President Lincoln had great faith in the abilities of General Ambrose Burnside. Three times he asked Burnside to take command of the Army of the Potomac. If he agreed, then Lincoln would dismiss McClellan and replace him with Burnside. On the third request Burnside accepted. McClellan was informed on November 7, 1862 that he was dismissed.
George Mclellan
general Joseph hooker
In an unusual action, generals John Cochrane and John Newton were given a visit to President Lincoln. At this time in December of 1862, General Burnside reported to the General in Chief Henry W. Halleck. Despite that, Lincoln granted an audience to the disenchanted generals under Burnside to request Burnside's removal as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Such a meeting with President Lincoln was highly irregular to say the least. Secretary of State William Seward helped to arrange the meeting with the president.
Burnside
After the battle of Antietam, Lincoln decided to replace General McClellan as the top military commander with general Ambrose E. Burnside. On November 3rd of 1862, Lincoln made this important change in the Union's military forces.
President Lincoln had asked General Ambrose Burnside to make private inquiries among General McClellan's staff with regards to his ability to lead troops. Burnside was a friend of McClellan's and such a back of the hand stunt did not please Burnside. He followed Lincoln's orders, however. Clearly his top commanders were loyal to McClellan and word got back to him. But Burnside was shocked to learn that not only were McClellan's staff loyal, but worse, in that they held the Lincoln administration in contempt. Burnside was startled to hear open discussions about a military takeover. General in Chief Halleck dismissed Burnside's report as "staff chatter".
Not long after Major General Ambrose Burnside took command of the Army of the Potomac in the Fall of 1862, he formulated a battle plan which he sent to President Lincoln for approval. Burnside's approved plan was to march to Fredericksburg, just beyond General Lee's right flank, crossing the Rappahannock River on pontoons. His ultimate goal was to assault Richmond and he counted on supplies ferried to him by the Union Navy.
The general Ambrose Burnside, nicknamed "The mutton chops whisker".
Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, General Jackson, General Lee, General Burnside etc.
General Ambrose E. Burnside had just been named by Lincoln as the general in charge of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside replaced the former head of this army, General George B. McClellan.
After Antietam (Sept 17, 1862) when McClellan once again believed he needed time for his troops to rest. President Lincoln replaced him (on Nov 7) with General Ambrose Burnside. That was the end of McClellan's service as a Union military leader. As an aside, General Burnside felt uncomfortable replacing George B. McClellan. He had been loyal to him, also, he was not sure the command of the Army of the Potomac would be a fit for his abilities.
After the poorly planned attack on Fredericksburg during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Union General Ambrose Burnside as the commander of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside's failed strategy and high casualties led to the decision to find a new leader for the Union forces.