BURNSIDE, Ambrose E. (1824-1881). Autograph letter signed ("A E Burnside") to Miss Maggie R Dickerson, [near Fredericksburg,] 11 January 1863.

Two pages, 202 x 125mm (remnants of adhesive, some repaired tears and chip to top edge).

Days before his infamous "Mud March," Burnside sends a humorous and warm letter of thanks to a "dear little Miss" for a gift of a cap: "I will tell you that my head is very bald, and needs some protection in a cold tent. I had a cap before I received this, but it was too small, so that this was very acceptable, and I gave the other one away." Days later, Burnside would attempt a fresh offensive against Lee but his army became mired in mud, exacerbating tensions with his officers, some of whom grew insubordinate. In response, Burnside appealed to the President and requested that these officers be court-martialed, or he would resign. Lincoln chose the latter. Two weeks after Burnside's letter lauding Dickerson for "doing so much for the soldiers in the field," Lincoln replaced him with Joseph Hooker as Commander of the Army of the Potomac.