SUMNER’S “RIGHT GRAND DIVISION.”

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state was perfect folly. There did not seem to be anything in the move tore commend itself. If the weather had happened to turn cold, possibly helr bght have surprised Lee and gotten across the river, above Fredericks-but it was a hazardous move, with the army out of confidence withlts commander and the enemy elated with brilliant success. The generaldemoralization that had come upon us made two or three months of rest aNecessity. {)

'When Hooker, on January 25th, was placed in command of the army, manyUs were very much surprised; I think the superior officers did not regardcompetent for the task. He had fine qualities as an officer, but not theheight of character to take charge of that army. Nevertheless, under his^ministration the army assumed wonderful vigor. I have never known mento change from a condition of the lowest depression to that of a healthy fight-1]1 g state in so short a time. President Lincoln with his wife came down to®Pcnd a few days with General Hooker, and to see the different officers and;i 'h with them. To further that, General Hooker gave a dinner party at

^ le c °urse of a correspondence, relating toF aei1 ’ several controversies with General Burnside,ranklin wrote to Halleck, under date of June 1st,o3 : “ j wag 0 f your opinion with regard to theonesty and integrity of purpose of General Burn-I ae > Until after his relief from the command of thetoy of the Potomac. I lost all confidence in hisa ity at the first Fredericksburg battle. There„ as n °t a man in my command who did not believea t everything he would undertake would fail,

and General Hooker informed me that that wasthe general feeling in his command. Genei’al Sum-ner’s feelings were not so decided, but they werenearly so. You can imagine that the beds of thegrand division commanders were not of roses, andI came to the conclusion that Burnside was fastlosing his mind. So I looked upon the rain whichstopped his second attempt to cross the river [the‘mud march’] as almost a providential interfer-ence in our behalf.”— Editors.

STUCK IN THE MUD —A FLANK MARCH ACROSS COUNTRY. FROM A WAR-TIME SKETCH,

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