The National tribune., 1910-03-31
GEN. 4. f.. BURNSIDE.
An Abe Defense of the Comma ndcr of
the Ninth Corps.


AS one of the soldiers of tho Ninth
Corps. identified with 1t in a humble
way from the time il was formed, July
| %, 1862, until the close of the war,
earnestly protest on behalf of the living
and by the memory of the dead who
served under the leadership Of Gen.
Burnside, against the disdainful, false
and apparent malicious reflection cast
in that issue upon the fair name end
| fame of that noble soldier.
1t would not have been surprising had
a Swinton written 1t, but to those who
| have even a slight acquaintance with
Comrade McElroy the statements re-
ferred to are sincerely regretted and
unexpected.
You say that on the 5th of May 'all
| of Meade's subordinate commanders
| felt entirely confident that Burn
side, who was never prompt. would
not get into action before 6
o'clock" Then you quote some Off
| Ger on Warrens staff as saying:
Burnside came to Grants headIuar-
ters after receipt of his order to Join
Meade. AT the close of his interview
with Meade and the other corps COM
manders he said: ''Well, then, my
troops shall break camp by halt past 2
O'Clock" Was there anything in that
statement on the part of Burnside to be
sneered at?
| buL lui tIitI liit Sotll stan oIii'tI pIp-
ceeded: HE had very oracular air.
After he was gone out Of hearing Duane
| (ChivalrOus Duane), Chief of Engineers
on Meades staff, who had been with
| the Army of the Potomac since its
| formation, said: He won't be up. I
know him WELL And apparently that
was the opinion of them all; that he
would not be up by 4:30, for they all
knew him well, too. and recognized
what Layman says Of him, that he had
a genius for slowness."
| Then. as if that were not enough of
derision and aspersion, unexplained and
unprOven, because in truth and fairness
it cannot be done, you further quote
the same knowing one of Warrcn's
staff: "As to Burnside's appearance
Gen. Schaffs gives this graphic picture:
| Burnside belonged to the well-formed
handsome, California-peach class of
| men, affable, with lots of small talk and
dignified good humor, most admira bly,
| fitted for a Military Attache at a For
| eign Embassy or the head of ban
quet, but utterly brainlesS on a battle
| field, yet could and did look wonderful
| ly wise. He was affectiOnately called
"Oid Burn and died with hosts of
| friends"
That evidently, in your estimation
! disposcs of old Burn" Be not de-
ceived. When the historian, unbiased
and unprejudiced, writes the story of
| this civil war, founded on facts, sub
stantiated by official records. he will
| not quote some inconsequential staff Of
| ficer to fix Gen. Burnsides place in the
annals of his country.
1t was on the afternoon of May 4.
Burnside received orders to join Meade
and the Army of the Potomac that
afternoon, and promptly his troops were
on the march toward the Wilderness,
marching until after dark. Again, early
the following morning, at n rapid pace,
and altho the Rappahannock and the
Rapidan had to be crossed, while long
trains of baggage wagons and artillery
obstructed the way, the corps marched
until late at night, and at half past 2
o'clock in the morning, as promised by
Burnside, the corps was again, by
forced marching, moving to the place
assigned 1t in the great battle of the
Wilderness.
Yet we are to be told that Burnside
was SLOW and never prompt" Perhaps
Gen. Grants report of his campaign
(Report Of Lieut.-Gen. Grant, page 6),
may throw little light. Let me quote
/ it: considering that a large proper
ton of Gen. Burnside's command was
composed of new troops, unaccustomed
to marches and carrying the accouter-
ments of a soldier, this was a remark
able march" But it would apparently
suit better to quote the staff officer on
Meade'S staff than to quote Gen. Grant.
When that "slow and brainless" Gen.
Burnside reached the battlefield with
| his command, after a forced march
since half past 2 O'clock that morning,
| we saw him at the head of his corps,
promptly and skilfully leading his
troops into position under CALLING fire
from the enemy's guns; and as to the
part taken by the Ninth Corps and its
commander in that sanguinary battle,
as well as on subsequent batlefields, let
the records speak. We prefer them to
the f1ippant judgment of some member
of somebody's staff.
In your estimate of Gen. Meade it
would not be expected that you would
quote what C. A. Dana, Assistant Secre-
tary of War, wrote to e. NJ. Stanton,
Secretary of War, on July I, 1864, as
shown in Vol. 4, Series 1, Part 1, Rec
ords of the Rebellion; nor would it be
right to do so unexplained. Merely as a
reminder let me quote to you few of
the statements in that letter: "At the
same time, as far as I am able to ascer-
tain, his (Meade's) Generals have lost
confidence in him as a commander.
His orders for the last series
of assaults on Petersburg. in which he
lost 10000 men without gaining any
decisive advantage, was to the effect
lildt le IOuIu IL lIHpIdClItiDle tc secure
the cooperation of corps commanders,
etc. OF course there are
matters about which | cannot make in
quiries, but what / have reported is the
general sense of what seems to be the
opinion of fair-minded and jealous Off
GERS. For instance, l know that Gen.
Wright has said to a confidential friend
that all of Meade's attacks have been
made without brains and without gen.
eralship." There is more of the same
kind. l have not seen in any part of
your story any attempt to measure
Meade by that yardstick.
Perhaps it would be well for you to
keep in mind when writing of Burnside
in connection with the operations of
the Army of the Potomac the evident
prejudice and jealousy existing at
Meade's headquarters against Gen.
Burnside. and to remember that neither
a packed jury nor a biased judge. even
a Judge Advocate, constitute II fair and
just tribunal
Let me call your attention to the
further fact that Gen burnside held an
Independent command up to July o.
1862, and that under his command the
Ninth Corps was only connected with
the Army of the Potomac in three bat
ties, until Burnside was placed in com
mand after Antietam, and then only
until after the battle of Frederick Sburg.
Was Burnside "slow and never prompt"
at Chantilly? IT may be that some Off
Ger was, but ii was not Gen. Burnside.
Was burnside "slow and never
prompt at South Mountain? Again. at
Antietam; Burnside was ordered about
a "a 'ain to toll l,n hril lsa u.1 lnnt