Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-15

These. together with the facts that he had sent
away All his cavalry. and that his army vas divi
ded into three separate parts. and tngei her wish
the defects OF his plan mentioned in my letter %
Nav D. we're Ire csu~e- OF hs iui.ure. and they
we're the Circumstances which rendered his re
tIeatA necessity. These causes had al operated
before the rain begun. which was not till Tuesday
evening II these causes had not exi~ted-'n
other words II Hooker had been good General.
and had avoided these errors-the rains might
stit aate occurred. and still Hooker would not
only not have been compelled to retreat, but
more than that. he would nave gained great
victory shall demonstrate this proposition.
10 has been ostentafiously publ shed 10 the
world that Hooker had Isl 100 iro D. Make the
statement more m ,derate and say he bad 100.
600; and know he certainly had that. he hNd
seven army corps, averaging Il .00n men each.
aud SOneman's cavalry corps of IL 400 men
General Lee. even after Lpugs'reet and Hill had
joined him. had not over I2n 900 at the outside.
and probably not over 100000 All that would
be necessary, therefore, vas for Hooker to hive
mnssed his whole force at Charlottesville. he
boased himself. end the Administration boasie,l.
that his position there Was impre.nable. With
l5OOOO troops there, well supplied with prOvis-
ions and ammunition. and with Stoneman's cav
airy on his Il Inks To keep off the advancing enc
my, he could have waited there I'LL to day. The
storm l. over, and the sun j. shining brightly
During the last four days, all the troops AT
Baltimore Washington, and indeed in all the
North. rs ODO could easily have ieen mustered.
would have been moved up the north side of the
Rippahannock and down to Falmouth to support
Hooker and as his reserve To day or to-
morrow at farthest, Hooker thus powerfully
backed and knowing IL, could have renew Ell the
battle. and surely with success. Why, then, did
he not remain in his "impregnahle postioni"
Because when the time came for the exercise of
the qualities of great General, il was found th
Hooker did not possess those Qullities A great
General, or even a good General. would have
kept his army all together: would have provided
a reserve force; would have had ammunition
train and provision train safely park Ell in an
accessible position on the north side of the lp-
pahannOck would have kept his cavalry to- use
in making charges, aud would not have detached
Sedgwick' = corps 10 accomplish at the loss of
) 900 men, IN under aking which he pronounced
to be cot no consequence But Hooker is not
a great General: and it is because he is wanting
in the qualities that make General that he fell
into these errors
Although all the corps except the llth dis.
tinguished themselves for their gallant conduct
and indomitab courage, | NAV tie excused for
calling the attention OF your readers particularly
tn the extraordinary achievements OF General
StOnem IN : cavalry corps. full accounts OF which
have 10y this time reached You. Gen StOneman'S
corps crossed the Rappahannock with the al
vance OF Hookers army, at Kelly Ford. on the
2sth OF April. They crossed the Rapidan also
with the advance the 29th. They advanced
To Wilderness ON the 30th and on the It of Nav,
at Chancellorvile. Hooker gave StOueman his
orders about cutting the railroads. and General
Stoneman started On the 81 he was at Louisa
thirteen miles southeast of Gordonsviile On the
81 he broke down the railroad bridge over the
North Anna river. twenty miles nurth of Rich
mond. and the railroad bridge over the Plmumkv
river sixteen miles north of Richmond and on
the same day was ut Sixtons Juncion. eighteen
miles north OF Richmond at Hanover fourteen
miles north of Richmond. and at AtIee's eight
miles northeast OF Richmond On the All he
broke down the railroad bridge on the Chickl
hominy. FIVE miles north Of Richmond, AMI ell
camped on hill only two miles from the Rebel
capital At all the places named he tore up and
destroyed the railroad tr eI
After having thus completed his work in the
most thorough manner, he marched his corps 10
Gloucester and Yorktown, by way OF the White
House. on the Ptmunky.
Such is the man whom Jre Hooker DISMISSED
FROM THE AMY by an order issued ou the h of
Nav Yes it is even So On the 4h of Nav
Hooker. finding out, from some prisoners, that
Lee had been reinforced by both Longstreet and
Hill from Richmond. jumped to the conclusion
that Stoneman had failed To cut the railroads and
issued an order di-missng him from the army ia
disgrace Ii remains To be whether the
President will approve Of the order. IL would
serve Hooker right, however if the President
should treat him ms he treated Burnside in sim
liar case, and appoint Stoneman To succeed the
who now clainors for his dismissal as he APP
pointed Hooker to succeed the man who urged
his dismissal Gen Stoneman is infinitely supe
rior To- Hooker in all the qualities that go To make
up great General.
Hooker's pretty little experiment. has cost the
army the loss of at least $4,000 men. Otherwise
the army is not materially injured. Under anoth- |
er General. and with their thiined regiments filled
up. 1t will still be I'm efficient army. But it will
never Ut under Hooker again 1t has had
quite enough OF Fighting joe
There are some appreheDsions as TO the safety |
of the capital and of the Baltimore and Ohio
Riilroad. The capital however. il snie. 1t i |
possible that. when the present food in the Rap I
pahannock subsidies, which will he ON the 10Th |
inst the Coniederaies may cross anu give Us
trouble on that Railroad. But the army. though !
terribly decimatei. is not vet destroyed All il |
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