The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-07-01


There seems 70 be 10 certain quarters deter
minatiOn that Gen. Hooker shall not succeed. -
Nothing has been left uns4d Or uudole 70 weak
en- the confidence Of bis soldiers In his leader
ship, and 10 prepare the people for bis being
overmatched and overwhelmed Fiippsnt crit
cism, jaunty raillery bitter sneeIs. high dudgeon,
ruetu repinings aud hystercal desp4ir-all the
resorts that could excite contempt for the com
mander and a arm for the cOuntry-have been
exhausted Gen. Hooker still retains command
and -ili 49, - - 49,, -afup4izu- The OO.-
eminent trusts him, the soldiers follow him. the
people believe ia him. Bat # the spirit that has
been shown against him be any index it may
well be doubted whether his triumph over Lee
would excite more disappointment aud grief
among the rebels than among the COpperheads
What the issue Of the present movements OF
the two great armies will be We DO not venture
70 predict. IL is presumptuOus IN any man 10
attempt it for there has never been a campaign
yet since human war began, ia which fortune
that name for the unknown combinations Of
infinite po~er"-did not play some Unforeseen
part. Gen. Hooker may fail. Were he the
greatest General that ever lived, there could De
no absolute certainty Of his success. We hope
nay expect, that he will prevail; by no means do
We aver il in advance. Time alone can settle
entitled 10 just AMI generous judgment The
Jealousy that cannot restrain itself until the event
but seeks TO impair bis influence over his soldiers
and to condemn him before public opinion, while
he 10 still in the smoke Of battle, il detestable
II It be supposed that the prospects Of any oth
er commander will be advanced by any such
treatment OF Gen. Hooker. there never was
more ss-esse~a si-s-ta Tts --heia .auaarcy -
to impress the people that claims which produce
so bad spirit must be themselves bad
The only plausible reproach that tho enemies
OF Gen. Hooker can urge against him is his re-
treat from Charlottesville. Whether that re
treat was vie, under the circumstances, and
whether il 80, its necessity was OccasiOned by
causes for which the General ia command was
responsible, questions stall unsettled in the
public mind. The facts have never Vet been
fully and distinctly reported 10 authorize a final
Judgment. IL is declared by all competent crit
les that the general plan Of the movement
excellent; aud it l. undeniabe that, up to a Ger.
tain advanced point, it was carried on with ~
nal success. The retrograde movement over
the river, though very dangerous operation,
was executed, too, in the most satisfactory man
ner. There was excellent generasbip in the
management OF both the advance aud the re
treat; and this is pretty good reason for believ
ing that there was DO very bad generalship ia
be the Presidents conviction, for otherwise he
would long ere this have devolved the command
upon some more competent man. The govern
ment must necessarily have d more thorough uu
derstarding OF she facts of the case than the
public could have possibly gained from the few
official reports vet presented. But even If it
can be established that Gen Hooker made mis-
takes in his operations about Charlottesville il
by no means proves that he ought 70 have been
superseded. There never was a General vet
who did not sometimes misealculate; and there
never will be until the human mind atttins initial
hbIlty. A long series OF failures NAV Justly be
taken as good evidence OF incapacity; but il
woald be presumptous TO assume il tom one
failure only. And vet the devoteess OF Gen
Mcclellan, whose whole career as commanding
General was one continuous history OF baiiled
effort, have spared no pains to destroy all con
deuce in General Hooker, because OF that sin
gle. misunderstood instance
lt still remains 10 be proved whether the pres
ent commander of the Army OF the Potomac Is
equal TO his prodlgious responsibilities But
there are Al least, three very material points in
which be has shown eminent military wisdom
and efficiency
The hrst IS in the proper organization and
use OF cavalry. Gen. Mcclellan attached but
little importance TO that arm OF the service, it
was very imperiectly organized under him, was
never compacted into any strong force. and was
scattered over the country with picket duty for |
its chief business. Gen. Hooker completely re
nodded, consolidated il into one corps. gave il /
an independent command, encouraged it TO un
dertake great enterprises, and the consequence |
has been that no part OF the army has struck /
greater terror into the enemy. The sorry figure /
which Stuart, the rebel cavalry General, cuts /
now, as cOntrasted with that which was so for 1
mdable 70 the popular Imagination year ago. /
IL the best commentary on the change which has /
been wrought 0y holder spirit and more en- /
larged comprehension in our commanding Gen /
eral.
The second great improvement has been the /
breaking up OF the old habit OF Struggling /
which used to contribute more than ANYTHING
else TO the generalization of the army. Ii i |
the general testimony OF the correspondents
that the methods employed by Gen. Hooker TO
stop this, have been singularly effective.
The third reformation has been impartine
celebrity OF movement Mcclellan never moved
his forces with speed. Il took him about two
weeks TO move his troops from Willamsbureb
to his hne OF operations on the Chickahominy-
distance OF only forty OF hity miles though be
met with no resistance on the way, and there
was an urgent necessity to give the retiring en-
emy as little time as possible The march from
Washington into Maryland. to meet Lee. was
made in much the same deliberate STYLE. Nc.
Clellan seldom or never, no matter what the
emergency. pushed the body Of his trOops be-
yond ten or twelve miles a dav. Hooker has
just accomplished forced marches of from twenty
70 twenty-five miles for days in succession. To
have brought up the army to this high degree
OF movao'lity Is, in itself, grand point gaiaed
The army OF the Potomac, though considera.
a. m nu,t..
tive condition as it is to dav; and there i No
good reason for doubling that the same I'm
which has % shaped it, will be equally competent
70 handle II. II this turns out otherwise. sin. |
cerely as We may regret it, we shall not seek 10
svade the truta. But We protest against con.
1emnAtion before trial Ii can spring from no q
worthy motive. 1t can secure no good end
II unjust to Gen. Hooker, it is injurious to the
y and IN every sense it is public scandal.