Mud March (American Civil War)
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The Mud March was an abortive offensive by Union Major General Ambrose Burnside and his Army of the Potomac in January 1863 during the American Civil War. Burnside had been repulsed by the Army of Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Burnside's first attempt to cross the Rappahannock River during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. The Mud March was Burnside's second attempt at crossing the Rappahannock to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
The strategy was sound in theory, but it failed because of dissension among generals in the Army of the Potomac, compounded by severe winter storms.
History
Following his defeat in the disastrous
Burnside detailed 1500 troopers for this planned operation. Five hundred of them would create a distracting feint in the
It was an imaginative and inspired plan, but once again
Burnside had been betrayed by conspirators in his own camp, specifically Brigadier General
As Cochrane himself had been a congressman at the start of the war, he had political connections and thus got in a meeting with Secretary of State William H. Seward, who then arranged for them to meet the president. As the senior of the two officers, Newton spoke first. He told Lincoln that the Army of the Potomac was in terrible shape now, such that it would likely fall apart if Burnside tried to start another campaign. However, his choice of wording was vague and he failed to properly explain what he meant. Later on, Newton would argue "I could not have told the president that none of the privates had any confidence in General Burnside," even though that was the principal reason he'd come to Washington.
Lincoln assumed he was simply meeting with two scheming officers who were out to take their superior's job, something he'd already seen all too often. Cochrane assured that neither of them had any ulterior motives and simply wished to keep the president informed on developments he needed to know. Newton then repeated his warning that conditions had gotten to the point where the army would disintegrate in the event Burnside lost another battle along the Rappahannock. The two left, suggesting that Lincoln ought to look into things himself.
After receiving Lincoln's telegram, Burnside headed to the White House himself to investigate. The president told him that two generals who would remain anonymous had told him about his plans and the army's deteriorating condition. Burnside angrily protested that these officers, whoever they were, deserved to be
Burnside then requested a private discussion with the president, where he proceeded to denounce
Once Burnside left, Lincoln told Halleck that none of his generals were willing to cooperate with his plans, and he (Halleck) ought to go down to Fredericksburg himself and assess the situation. Halleck for his part had no advice to offer Burnside except to destroy the Confederate army while taking as little damage as possible. Lincoln also told Burnside to reconsider resigning from the army.
Burnside revived his plan with changes. Instead of crossing the Rappahannock south of Fredericksburg, he initially planned to move upstream and cross at U.S. Ford, due north of the Chancellorsville crossroads.[1]
The offensive began with a westward move on January 20, 1863, in unseasonably mild weather. Burnside, with a head start, altered his plan to aim at Banks' Ford, a closer, quicker crossing. At dawn of January 21,
The storm had delayed Burnside's movements, giving
The Mud March was Burnside's final attempt to command the Army of the Potomac.[1] Lincoln replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker on January 26, 1863.[4]
Union forces
Further information:
Strength
- Strength of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside commanding, December 31, 1862: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXI, Part 1, page 924.
Organization
- Organization of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside commanding, December 31, 1862: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXI, Part 1, pages 925-938.
Notes
References
- Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: McKay, 1988. ISBN 0-8129-1726-X. First published 1959 by McKay.
- Furgurson, Ernest B. Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave Vintage Books, 1992. ISBN 0-679-72831-7.
- Stine, James H. History of the Army of the Potomac Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. B. Rodgers Printing Co., 1892. ISBN ASIN: B004IN3KF2.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Recordsof the Union and Confederate Armies. Series 1, Vol. XXI, Part 1, and Vol. XIX, Part II, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-385-04167-5.