A. E. Burnside, August 9, 1864
August 9, 1864.
THE CouRT OF INQUIRY, MAJOR-GENERAL HANCOCK, PRESIDENT:
GENTLEMEN: I beg to submit to the Court that all testimony, whether by dispatches or otherwise, relating to occurrences subsequent to 2 p.m. on 30th July last, at which time our troops had withdrawn from the enemy’s line, and the assault was over, should be erased from the record, and no such evidence admitted in future. The terms of the order appointing the Court distinctly limit the action of the Court to reporting the “facts and circumstances attending the unsuccessful assault on the enemy’s position on the 30th of July, 1864,” and ”their opinion whether any officer or officers are answerable for the want of success of said assault,” and whatever events happened subsequent to the withdrawal have no relation to the success or want of success of the assault and are not within the purview of the Court. Moreover, certain of these subsequent occurrences have been made the subject of charges against me by the major-general commanding the army, and on which charges I am sp be tried by another court. They, therefore, should not be investigated by this
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Major-General.
The following paper was then submitted by Major-General Meade:
Irespectfully submit to the Court that the objection raised by Major-General
the Court's investigation. To show that Iwas not and could not be held responsible
for the manner of the withdrawal, and the circumstances attending it, it is necessary
for me to show that I was not furnished with any information, and furthermore I