such a commander be removed at so critical a time unless the
government were prepared to fill his place with one of equal, if not
superior capacity. A general, to hope for success, must have the
confidence and respect of his troops. To remove one who has, and
fill his place with one who has not, is a crime than which none can
be greater. It is a crime against the brave men whose lives are at
the risk of the capacity of their commander. Our government
committed this crime when it gave the command of the army of the
Potomac to General Burnside. That general was the best judge of what
he could do, and freely confessed his incapacity for so high a
command. But the government was not to be put off by this confession
of weakness on the part of a general, preferring to reward him for
his honesty, and make no account of his capacity. I accept this, my
son, as the only reason why General Burnside was given so high a
command. As for his capacity as a general, he gave us a proof of
that when he let the rebels fall back, and get well fortified at
Fredericksburg. To show, however, what a general could do by
attempting impossibilities, he sent the brave army of the Potomac to
be slaughtered by an enemy covered with stone walls. I tell you, my
son, it was a dark day for the nation when that was done. It
multiplied our misfortunes, gave a deeper wound to our grief and
sorrow, and brought disgrace on our arms.

I will pass over these misfortunes as lightly, my son, as possible,
hoping only that they will serve us as a warning in the future.
Having buried Burnside deep under the misfortunes of his own
incapacity, the question again came up, where shall we find a
general to do up these rebels for us, and gain us a little victory?
The great Grant was doing wonders for us in the West. He was bold,
earnest, and brave. And this was the secret of his success. But in