Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-27
The PsGI.sHIIH PI 0S%gsiEP EP.ssF%ou9 Sfss M0Fe--

The Peninsula Camuaign Onee ItoE0-
General Hooker'a Testimony
Enough has already been given 10
the public, through the published testimO-
NJ Of the Generals who served under Nc
CleIIan to convince every reasonable per
son that that officer was capable Of dis
regarding, to an alarming extent the
principles Of warfare and the dictates Of
ordinary energy. Men may claim superb
or military skill for their favOrite young
Eapoleon-for there are adherents yet Of
that wonderful compound Of self-cOnceit
and dineompetence-but when they do that,
they assert that all The officers under him
were dolts and fools, for nine-tenths of all
who have been examined testify that in
their judgment Mcclellan did just the
things he should not have done and left
undone those things which he should have
done.
The latest instalment Of this evidence is
the published testimony of General Hook
or regarding the campaign Of the PENN
sula. To deny to General Hooker military
skill and judgment is to deny history.
The first question asked him by the COM
mittee was, " To what do you attribute the
failure Of the Peninsula campaign" His
reply was, q To the want Of generalship on
the part Of the commander" he testified
that he was never consulted upon the sub
jeot Of the line Of the Peninsula in prefer
ence 10 the direct route 10 Richmond. Hav-
ing reached the Peninsula, he says, if Nc,
ClelIsu hal thrown his army between
EerAse-rH u1r,i " TtfitGmsOurg, Win as much
rapidity as he could, it would have result.
ed in the capture and destruction Of the
rebel army. He knew no reason why this
could not have been done. At the battle
Williamsburg, had Mcclellan sent troops
to the front as they wero needed, and al
might have been done, "the rebellion would
have been buried there" General Hooker
states that when the news Of the battle Of
Williamsburg reached Richmond, Jefferson
Davis and Governor Letcher moved theil
families out of the city, removed the ar.
ohives and their libraries, and every citi.
zen who could commsnd a vehicle had his
Eosas=pilsd up in wagons and prepared tC
evaCuate the city They only returned
when they found that the pursuit by th'
Federsls was abandoned. Hooker say
that the army could have msved right Ol
and got into Richmond by the second ds!
after that battle without another gun beinl
fred. It was only when the enemy saw
the lassitude and ineffciency Of the Fed
srsl army that they concluded to make
stand there. At no time of the csmpaigl
did he feel that our army could not go t
Richmond, and after orders had been giVel
to evacuate Harrison's Landing, he presses
upon Mcclellan an attack upon the city
Offering to take the advance. But no Op
pOrtunity wss given, "and hence" say
General Hooker, "the results Of Pope
campaign"
These opinions Of the old soldier receiv
confirmation, even from the rebels them
selves. The Richmond Wing, of the 21s
InsI. mas an HrTiC1s upon Uhs report OF tn
Committee on the Conduct of the War, il
lustrated with official facts on its own side
Il insists that while Magruder was benin,
the Notifications at Yorktown, he had bu
1900 men. It points out when Richmon,
possibly might have been taken, and praise
Justify the superior generalship Of the reh
els in that famous campaign. 1t is elaine
that Magruder remained behind his York
town intrenchments just as long as h
deemed it prudent and then retrested
Williamsburg, where, owing to mismsn
sgement the Federals we're allowed jus
enough success to permit them to push o.
up the Peninsula.