BREAKING UP THE UNION CAMP AT FALMOUTH. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

HOOKER’S APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL.

BY CHARLES F. BENJAMIN. }

TXThen, after the Mud March that succeededv ’ the disaster of Fredericksburg , Generalarnside, in a fit of humiliation, telegraphed to'Washington requesting, for the second time, to heRelieved, the question of his successor was alreadyeing considered as a probability. Though stungy the loud call that went up for McClellan from. ae army that had twice met disaster after part-With him, the cabinet were not shaken in theConclusion that McClellan must not be restored, forl o jocund Seward, equally with the patient Lin-°hi, drew the line at a military dictatorship, such?. s w ould be virtually implied by a second restora-on > under such pressure. But while firm, theAuthorities were circumspect, and concluded thatWould not be prudent to increase the tensiontween themselves and a possible prsetorianc & nip by sending an outsider to take the com-a nd from Burnside. Subject to this conclusion,6 neral Halleck and Secretary Stanton favored thebusier of Rosecrans, for whom McClellan might

c | ptc writer of this paper occupied responsible andof I, CI 'tial positions at the headquarters of the Armytile Potomac and in the War Department.— Editors.Gei °tf*oial report of the Rappahannock campaign,

bet lCri, l Burnside says: “I made four distinct attempts,^Ween November 9th, 1862 , and January 25th, 1863.

first failed for want of pontoons; the second wasthe W® 0 °f Fredericksburg ; the third was stopped by’Oei l^^dent; arid the fourth was defeat ed by the ele-t W' 8 or other (anises. After the last attempt to move- ‘ ls ’ 011 January 25tli, 1863, relieved of the command of

tioi of the Potomac.” Tlio fourth attempt men-

tlie a ' 1y General Burnside has passed into history asMud March.” The plan was to movo Franklin’sWhe^ 01 V B ’ <>r the Deft Grand Division, to Banks ’s Ford,the r' C h'ranklin was to cross and seize the heights onWas 'J. Vcr food north of the Orange Turnpike. FranklinC e . to be supported by Hooker and Sumner, with theBook . ail( l Bis 11 * Grand Divisions. Franklin andhear n hiarclied from their camps and bivouackedBanks ’s Ford on January 20th; but a rain storm set

be expected to say a good word to supplement liisinherent strength as a repeatedly victorious com-mander ; but it was then thought injudicious toput another Western man in command.

The choice being narrowed to the Army of thePotomac, a process of exclusion began. Franklinwas under a cloud [see note, p. 216] and was con-sidered out of the question; Sumner had manyqualifications, but his age and growing feeblenesswere beyond remedy; Couch was a possible second ,and still more likely third choice ; and, briefly, theselection was found to lie among Hooker, Reynolds,and Meade. 4 The first-named had a strong popu-lar lead, but General Halleck, backed by theSecretary of War, contended that there were rea-sons of an imperative character why he should nothe intrusted with an independent command of sohigh a degree of responsibility. Stress was laidupon tlio fact that in the dispositions for the attackon Marye’s Heights, General Burnside, who at thattime could have had no valid motive for jealousy

in that evening making tlio roads impassable for pon-toon wagons, and after several attempts to liaul tlioboats to the river by hand the movement was aban-doned. The artillery and wagons became mired, andthe army, witli all of its necessary material, was infact foot-fast in tlio soft, clayey soil that abounds inthat region. In a dejected mood the army splashedback to its old camps around Falmouth. See also p.118.— Editors.

| T have been told recently, on hearsay testimony,that Sedgwick was sounded and said lie ought not to beappointed because lie was a McClellan mail. I neverheard that Sedgwick was ever proposed as successor toBurnside, and I cannot believe it, knowing the lim-ited though warm regard of Secretary Stanton for him.Stanton always spoke of Sedgwick as a brave, thorough-going soldier, wlio staid ill camp, gave Washington awido berth, and did not intrigue against his superiors;but [ never heard him attribute to Sedgwick surli highqualities for a great command as lie imputed to someother officers of that army.— C. F. B.

239