New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-27

THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR.
GENERAL HoOKER'S EVIDENCE.
THE TRUTH REVEALED
WHY THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN FAILED.
A HISTORY OF BLUNDERs.
THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
GENERAL FURNISHES CAMPAIGN.
WHY THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN FAILED.
A HISTORY OF BLUNDERs.
THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
GENERAL BURNSIBE'S CAMPAIGN.
THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

Gen. Hooker before tne Congres lonal COmmittee
tho Conduct Of the War.
| WHY THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN PAnED,
WARRINGTON. March II, 1853
| Mai. .Gen. Joseph Hooker sworn and examined
By the Chairman: Question. To what do you
attribute the failure of the peninsula campaignf
Answer. I do not hesitate to say that IL 10 to Be-
attributed to the wont Of gene'alshp 0" The part IF
our commander. nI N
Q. Were you consulted upon the subject Of the
line Of the peninsula in preference to the one direes
to Richmond
A. never was ccnsulted on the subje0S
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DONE AT YORkgowS.
@. What wac the condition Of thiDgsat Yorktown
when our troops first landed on the peninsula, re.
CARDS the strength of the place and the hsatise
strength Of the opposing forcesf t.9
| A. did not 20 down for some three weeks after
Gen. Mcclellan went down. lie went with the
army from Alexandra, and the return yessesstopped
at Budds Ferry, where l was, and took my division
down. Gen. Mcclellan took down about $4,000
men, and when joined him took IL, 600 down 10
| him. l did not ses the returns but thst he
| understanding there. franklin aftsrward ioinsd
with bis division. n The time that Gen. MeClelhan
landed pin this large army there pere somerhtrs
Jetaeen 5000 and IL, 900 at Yorktown. ik0cekeard
Il estimated as loc as 900 and high IL, 600.
WHAT HOOKER WOULD HAVE DONE. -A
Q. What course would you have advised at the
time of the landing on the peninsula under the cir
cumstaneesi hAf
A. What 1 subsequently did will, think, convey
an answer to that question. attacked, 9Th my
single dirision line Of rorks al Williamsburg
stronger than The line across Ae peninsula at York
torn At Yorktown, long after 1 joined, never
could understand why was required to send oss
half of my number Oh duty, day and night, To dig
40 as TO invest that place. could only conclude that
siege had been determined upon somewhere in
the programme before erer haring felt 10 see ~hete,'
zoe had an enemy an front not. And great many
others felt 10 too From my examination OF the
works at Yorktown, aud reaching away beyond tho
poson that occupied, felt that their lines could
be pierced without any considerable loss by the corps
with which was On duty HeintIelman's corps
We could haze gone right through, and gone 10 o.
rear of the enemy. They would run the moment WI
got to their rear and we could have picked mp the
prisoners Right theee at Yorktown The enemy had
expsnded a great deal Of labor. But 4 you'd Aa5s
,aarebsd y,ghf through the Fedoubts, which were
part of he Gordon they had, and got on the road be-
tween YORKTOWN and Richmond and seHs compelled
fought me9. on theirs.
WHAT MCCLELLAN MIGHT HAVE DONE. 4aa
O. Suppose that Gen. Mcclellan had thrown bis
army between Yorktown and Williamsburg with as
much rapdity as be could, what would have prob
ably been the elect .... 800
4. " rouId hare resulted in the capture aad de-
st-ucton of tie eneny's army. o..
O. DO yoa kHoV any reason rhy that could Eot
h1Oe been dane? .. .r -r..... ...r..e.f
A. 4 do not. r
N ,pban retreatHd
from Yorktown ..t.. r... -
A. was within mile and a half Of there. ~
Q. VIII you state, briefly and succinctly, what
took place upon their retreat gia..s
THE RETREAT FROM YORKTOWN. r..
A. TIE troops ordered out in the first instance "a
pursue them were some dragons and some light
batteries under Gen. Stoneman. l received orders
to support Gen. Ssoneman, and left my camp be-
tween and o'clock in the afternoon for that pur-
pose. / do NOT know at what lime Gen. Stoneman
left. followed IN his rear. After had proceeded
out about i've miles L met Gov. Sprague, who in
formed me that Gen. StoDeman had fallen upon the
rear Of the enemy. rode up TO where Gen. stone
man was, and found that be was held In check on
the Yorktown road, about mile and half tnls
(Iorktown) side OF the Gordon oil redoubts running
across the peninsula near Williamsburg. Irodefo
ward to ascertain how 1 could put IN my infantry.
Gen Stoneman told me that the enemy was about
uile in his front, where they held some redouht.
1t turned out afterward 10 be Fort Magrader. We,
were then where the enemy could throw shells over
our heads from the fort. -f
MARCH IN THE MUD.
After examining the ground, heard that Smiths
division had filed into the Yorktown road 10 advance
of mine. / Immediately returned and joined my
d,yision and found that il had been halted In order
10 enable Smiths division TO pass. We were de-
tanned there 10 that way between three and four
hours As coon sscertained this 70 be the case,
requested Gen. HeiDizelman to allow me 10 take q
different road to 90 up 10 the place occupied by the
an.rov fan Smith's diysiOl then occupied ala
the entire road between the point where they bad
flied into the Yorktown road, and where Gtu.
Stoueman was, and there was no chance for ne 10
get my division through by that road. learned
IRON contraband Wat by going two or three miles
further could get up 10 the position the enemy
held, coming in lis right flank. 10 this the gen
eral assented. 4 started upon this route just about
DARK, and marched that night u,ta ii O'Clock. BY
that time the roads had become so maddy-it was
raining very hard-the mud was knee deep, and my
men bad become 40 fatgued that halted right In
the road intending to renew the march at the dawn
of day in the morning. We were then about two
miles and half from Fort Magruder.
THE BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
We resumed our march at day break, and about Il
O'clock came up TO the advanced outpost Of the
enemy, which was perhaps half mile from Fort
Msgruder. l could see IRON the position where
three or four redoubts on this hue Of the eaemys
works. could also the line Of telegraph poles
Oh the Yorktown road which led 10 where Gen.
Stoueman was. / ordered Two regiments TO advance
rs sklrInishsrs on the work which commanded the
Yorktown rosd--to sklrn,ish up TO tie work. And
dispatched two regiments with instructions 10
break down any barrier and destroy any force that
mght DO between ~, and the position that Gen.
Stoneman occupied. AS soon my skirmishers
had driven the enemy into Fort Magruder, ordered
TWO forward and opened Oh The work Us
The req that had been sent 10 the Yorktown
road passed down the road, found no enemy on IT,,
founa 40 balFier. and roDOrtel t,an Hancock w