ARMY OPERATIONS. 



order is issued subject to the approval of the President 

 of the United States. 



Second. Brig. -Gen. W. T. H. Brooks, commanding 

 First Division, Sixth Army Corps, for complaining of 

 the policy of the Government, and for using lan- 

 guage tending to demoralize his command, is, subject 

 to the approval of the President of the United States, 

 dismissed from the military service of the United 

 States. 



Third. Brig. -Gen. John Newton, commanding Third 

 Division, Sixth Army Corps, and Brig.-Gen. Jphn_ 

 Cochrane, commanding First Brigade, Third Division,' 

 Sixth Army Corps, for going to the President of the 

 United States with criticisms upon the plans of their 

 commanding officer, are, subject to the approval of the 

 President, dismissed from the military service of the 

 United States. 



Fourth. It being evident that the following named 

 officers can be of no further service to this army, they 

 are hereby relieved from duty, and will report in per- 

 son without delay to the Adjutant-General of the 

 United States Army : 



Maj.-Gen. W. B. Franklin, commanding Left Grand 

 Division. 



Maj.-Gen. W. F. Smith, commanding Sixth Army 

 Corps. 



Brig.-Gen. Sam. D. Sturgis, commanding Second 

 Division, Ninth Army Corps. 



Brig.-Gen. Edward Ferrero, commanding Second 

 Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps. 



Brig.-Gen. John Cochrane, commanding First Brig- 

 ade, Third Division, Sixth Army Corps. 



Lieut.-Col. J. H. Taylor, Acting Adjutant-General 

 Eight Grand Division. 



By command of Maj.-Gen. A. E. BURNSIDE. 

 LEWIS RICHMOND, Assistant Adjutant-General. 



The testimony of Gen. Bnrnside, in relation 

 to this order, from which the committee con- 

 densed their abstract, was as follows : 



I went to my adjutant-general's office, and issued an 

 order, which I termed General Order No. 8. That or- 

 der dismissed some officers from service, subject to 

 the approval of the President, and relieved others 

 from duty with the Army of the Potomac. I also had 

 three sentences of death upon privates for desertion, 

 which I had reviewed and approved, subject, of course, 

 to the approval of the President, as I had no right to do 

 any of these things without that approval. I nad sent 

 my own body guard over into Maryland, and had suc- 

 ceeded in capturing a large number of deserters. I had 

 organized a court martial, the one which is now in ses- 

 sion down there trying some two hundred and fifty 

 deserters. 



I told my adjutant-general to issue that order (No. 

 8) at once. One of my advisers only two persons 

 knew of this one of them, who is a very cool, sensible 

 man, and a firm friend, told me that, in his opinion, 

 the order was a just one, and ought to be issued ; but 

 he said that he knew my views with reference to en- 

 deavoring to make myself useful to the Government 

 of the United States instead of placing myself in op- 

 position to it ; that all of these things had to be ap- 

 proved by the President of the United States, at any 

 rate, before they could be put in force ; that he did not 

 think I intended to place the President in a position 

 where he either had to assume the responsibility of be- 

 coming my enemy before the public, at any rate, there- 

 by enabling a certain portion of my friends to make a 

 martyr of me to some extent, or he had to take the 

 responsibility of carrying out the order, which would 

 be against the views of a great many of the most in- 

 fluential men in the country, particularly that portion 

 of the order in reference to the officers I proposed to 

 have dismissed the service. I told the staff officer that 

 I had no desire to place myself in opposition to the 

 President of the United States in any way ; that I 

 thought his (my staff officer's) view of the matter was 

 the correct one ; but that I had indicated in that order 

 the only way in which I could command the Army of 



the Potomac. I accordingly took this order, already 

 signed and issued in due form, with the exception of 

 being made public, to the President of the United States, 

 and handed him the order, together with my resigna- 

 tion of my commission as a major-general. I toldTiim 

 that he knew my views upon the subject ; that I had 

 never sought any command, more particularly that of 

 the Army of the Potomac ; that my wish was to go into 

 civil life, after it was determined that I could no longer 

 be of any use in the army ; that I desired no public 

 position of any kind whatever. At the same time I 

 said that I desired not to place myself in opposition to 

 him in any way, or to do anything to weaken the Gov- 

 ernment. I said he could now say to me, " You may 

 take the responsibility of issuing this order, and I will 

 approve it ; " and I would take that responsibility, if 

 he would say that it would be sustained after it was 

 issued, because he would have to approve of it, for I 

 had no right to dismiss a man or condemn a man to 

 death without his approval. In case that order (No. 8) 

 could no_t be approved by him, there was my resigna- 

 tion, which he- could accept, and that would end the 

 matter forever, so far as I was concerned ; that noth- 

 ing more would be said in reference to it.I told him 

 he could be sure that my wish was to have that done 

 which was best for the public service, and that was the 

 only way in which I could command the Army of the 

 Potomac. The President replied to me, " I think you 

 are right. * * * [The suppressions here, in the 

 body of Gen. Burnside's report of the President's an- 

 swer, are made by the committee.] But I must con- 

 sult with some of my advisers about this." I said to 

 him, " If you consult with anybody you will not do it, 

 in my opinion." He said, " I cannot help that ; I must 

 consult with them." I replied that he was the judge, 

 and I would not question his right to do what ne 

 pleased. 



The President asked me to remain all that day. I 

 replied that I could not remain away from my com- 

 mand ; that he knew my views, and I was fixed and 

 determined in them, tie then asked me to come up 

 that night again. I returned to my command, and 

 came up again that night, and got h'ere at six o'clock 

 in the morning. I went to the President's, but did no_t 

 see him. I went again after breakfast, and the Presi- 

 dent told me that he had concluded to relieve me from 

 the command of the Army of the Potomac, and place 

 Gen. Hooker in command. 'I told him that I was willing 

 to accept that, as the best solution of the problem; and 

 that neither he nor Gen. Hooker would be a happier 

 man than I would be if Gen. Hooker gained a victory 

 there. The President also said that he intended to re- 

 lieve Gon. Sumner and Gen. Franklin. I said that I 

 thought it would be wise to do so, if he made the 

 change he proposed to make. Gen. Sumner was a 

 much older officer than Gen. Hooker, and ought not to 

 be asked to serve under him. 



On the 26th of April Gen. Burnside assumed 

 the command of the Department of the Ohio. 

 An invasion of Kentucky was at that time 

 threatened hy the Confederate forces. 



The inclemency of the season was such that 

 no movements could now he attempted by the 

 Army of the Potomac or its adversary on the 

 opposite side of the Rappahannock at Freder- 

 icksburg. Some raids by the enemy and some 

 movements of cavalry were the only operations. 



On the 12th of March a bold and successful 

 raid was made by the enemy as far within the 

 Federal lines as Fairfax Court House in \ 7 ir- 

 ginia. Brig.-Gen. Stoughton was taken from 

 his bed and carried off, and a detachment from 

 his brigade, with guards, horses, &c., captured. 



On the 17th of March a sharp conflict took 

 place between a body of cavalry, under Gen. 

 Averill, and a similar force of the enemy near 



