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842 DOUGLASS' MONTHLY. June, 1863 [[three columns]] [[column one]] was taken to cross the Potomac for nearly six weeks after Antietam, and when the army was all across it had taken twos to cross, and was four weeks after the President's order to cross was given. McClellan was removed and succeeded by Burnside, Nov. 5, 1862, after about sixteen months of command. Still following the Army of the Potomac, the Committee now turns to Gen. Burnside, who at once decided to make Fredericksburg his base for operating against Richmond, as he had already advised McClellan to do, and arranged his plans for rapid movement across the Rappahannock. This was frustrated by the delay in transporting the pontoons that were required and ordered. This delay Gen. Hatleck thinks was from bad weather and causes not to be foreseen; not from any delinquency anywhere. The plan to cross the Rappahannock by surprise failing, the battle of Fredericksburg was planned and fought. The defeat at Fredericksburg was in consequence of disobedience of orders by Gen. Franklin, who had over 50,000 men, and was to have forced the enemy's lines opposite his own (the Left) Grand Division. He only sent 5,000 men or so, attacking so feebly as not to aid the centre attack at all. The words of the Commitee here are: "The testimony of all the witnesses before your Committee proves most conclusively that, had the attack been made upon the left with all the force which Gen. Franklin could have used for that purpose, the plan of Gen. Burnside would have been completely successful, and our army would have achieved a most brilliant victory." A little afterwards, Gen. Burnside planned a daring cavalry expedition by 1,000 picked troopers, which was to cross the Rappahannock and the Rapidan; reach the Virginia Central R. R. at Louisa, 40 miles NW. of Richmond; cross the James 20 or 30 miles W. of Richmond, blowing up the canal locks there; go south to the Richmond and Lynchburg R. R., to an iron bridge; blow it [[torn paper, illegible, prob. "up"]] turn eastward to where the Richmond, Pet[[ers]]burg, and Weldon R. R., crosses the Nottoway, and cross and destroy the bridge; reach Gen. Peck at Suffolk, and come back to Acquia Creek by steamer. While this dashing foray was in progress, 1,500 more cavalry were to make deceptive movements in several directions; and a general advance was to be made across the Rappahannock. Gen. John Cochrane and Gen. John Newton--both in Franklin's command--secretly prevented this movement, by going to Washington and making Mr. Lincoln think the army was too discouraged, so that he ordered Burnside to make no general movement without first acquainting him. On this Burnside stopped all movements; came to Washington; was refused by the President the names of the generals who had thus prevented his scheme; and explained the plan: Mr. Lincoln refused to permit it proceed. Gens. Halleck and Burnside, on afterwards finding who the informers were, both thought that Cochrane and Newton should be dismissed the service, but it was not done. On returning to camp, Gen. Burnside found that the rebels had learned the details of his plan. How, he did not know. He had told them only to Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Stanton, Gen Halleck, in Washington; and in camp, to one or two of his staff. He could now get no orders to advance; and at last on his own responsibility organized the movement which, as is well known, was prevented by a storm. It should be added that scarcely any of his generals were in favor of it. Some of these generals having insubordinately expressed their views before their inferiors, Burnside, as a necessary means of preserving discipline and his own authority, made a general order dismissing certain officers, relieving others, and sentencing certain convicted deserters to death. This order was finally submitted to Mr. Lincoln, who acknowledged that it was right, and refused to approve it. On this Burnside asked to resign and was refused. Next day the President consented to relieve him and put Hooker in his place, and also insisted upon saying in the [[/column one]] [[column two]] order for that purpose that it was at Gen. Burnside's request, which was not true. Insisting again on resigning, Mr. Lincoln refused; and as Burnside refused to take pay without serving, he at last accepted leave of absence for thirty days, to be put on service again at the end of that time. The Committee conclude their report with a brief summary of the history of the rebellion, and outline of the task of destroying the rest of it, marked by a lofty confidence in the strength and patriotism of the people, and in the justice and certain triumph of the cause of the nation. This very important report accomplishes several exceedingly significant revelations of truth; of which enormous portions have been systematically concealed from the American People during the whole war as if we were ruled by the maxims and practices of a despotism. These revelations may be briefly enumerated as follows: First: The complete exposure of the utterly inefficient military career of McClellan; whose operations, provided they had been deliberately arranged on purpose to kill our soldiers, discourage the nation, disobey orders, promote the rebel plans, put victories, forts and military supplies into their hands; in short, under a pretense of loyal effort, to defeat the North, destroy the nation, and secure the existence of the Slave Republic, could not have been more shrewdly planned by human wisdom. Second: The fatal disobedience of Franklin at Fredericksburg; as ruinions there as McClellan's folly on the Chickahominy. Third: The military wisdom, skill, and energy, and the magnificent self-denial and resolution of Burnside, who deliberately assumed as commander-in-chief the whole blame for failures caused not only without his fault, but by criminality which he could not have foreseen, and in spite of his most urgent efforts. Fourth: The weak and inexcusable for- [[most of next line illegible due to tear from fold in paper]] the very highest [[illegible]] known to millitary law, even when necessary to sustain the very power of his chief commander; and his no less inexcusable publication of an unjust, deliberate, and unnecessary falshood in asserting that Burnside was removed, etc., at his own request. And lastly: High above all those other revelations, shines out above this long and frightful storoy, the colossal power, the gigantic wealth, the majestic and immovable patriotic determination of the American People, who in spite of so much death, affliction, loss, treason, falsehood, and open and secret opposition at home and abroad, stands yet strong and steady in the grand old resolve that the Union Must and shall be Preserved.