The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-06-02

the popular capdidate for tho sucoe4nion, and
stand better chance OF election than any CON-
petitor whose name he's yet appeared before
the public.
Hooker ~ . General.
When General Hooker was before the Con-
gressional committee sundry questions were
put to him which accomplished what they were
intended 10. aud brought out, not the truth,
but General Hooker. He was purposely given
an opportunity to say to the country, from
high standpoint, whatever he had to say about
Che war. He was asked about Yorktown.
Upon that subject his opinions were positive,
and after some preliminary queries he was
squarely requested to state what he would have
done at Yorktown had he then been in com
maud of the army. He cited the battle Of Will
liamsburg as the indication Of what he
to Judge of his abilities by that bat
tie. There, he said he had advanced
with his single division against line
Of works stronger than the line at Yorktown.
Here is military opinion Of the relative
strength Of those two lines. Can it be credited
that the finest army ia the United States is now
under the command of a man who ia such a
tyro in military matters as not to know which
of those two lines was the stronger, and not to
know that this statement was ahsurdly false.
Well, Gen. Hooker advanced, and this is what
came Of it: he fought all day. lost seventeen
hundred n,en, and ---disas,rously. msera-
bly, failed to carry The position That is what he
Il iha hail In
he desires to be kaown by, With all Difference
to- those who are wise in war we are Of the
opinion that any one could do that Yet such
was in reality Gen. Hookers part in the great
battle by which, he rst became widely known
Moreover, his battle had been fought in de-
hance Of orders. Now, when general fights
in violation of orders, loses heavily. and does
not accomplish his object, it is, or ought to be,
a serious matter Charges were accordingly
made out against Gen. Hooker by the proper
persons, aud he was in fair way ID be dis
missed the service, or worse. But in the mean
time the battle had been trumpeted as great
victory, and Gen. Hooker was very large
hero. How would it look to the country--a
battle had been gaiued-Gen. Hooker helped
10 gain it, and he was to be dismissed the SER
vice That would never do. So the Generals
violation of orders-his failure and his heavy
oss--only helped to make his fame, Thus
ended Hooker's first notorious essay as a gene
raj.
lie made another nearly upon The snniver-
sary of the first Near Falmouth, he had, as
our readers know, magnificent army. He
said il was /" the finest on the planet In front
of him was a rebel army half the size Of his
| own. Gen. Hooker had-and knew that
he had--two to one for every man under
| Lee His first act was to throw away this ad
VANTAGE in a great measure ~ the division of
| his force. He divided bis army and put an IL
terval of ten miles between the two parts. He
next put the enemy in that interval. covered on
one face by their intrenciincnts, and his
strategy amounted 20 this Under the delu-
sion thar be was about 10 operate OH the enc
my 5 rear he le.sened his effective strength by
a Whole corps. and made the parts Of his army
act separately against central force AS was
toresccn, and AZ events have proven. these
parts of bs army were tough. in detail, and
absolute snnihilstion was only prevented by
his great superiority in numbers. his nasty re-
treat and the stubborn fight of the Sixth corps.
For he merits Of this movement stralegically
il is claimed that il nuliGed the strong position
on the heights behind Fredericksburg, and com
PEELED the enemy TO come out into the field aud
fight. But il is very easy to make your enemy
come out of his stronghold when you put your
self in position where he sees that you are Of
his nercy-snd that is the way that Hooker
brought Lee out.
General Hooker marched aud msnguvred Cor
four days. occupied that time in his advance
against the enemy. and then the enemy fought
an offensive battle in field of which thex knew
every square inch He chose his position. rest
ed in il, and was beaten thers without battle
For, il his strategy Is bad. his grand tactics are
great deal worse, and 50 far as any direction
or guidance from General Hooker is implied
the battle was not fought at all. Surprised by
the attack on one fank when he had prepared
against ii on the other. he seems to have become
bewildersd, and lost all comprehension Of the
state OF affairs Indeed, Hooker seemed TO
have placed himself at the head Of one corps
only and had no idea Of the great army under
his command. Different corps fought without
any unity Of purpose whatever, and be
who should have governed all overlooked
only an isolated struggle, until he was knocked
down by post. Less than one.third Of bis
force was taken into battle, and with six corps
under his command be did not maintain 40
stout fight as General sedgwick did on the
next day with only one. General Hooker even
expected assistance from sedgwick In bis ngb.
on Sunday, May 8. Lee had sixty-feur thou.
sand men, and Hooker, with over hundred
thousand, was on Lees "resr." And, while
with hundred thousand he fought sixty.four
ihonsand. he expeAted that SAdgxick with a