Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-07-06
Hooker

Hooker is in a fair way lose his nom dc giT|s OF
Fighting joe He has been in command OF the nnest
army on the Planet" nov abOu. siE months and Tor
nost of the tine within musket shot Of bis adversary
Yet he has fought bu: battle, and that, by bis own
account not a general engagement His friends e1-
Dseted Of him N-pOeOuic campaign, all energy, se-
ion dash. victory. lie had himself denounced any
thing short of this as imbeci;y, had boosted loud
u Of what be sould have done if be had been in Nc
Ceu,ps place or Burnsdes tie had but little to lose
IN reputation, and vas known TO be Of reekess'dspo
on and the expectation on both sides that he would
A. least keep up active hOst les was not unreasonable
Such no doubt was his purpose but the battle OF Chan
o,lorsyie knocked al the eoncet and nonsense oat ot
him He then saw force not more than hall oil ms
own uniting their own fOrtiheatons marching out bold
IL into he open country fearlesy attacking him IN his
chosen and fortified position dAshing forward through
.batis and elamberog bTeastWorks, and bis own
.,orske hosts fleeing Tor dear life before the tor
10 of Confederate wrath aud fury-and that sight
m,Se another man Of hin. l. gave him new ideas Of
himself his army, and especially OF bis antagonist The
arrogant presu ap,u rus staggering BObldh melted
dom into neekness ard silence. He was content to
kseDhimself and biz for the future out Of harms
a. He was more than willing 70 stay on bis own side
Of the river and anxious only lest the lion Who kept his
h op the other side should come over and deyour him.
In ths usc6c and lamb Ike state Of mind, he permitted
o,nar. Lee 70 strike bis tents and make long aank
march around him. cross the Potomac, and pass far on
20 his rear without raising finger to prevent il.
sueb has been the course Of Fighting Joe Hooker
t..,., a non, &C. A distinguished gentleman of the
s,u,b had occasion some ago to spend four months
10 tbs saddle, on the Pacific coast HIS business being
of public character, be was assigned cavalry escort
Of tvspty-6ve men, under charge Of tEo United States
Oscars Those two officers happened TO be Hooker and
stopeman. the Oae now commanding the finest army
on the Planet and the other at the head Of all the
cavalry in that army With these officers he spent
hour Of every day for the four months, aud slept
nv tbeir side on the grass az night de necessarily
-. % kpov them about as well it is possible for
CO Dsrson 20 know another. Mentioning the cireum-
-. 40 IA he said Of Stopeaan, that he never
mors thoroughly convinced d anything CONNECTED
-;,b nsrsopal character, than that he was coward
=, srr.pt coward. Hooker, be readily discovered to
Ia vain conceted, pretentous, boastiu fellow, oil
moderate capacity, and aslOnishingy Ignorant BE
h.5 psver seen person Of the education mpl ed by
Graduating at West Point whose general information
snd scholarship were 50 limited. He knew nothing OF
the literature ad hisOryeven Of bis own profession
Of famous wars campaigns and battles, ancient or mod
arm or Of the most noted commanders or strAtegsts-
But be pretended to know everything and al"ays IN
sisted tina. there was better way OF doing anything
than the way in which had been done or was proposed
70 be done Not long after this excursion hooker re-
signed his commission in she army, and fell INTO sueh
rsvuabs ways of life in San Francisco, that the gen.
tsmSn 20 whom We refer ceased TO recognise him as an
Aequaintanee.
The London Times compares this Yankee cheftain to
shs Atbenian demagogue Cleon-the favOrite butt Of
tbs vii and satire Of AstOphanes In vOgary, Vani'
~ lack Of honor, private Per6dy and the practice Of
laundering their supsOrs in merit and position the re-
ssmbanee Is striking enough. But there is an important
mint At which the parallel ceases. CleOnJ after having
dIspsrAged and denounced the AthsniAn Generals LOT
shsr inability 10 win victories over the spArsans us'
a Hooker did hS predecessors, was finally gwen hAe