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 484 Hooker succeeds JBurnside. ~ 1862-3 withdrawn in an irritation and bitterness of spirit almost akin to mutiny. There arose, of course, the usual controversy as to the causes of the defeat. With frank and manly courage, Burnside himself assumed the responsibility and the blame, giving due credit to the extreme courage and endurance of his troops. The simple explanation was that he had set his army a task practically impossible. The losses were 12,653 on the Federal side and 4,201 on that of the Confederates. This great disaster intensified the want of confidence which the army felt in its commander, and gave rise to such open expressions of dis- content among officers and men that the President cautioned Burnside to make no further movement without his knowledge. This in turn led Burnside to demand an explanation of the restraining order. The situation was frankly discussed between them. In order to relieve the embarrassment, the President requested General Halleck to visit the army, examine Burnside's further plans, and approve or disapprove their execution; but Halleck refused the unwelcome task. On January 21, 1863, Burnside, against the protest of several of his officers, started his army on a second movement, which became known as the "Mud March," because it was cut short by a sudden rainstorm that rendered the roads absolutely impassable. This was hailed as a providential relief by the unwilling soldiers. Every day, every interview, and every letter brought to light increasing mistrust and disagreement. Complaint and recrimination were beginning to demoralise the whole army. On January 23 Burnside drew up an order dismissing or relieving eight or ten of his general officers for various reasons, and presented it, together with his own resignation, to the President, who, seeing that all his efforts at conciliation had proved abortive, relieved him and appointed General Joseph Hooker his successor. General Hooker was also a West Point graduate, who, re-entering the army at the beginning of the rebellion as Brigadier-General of Volunteers, had risen through the grades of division and corps com- mander to the command of Burnside's centre grand division. In the previous battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run and Antietam, he had gained the sobriquet of " Fighting Joe Hooker." He had been loudest in his criticisms of Burnside and in the manifestation of an insubordinate spirit. The selection was Lincoln's own act, and his reasons for so doing are set forth in one of the Presi- dent's most characteristic letters. "I believe you to be a brave and skilful soldier, which of course I like. I also believe you do not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right. You have con- fidence in yourself, which is a valuable, if not an indispensable quality. You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good rather than harm; but I think that, during General Burnside's command of the army, you have taken counsel of your ambition and thwarted him as much as you could, in which you did a great wrong to the country