The Portland daily press., 1864-09-29
The Peninsula Campaign Gen. Hooker's
Testimony.

The Peninsula Campaign Gen. Hooker's
Testimony.
The 37sh Congress appointed a Joint Spe-
cial Committee on the conduct of the war.
That committee summoned before them
large number of military officers, in pursuance
Of their duty, and their report makes three
large volumes, printed by order of Congress.
In this article we shall give portion of the
testimony of Gen. JOSEPH HOOKER, in rela-
ton to the Peninsula campaign, and the fol-
lowing quotations are all from the LIST volume
of the Report in question.
Under date of March IL, 1868, pages $3.50,
we find the following:
Question. To what do you attribute the
failure Of the peninsula campaign?
Answer. | do not hesitate to say that it is
to be attributed to the want of generalship Oh
the part Of our commander.
Question. What was the condition Of things
at IorktOwn when our troops first landed on
the peninsula, as regards the strength of the
place aud the relative strength OF the oppos-
ing forces?
Answer. / did not go down for some three
weeks after Gen. Mcclellan went down. He
went with the army from Alexandra. and the
return vessels stopped at Budd's Ferry, where
l was, and took my division down. Gen. Nc
Clelan took Gown about 10000 men, and when
1 joined him l took / 1000 down to him. did
not see the returns, but that was the under
standing there. Franklin afterwards Joined
with his division. At the time that Gen. Nc
Celan landed with his large army there were
somewhere between 5000 and $1,000 at York
town / have heard it estimated as low as
5000 and as high as $4,000.
Question. What course would you have adj
vised at the time of landing on the peninsula
under the circumstances
Answer. What l subsequently did will
think, convey an answer to that question. /
attacked, with my single division, a line OF
works at Williamsburg stronger than the line
across the peninsula at Yorktown. At York
town, long after Joined, never could under
stand why was required to send one half of
my number on duty, day and night, to dig, so
as to invest that place. l could only conclude
that seige had been determined upon some
where in the programme before ever having
felt to see whether he had an enemy in front
or not. -
Question. Suppose that Gen. Mcclellan had
thrown his army between Yorktown and Will
liamsburg with as much rapidity as he could,
what would probably have been the effect?
Answer. 1t would have resulted in the cap
ture and destruction of the enemy's army.
Question. Do you know any reason why
that could not have been doneP
Answer. / do not.
BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
This was the point where the enemy first
made stand after evacuating Yorktown. AT
ter leaving Yorktown some five miles in the
rear, Gen. Hooker met Gov. Sprague who in
formed him that Gen. Stoneman had fallen up
on the rear of the enemy. He rode forward,
and though the road was choked with teams
and troops. by taking advantage of short cut
he put bis command into action. A large force
OF $4,000 was about mile and half from the
thickest of the fight, and Hooker sent and re-
quested the commander of this force to ad-
vance to the support of the engaged columns.
Gen. Kearney, who was the last of all the ar
my to leave Y orktown-exceptF itz John Por-
ters division which was left to garrison the
place-was the first to come to the assistance
of Hooker and Stoneman. "If Gen. Sumner
had advanced" said Hooker, ''the rebellion
would have been buried there. He did not
advance at ALL"
And why did he not advance? Possibly be-
cause the only man competent to order such
advance was not there to oversee the field
Where was he I? Let Gen. Hooker answer
page GIT.
Question. Where was Gen. Mcclellan dur
ing all this time?
Answer; At Yorktown. About o'clock,
or whereabouts, on the morning of the fight
Prince de Joinville, seeing that no reinforce
ments would be sent to me, started for York
town, and reached there in about an hour. Il
IS reported to me, and have no doubt that il
Is so, that he said to Gen. Mcclellan, Scene
RAJ, you have three old women in the advance.
Gen. hooker Is engaged heavily, and they will
SEND MIN no reinforcements. 1t is necessary
for you to go to the advance" | think Cow
Sprague went down also to urge Gen. McCIel
Ian to come up. Lieut. COL Webb. now the
Inspector OF the 9th corps, was present At the
interview between Prince de JonviIle and Can
Mcclellan. Gen. Mcclellan showed great
in6isposition to go forward, and only left 40
am told, between and O'clock
Question. You stood your groundp
Answer. Yes sir. l had severe fight, and
lost 100 men. In consequence of the condi-
ton OF the roads could not get up my ammu-
nltlon And my men stood their ground with
tue oayonet, and with such ammunition as they
could collect from the cartridge boxes of those
~no mad fallen. think that was the hardest
ngnt mat has been made this war.
here we have the Commanding General in
FORMED at ioo'clock A. NJ of a heavy engage.
inehs only seven miles distant imperiousIy de
handing his presence, and vet he loiters siv
mortal nours-tlll four or five o'clock M
before he starts; meantime 100 bravo n,o,
fall because unsupported, and no oa,oar !.
present who can authoritativelv couna.s
men to support them ! Comment is unnecaa {.
sary. Gen. Hooker adds:
During the night the enemy evacuated Will
lamsourg. l have since learned from most
reliable sources, that when the news Of that
battle reached Richmond, Jefferson Davis and
governor Letcher moved their families out
~, richmond, removed the archives and their
norasies, and every citizen who could com
manu- vehicle had his goods piled on wagons,
ana prepared to abandon the citv. They on
y lesuIheuLtnose who had left-when they
Iouud tnat the pursuit ceased,-I might al
most say, was abandoned.
The following is from page SIS:
Question. Is 1t your judgment that 49,,
could have gone into Richmond them you
Answer. / think we could have moved r;r,,4
on, and got into Richmond by the second dav
AFTER that battle without another gun being
fred.
Question. What was done? ~
answer, We moved on in q manner nav.