--N. Y. Independent. [[line break]] THE ARMING OF NEGROES. [[short line]] SPEECH OF AGT.-GEN. THOMAS AT LAKE PROVIDENCE, LA. [[short line]] THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY UNALTERABLE. [[short line]] FELLOW SOLDIERS: Your Commanding General has so fully stated the object of my mission, that it is almost unnecessary for me to say anything to you in reference to it.-- Still, as I come here with full authority from the President of the United States to announce the policy which, after mature deliberation, has been determined upon by the wisdom of the nation, it is my duty to make known to you clearly and fully the features of that policy. I beg you will listen to what I have to say as soldiers receiving from a soldier the commands of the President of the United States. I came from Washington clothed with the fullest power in this matter. With this power I can act as if the President of the United States himself were present. I am directed to refer nothing to Washington, but to act promptly--what I have to do to do at once--to strike down the unworthy and to elevate the deserving. I can only speak briefly and cannot enter into the details of the subject at present.-- It may be that some of you are better acquainted with this country than I am, but all [[/column two]] [[column three]] my early military life was spent in the South. I know this whole region well. I am a Southern man, and if you will, born with Southern prejudices; but I am free to say that the policy I am now to announce to you I indorse with my whole heart. You know full well--for you have been over this country--that the Rebels have sent into the field all their available fighting men--every man capable of bearing arms, and you know they have kept at home all their slaves for the raising of subsistance for their armies in the field. In this way they can bring to bear against us all the strength of their so called Confederate States, while we at the North can only send a portion of our fighting force, being compelled to leave behind another portion to cultivate our fields and supply the wants of an immense army. The Administration has determined to take from the rebels this source of supply--to take their negroes and compel them to send back a portion of their deserted plantations, and very poor poersons they would be to fill the place of the dark-hued laborer. They must do this or their armies will starve. You know perfectly well that rebels had an opportunity offered them under the Proclamation of the President in September, to lay down their arms and come back into the Union. They failed to do it.-- Not but that the hearts of many men in the South were with us and against the rebellion. The leaders of the rebellion, Jeff. Davis and his satelites, would not permit it, therefore they are still in arms against us. On the first day of January last the President issued his Proclamation declaring that from that day forward all the slaves in all the States then in rebellion should be free. You know that vast numbers of these slaves are within your borders, inside the lines of this army. They come into your camps and you cannot but receive them. The authorities in Washington are very much pained to hear, and I fear with truth in many cases, that some of these poor unfortunates have on different occassions been turned away from us, and their applications for admission within our lines have been refused by our officers and soldiers. This is not the way to use freed-men. The question came up in Washington, 'What is best to be done with this unfortunate race?'-- They are coming upon us in such numbers that some provision must be made for them. You cannot send them North. You all know the prejudices of the Northern people against receiving large numbers of the colored race. Some States have passed laws forbidding them to come within their borders. At this day, in some States, persons who have brought them have been arraigned before the Courts to answer for the violation of State enactments. Look along the river and see the multitude of deserted plantations upon its banks.-- These are the places of these freedmen, where they can be self sustaining and self supporting. All of you will some day be on picket duty, and I charge you all if any of this unfortunate race come within your lines that you do not turn them away but receive them kindly and cordially. They are to be encouraged to come to us. They are to be received with open arms; they are to be fed and clothed; they are to be armed. This is the policy that has been fully determined upon. I am here to say that I am authorized to raise as many regiments of blacks as I can I am authorized to give commissions, from the highest to the lowest, and desire those persons who are earnest in this work to take hold of it, I desire only those whose hearts are in it, and to them alone will I give commissions. I don't care who they are or what their present rank may be. I do not hesitate to say that all proper persons will receive commissions. While I am authorized thus in the name of the Secretary of War, I have the fullest authority to dismiss from the army any man, be his rank what it may, whom I find maltreating the freed-men. This party of my duty I will most assuredly perform if any case come before me. I would rather do that than give [[/column three]]
