t nor that curse of the
country, McClellan, has great reason to plume himself much upon his
share in the revelations that are made in the course of this Inquiry.
McDowell himself seems to have been intended, by nature for a scheming
and adroit politician. * * * *

_Dec. 10._--The Congress feels the ground, hesitates, and apparently
lacks the necessary energy to come to a determination. Lincoln, even
such as he is, contrives to humbug most of the Congressmen. Well!
The first of January is close at hand, and Seward, the Congressional
cook, will concoct unpalatable and costly dishes for Congressional
digestion. Seward is the incarnation of confusion, and of political
faithlessness.

I have only now discovered certain of the reasons why the Battle of
Antietam, so bravely fought by our army, had no _ensemble_ and such
marvelously poor results. Burnside, with his corps, got into line
many hours too late. The rebels were thus enabled to concentrate on
the wing opposed to Hooker and Sumner, the right wing and centre of
the rebels being for the time unthreatened. And that is generalship!
The blame of a blunder so glaring, and in its effect so mischievous,
attaches equally to Burnside and to McClellan. The victory, such as
it was, was due to the subordinate generals, and to the heroic
bravery of the rank and file of the army.

When Burnside was invested with the command of the Army of the
Potomac, he for nearly twenty-four hours retained McClellan in camp,
with the intention of returning the command of the army to him if
the rebels had attacked, as it was expected they would, during
Sunday and Monday.

_Dec. 13._--Night. Fight at Fredericksburgh. No news. O God!

_Dec. 14._--As the consequence of Halleck-Burnside's slowness, our
troops storm positions which are said to be impregnable by nature,
and still farther strengthened by artificial works.

The President is even worse than I had imagined him to be. He has no
earnestness, but is altogether in the hands of Seward and Halleck.
He cannot, even in this supreme crisis, be earnest and serious for
half an hour. Such was the severe but terribly true verdict passed
upon him by Fessenden of Maine.

_Dec. 15._--Slaughter and infamy! Slaughter of our troops who fought
like Titans, though handled in a style to reflect nothing but infamy
upon their commanders. When the rebel works had become impregnable,
then, but not until then, our troops were hurled against them! The
flower o