Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-09
Justice.

Elaborate account, not only OF the battle III
salf hut of the whole campaign which pre-
coded it. In his cool and polished periods
something of the final judgment of history.
il doubtless anticipated Mr.. EVERETT has
evidently made the campaign a subject of
careful study, and has had access to AL the
sources of information including the reports
both of the Union and rebel generals
Few will question his ability for such task
The admirable manner In which it has been
performed has been widely and warmly e1-
tolled To one feature of this analysis of
the Gettysburg campaign we desire to call
especial attention; it is the vindication which
it contains of the generalship Of HOOKER.
The from which this tribute to a
General who has been an especial mark for
the calumny and yituperation of the self
styled conserv atives gives it additionally ght
and value. If Mr. EVERETT has prejudices
they are not in Gen. HooKER's favor AT
least all his associations are with class Of
men the greater portion OF whom have gazed
upon the exceeding light " of Gen. McCLEL-
LAN's military genius until they unable to
see any merit whatever in our other Generals
But Mr.. EVERETT, after most careful exam
ination of all the testimony, awards the high
est praise to the tactics of Gen. HOOKER, from
the time when he assumed the offensive, up
to the period when Gen. MEADE took command
of the army of the Potomac. He says that
LEES designs were promptly discovered
by HOOKER, and wholly frustrated :" that his
first object &c defeat our army south of the
Potomac was ''baffied :" and that all his at
tempts to -maneuyre Gen. HOOKER were
unavailing." We quote one or two passages
from the address
Much time had been useiessiy consumed
by the rebel general in his unayailing at
temps to out-maneuvre General Hooker
Although Gen. Lee broke up from Freder-
icksburg on the Sd of June, it was not till
the 24th that the main body of his army en-
tered Maryland, and instead of crossing the
Potomac as he had intended, east of the
Blue Ridge, lie ,cas compelled to do it at Shep-
herdstown and Williamsport, htaas materially
oteranging his entire plan Of campaign north Of
tie riter Stuart who had been sent with his
cavalry TO the east of the Blue Ridge, to
guard the passes of the mountains, to mask
the movements of Lee, and to harra.s the
Union general in crossing the river, having
been severely handled by Pfeasanton at Be
VERY Ford, Aldio, and Upperyilie instead Of
beng abie to reto1'd Gen Hooke,'s a7eutce, aras
dripez. hin,Self array from lis connection ocjh
tie army Of Lee, and cat Of for a Fortnight from
all communication tcih It; circumstance To
which Gen. Lee, in his report, alludes more
than once, with evident displeasure
Then follows an account of the invasion of
Maryland, to the arrival of Hill and Long
street at Chambersburg on the 9th of June.
Mr. EVERETT continues:
Up to this time, no report of Hooker's
movements had been received by Gen. Lee,
who, having been deprived of his cavalry, had
means OF obtaining information.
As soon as GEN Hooker perceived
that the advance of the Confederates into the
Cumberland Valley not a mere feint to
draw him away from Washington, he moved
himself rapidly in pursuit Attempts, as we
have seen, were made to rctard and harass
his passage across the Potomac. These at
tempts were not only altogether unsuccess-
ful, but so unskilfully made as to place the
entire Federal army between the cavalry of
Stuart and the army of Lee. While the lat
ter was massed in the Cumberland Valley,
Stuart was cast Of the mountains, with Hook
er's army between, and Gregg's cavalry in
close pursuit. Stuart accordingly com
PEELED to force a march northward, which
was destitute Of all stratcgicaI character, and
tanning intelligence.
No time as ne hare sea, had bol1, lost BIZ Gea1
Hooker 1e tie pursuit Of Lee. The day after
the rebel army entered Maryland the Union
army crossed the Potomac at Edwards Ferry
and by the 2Sth lay between Harpers Ferry
and Frederick. The force of the enemy on
that day partly at Chambersburg and
partly moving on the Cashtown road in the
direction of Gettysburg, while the detach-
has been made, had reached the Susquehan-
nah opposite Harrisburg and Columbia. That
great battle must soon be fought no one
could doubt, but in the apparent and perhaps
real absence of plan on the part of Lee, it was
Impossible to toretell the precise scene OF
tie encounter Wherever fought, consequen-
ces the most momcntous hung upon the re
suit
In this critical and anxious state OF affairs,
gen. Hooker vas relieved and Gen Meade
was summoned TO the chief command OF the
army; and 1t appears to my unmIlitary judy
meut 10 reflect tie h0eSt c3e3it upon HIM tsy,G..
his predecessor, and Upon tie corps commanders
y N,e drHtV of tie Potomac, that a change
could take place in the chief command of So
large force on the eve of general battle
the various corps necessarily moving on lines
somewhat divergent, and all in ignorance of
the enemy's intended point of concentration
AID net "a hours Aesitatioa Stoa9d elts3ss ia The
erira',re ~ usyportioa Of he army.
This i high praise and believe justly
merited. While We have never been par
tcular admirer OF Gen. HooKER, We have re
garded the circumstance that, when super
seeded, he left the army in a position and a
condition such that it could be led against
the superior forces of the enemy within three
days, aud achieve one OF tie most signal vic
tories of the war. "A complete refutation of
malignant charges of incapacity and maudlu
weakness that have been brought against him.
No imbecie and drunkard ever handled a
great army with such skill and sagacitv, or
maintained the order and discipline which
characterized the forces under his command
Why PRIsoNERs ARE NOT EXCHANGED
Solicitor WHITING, of the War Department,
states III a letter that has been published
that the real obstacles in the way of an ex-
change of prisoners, are the sending into ser
vice by She rebels, a large number of the IN
exchanged Yiekshurg captives, and the per
emptory refusal 10y the enemy to exchange
coored soldiers and their white officers upon