The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1863-06-17

From the Chicago Times, June Al
The Reasons Why General
Hooker Does not Gen. Hooker
has Infected Lincoln ,oith Fears for the
Safety of the Capital-Gen. Lee has
only $4,000 Troops on the Rappahan-
mock Washington ,eiU not be attacked
Unless the Siege Of Nichsburg be Raised.
WASHINGTON, May 20, 1863.
Why does not the Army of the Potomac
advance against the enemy2 Why has
not Gen. Hooker speedily" assumed the
offensive again? / would that I could
give your readers satisfactory reasons for
Gen. Hooker's strange immobility. But
that l can not do, for no such reasons
exist. I can give you, however, the real
reasons, unsatisfactory as they will be to
the American people. It is not because
Gen. Hooker has not troops enough. He
lost eighteen thousand in the late battles,
and he has lost thirty thousand of his
best troops since, by the expiration of
their time. But that still leaves him with
eighty one thousand braves, and that is
quite enough, properly handled, to defeat
Lees army, although it is not enough to
take Richmond. Butalthough four weeks
have elapsed since the battles of the Will
derness, Gen. Hooker shows no signs Of
resuming the offensive. His men are
erecting for themselves shady bowers of
green trees and bushes; Gen. Hooker's
own headquarters have been permanently
established in cool and shady dell; Gen.
Stoneman is in New York on two weeks
leave of absence, dozens of the field and
staff officers are at their homes in the
, E.stc-- States on similar furloughs; and
all things indicate a long period of sum-
mer inactivity.
The principal reason for the existence
of this shameful state of things is, that
Hooker has lost all confidence in himself
You remember seeing an irrepressible and
pugnacious barn-door fowl, with gigantic
spurs and an immense and blood red comb
This cock walks up and down, his comb
erect scratching fercely in the ground,
growing defiance to all eomers. He is
your true fighting cock. As Mr.. Lincoln
said of Judge Taney, we'll call him Joe
u,
a rooster OF another breed, who, as Mr.
Lincoln said of Judge Doug las, well call
Bob; and terrible tussle takes place.
The earth is torn up; the grass is demol-
ished; the feathers fly; the spurs do what
spurs were made for; and finally you see
the rooster Bob jump up and fap his
wings, and give loud, triumphant cock-a-
doodle-do! There; it's all over. Where's
the cock Joe? All! there he is, retreat
ing across thee spring house run. Look
| at him now. His comb hangs down; his
air of defiance is gone: his pugnacity ex-
lists no longer. He has got quite enough
of fighting. He has no desire to meet the
rooster again That cock is Hooker. He
sees now how badly he was whipped. He
sees that with 129, 900 troops, he was de-
feated by 10000. Confederates, for that
is every man that Gen. Lee had. He had
Jackson's corps, 10000 men; two divi-
sious of Longstreet's corps, 10000; aud
two divisions of D. II. Hills corps, co.
600.
Hooker sees, too, that the whole coun-
try is laughing at him for stopping short
on Friday, and spending the whole of that
day in digging and intrenching, instead of
rushing on the enemy, and for dallyiug
and hesitating during the wholeof Mon
day, when vigorous charge from his
whole line would have scattered the rebel
army like chaff before the wind. These
blunders, and all the other blunders that
he made, are palpable to Hooker now; and
the contemplation of them has SO fright
Iened him that he has lost all confidence
h 70 md Ia
If it were not so, he would surely have
resumed the offensive before now. His
army, even reduced to eighty thousand
men, is still 'the finest on the planet. y
They are all disciplined troops, in the
highest state of efficiency. The officers
are burning with shrine at their recent
defeat, which they know was no fault OF
theirs, and are eager to be led against the
esemy And how strong is that enemy
now? Since the battle, Gen. d. II Hill
has taken one of his divisions and gone
back with it to North Carolina where We
now hear of him operating against oul
forces there. And Gen. Lees losses in
I the battle must have been ten thousand
4 at least. This then ouly leaves him fifty
thousand men now, ard that is positively
ali IHdG he mas HOW on tue llHo OI tut
, Rappahanuock. Against this fifty thou
sand. then; Gen. Hooker does not advance
with his eighty thousand men. Coul.,
! the American people desire any mere evi
dence of his unftness to command?
Governor Curtin, of Pennsylvania, ant
: Schenck, the Vanquisted of Vienna, ar,
h here in consultation with the President
They are both Irmly convinced that th'
States of Ma.yland and Pennsylvania ar,
in immincnt peril of invasion BY the rebels
4 and they have frightened Mr.. Lincoln b.
telling him that the capital is in danger
J too. The council Of war, held At tn
i Presidents house on the 26th inst, ha,
e been called at Hooker's request, for tn
); express purpose Of considering "ths sit
r uation." Hooker, Halleck, Stanton, an
n the really efficient Assistant Secretary Q
d the Navy, were all present. Hooker lai
before the council his views. He relate
how he had learned that tho enemy wer
It bringing up ALL their forces from Charles
l. ton and North Carolina, and gave it a