length. as the be-all and the end-all of his
hopes, he resolved 10 again try the fortune
OF battle. in the expectation that if sue
cessful it would rehabilitate him in til.
confidence of the army
Unfortunately. success was already tot
necessary to him. and he made too mucl
contingent upon it; for if success was need
full as the means of recovering the conf
dence of the army. this very confidence wa.
itself indispensable as a condition of sue
cess.
The point at which Gen. Burnside re
solved this time to essay the passage O
the Rappahannock was Banks's Ford (no
then fordable). about six miles aboy
AZ. The form which this decentralization