The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-07
Ghe 1ai[u dunrttaG.
Gen. HOOker's Strategy.

| - SS" AAoohSt out"Itteu HOt only In
rebels, butthe newspaper correspondents
In his movement across the Rappahan
mock. If he does not succeed in DESTROY
ing Lees army, it will be because it i
stronger in number than has been gen
orally supposed, and does better fghtiny
than the Army of the Potomac Tht
latter army can no longer complain tha
it twas cruelty sacrificed by being hurlet
against fortified positions and impregna
Bile earthworks. Hooker chose his owl
ground and compelled the rebels to figh
him there. Not only SO, but our mer
are protected by earthworks and rife
pits which the rebels are compelled tc
storm to extricate themselves from the
perlllous position in which Hooker's bril-
liant strategy has placed them.
1t will be interesting to look over the
movements of Gen. Hooker, to appreci.
ate the skill manifested by him in his
sudden advance.
Nearly all the correspondents of the
New York Press were deceived by his
feints, and it is not strange that Gen.
Lee was equally misled.
Agate" ofthe. Cincinnati Gazette, spec
ulates concerning Gen. dooker's inten-
tions as follows, writing from Falmouth {:
The sun went down behind the distant,
wood-crowned hills, and we deserted the
bluffs to speculate over the maps Will
you have our sage conclusions?
Hooker, with the bulk of his army, had
crossed at the fords above, and had been
feeling of the rebels, with much success
as party of three hundred prisoners,
just then being marched down to the old
headquarters, attested. Meanwhile the
cavalry under Stoneman was away out
beyond some said they had even been
to Gordonsville; it was certain they we're
IN formidable position on the flank and
were very seriously menacing the rebel
rear, and their railroad line of retreat to
Richmond itself And on the left, down
where Franklin crossed, lay L may not
say how many isolated corps-a force
that at first sight seemed rashly separat-
ed from the main army, in defiance of all
the rules of war Why might not the
enemy pounce upon them with his whole
strength, and thus begin defeating us in
detail?
Let US see. Hooker was above them.
on their left flank, and so we'll satisfied
with his position as to have issued the
following order, which transcribe from
an official copy:
THE order has already appeared in
the ancfaf S3a5hGE Pfans, rus wnOe matter is plain
The rebel communications are being cut
off. They must come out and fight US,
ATTEMPT to retreat unobserved, or wait
and-surrender, or fight after their walt
ing. as they would have to do at the out
set.
If they adopt the second alternative
and attempt to retreat, Hooker comes III
on their left flank and rear, while an
other fianking force is on the other side.
Perhaps they may attack. Naturally
thev would think first of attacking the
weaker body-the one that crossed three
miles below. But we happened to no
tice that the pontoons were still down,
and that artillery on the north side com
manded the passage. 1t they attack this
weaker column, it quietly recrosSes, un-
der cover of its own heavy guns, and
takes I'D its pontoons. The rebels car
not cross after them in the face of oul
fire, and if they could, they have no pom
toons. Clearly, single attempt vii
teach them to let that force alone.
They must then attack Hooker him
self-now quietly located ION his owl
ground" as he says, on their left. |
they do, they leave their entrenchments
and it is fair fight.
Hardly, after all For as they leav
them Ito go up the river and high
Hooker), what is there to prevent ou
force below from suddenly storming th
deserted or almost deserted entrencf
ments, carving the heights of Frede
icksburg, and placing the rebels on tn
wrong side of their own works, and o'
tween two hres ...---
The clearest account, however, OF tt
whole movement and of the plan pursue
bv the Union General to mask his re
intentions, we copy from the New fol
Tribune:
GEN. HooKER's ADVANCE.
Three corps OF the Army of the Pot
man are across the Rappahannock, al
the rebels have probably -,eVacuat
fredericksburg. Gen. Hooker col
mences his campaign by sudden, oo
and admirably executed movemel
which has taken the enemy complete
+ bv surprise, turned his position, a
compelied them to fight on ground I
of his own choosing. We are not
nossession of full accounts of the mo-
ment any later than Thursday mornii
y bnt down to that time the outline
events is mainly sketched in the letter
our special correspondent, on the b
Is mage, which was printed in yesterda
ed evening editions, and was the only.
thentic and trustworthy intelligencesp
u iished in this city. The following sta
ed ed ment is collected from that letter,
ng from information, that yesterday
hs deemed it prudent to withhold: The
feints at Port Royal and Kelly's F.s
made at nearly the same time, ten d
ago, seem to have puzzled and decel
Use. the rebels completely as to the propo
nd movement. Gen. Hooker, however,
ried out his whole plan by means