N. BURNSIDE.--By his sluggish march to Fredericksburgh, (see Diary,
December.)
O. HALLECK, MEIGS, etc. The affair of the pontoons.
P. BURNSIDE, _Franklin_.--The attack of the Fredericksburg Heights.
_March 28._--From the day of Sumter, and when the Massachusetts men
hurrying to the defence of the Union, were murdered by the Southern
_gentlemen_ in Baltimore, this struggle in reality is carried on
between the Southern gentlemen, backed by abettors in the North,
(abettors existing even in our army,) all of them united against the
YANKEE, who incarnates civilization, right, liberty, intellectual
superior development, and therefore is hated by the _gentleman_--this
genuine Southern growth embodying darkness, violence, and all the
virtues highly prized in hell. The Yankee, that is, the intelligent,
laborious inhabitant of New England and of the Northern villages and
towns, represents the highest civilization: the best _Southern
gentleman_, that lord of plantations, that cotton, tobacco and
slavemonger, at the best is somewhat polished, varnished; the varnish
covers all kinds of barbarity and of rottenness. It is to be regretted
that our army contains officers modelled on the Southern
pattern, to whom human rights and civilization are as distasteful as
they are to any high-toned slave-whipper in the South.
_March 29._--The destruction of slavery, the triumph of self
government ought not to be the only fruit of this war. The
politician ought to be buried in the offal of the war. The crushing
of politicians is a question as vital as the crushing of the
rebellion and of treason. All the politicians are a nuisance, a
curse, a plague worse than was any in Egypt. All of them are equal,
be they Thurlow Weeds or Forneys, or etc. etc. etc. A better and
purer race of leaders of the people will, I hope, be born from this
terrible struggle. Were I a stump speaker I should day and night
campaign against the politician, that luxuriant and poisonous weed
in the American Eden.
_March 30._--Glorious news from Hooker's army. Even the most
inveterate McClellanites admire his activity and indeed are
astonished to what degree Hooker has recast, reinvigorated, purified
the spirit of the army. To reorganise a demoralised army requires
more nerve than to win a battle. Hooker takes care of the soldiers.
And now I hope that Hooker, having reorganised the army, will not
keep it idly in camp, but move, and strike and crush the traitors.
Hooker! _En avant! marchons!_
_March 31._--Some newspapers in New York and the National
Intelligencer here in Washington, the paid organ of Seward and
likewise organ of treason gilded by Unionism--all of them begin to
discuss the necessity of a staff. All of them reveal a West Point
knowledge of the subject; and the staff which they demand or which
they would organise, would be not a bit better than the existing
ones.