The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-05
HO0KER's ATTACK ON HOWARD.
NEW YORK, June ., 1872.


To TIE EDITOR or THE HERALD
The HERALD OF this morning contains, copied
from the San Francisco Chronicle, what purpOrts to
be report Of an interview with General Joseph
Hooker. AS to General Hooker's opinion that
Grant "has got no more moral sense than q dog"
and that Sherman was "crazy," they are of piece
with his whole utterances respecting other
generals In his testimony before the Committee
on the Conduct OF the War he attributes the failure
OF McClellans campaign on the Peninsula to the
incompetency OF the commanding general, and OF
Haleck he says, 'Tf the General-in-Chief had been
in the rebel interest it would have been impossible
for him to have added to the embarrassment he
caused me from the moment took command of the
Army OF the Potomac" The GALAXY for May, 1871,
contained paper by me ON the campaigns Of
General r. E. Lee, In which, Of course, mention was
made Of the affair at Charlottesville received
rom General Hooker note OF which the following
is the essential part
In that part of your article relating to myself find
S Ss , ahets only p 9
no battle at ChancelIorsve. because could get my
men Into position WIN you have The goSdnes.
YOU AA!e iG MAJOR s asnara
TO this direct implication Of falsincation re-
plied:-
report Of the joint Committee the Conduct Of the War;
ss fnsss IF om
@ o as S na Ss ne
of the o that Soad not into
there my for %
them shall be
To this General Hooker replied
ss for ss 70 n IL s
on nag ooac thu nce hs
na n hds
General Hooker went on to except to one or two
other points, closing "But win not mention at
/ may be wrong and NAV be- right. Life q too
short to be bothered with these matters" l
specified, and renewing my OFFER to do the same in
relation TO any others Assuming the report OF the
Chronicle to be correct General Hookers present
recollection OF what took place at the council OF
war before the final retreat from Charlottesville
varies considerably from his recollection seven
He now WV says As t. the s's COUNCIL 'ee Of WAY
that was held Howard voted to stay; but
wanted to retrieve himself" The evident implIca-
ton here Is that Howard was the only commander
q co 1ges Tno was IN favor q STAYING Bnt in
~ called upon them individually for their opinions
General Meade stated that he was for an advance,
recross the river In the presence Of the enemy.
General Reynolds had thrown himself on a. bed,
had gone to Sleep saying before he did so that his
opinion would be the same as General Meade's.
General Howard voted ior an advance, assigning
been placed in the position In which it was by the
conduct Of his corps and he had to vote for an ad
was received for what 1t was worth General
Couch was Of the opinion that the army should
recross the river" Thus, instead Of Howard being
the only one in favor Of "staying" three out Of five
Of the corps commanders, as sworn to by General
Hooker, were In favor Of an advance. Hooker, in
decd, says that Meades opinion, and, consequently
that OF Reynolds, for an advance was based upon
the impossibty Of crossing the river in face of the
enemy. But he goes on to testify subsequently,
on learning that General Meade was saying that he
was Internationally for an advance, and that he
wished the bridges had been carried away so as to
prevented m a nd aokn
II ne mad made such report He told me that he
had" Meade then, at the request of Hooker, wrote
TO the other corps commanders, asking their recol
gives the replies Of Howard which he wished to be
considered as q part OF his own testimony How
ards impression was that Meade thought Il best to
attack but, after Hooker had given his opinion,
General Hooker was beyond all doubt, a thor.
0ughly brave man, and have given him every
credit for his good service. Nothing could have been
better than his reorganization Of the army when the
the beginning OF the AFFAIR at Chancellorsvic; moth
Ing better than his action at Lookout Mountain:
nothing better, indeed, than his conduct after
he is not warranted in claiming the real merit Of
the battle Of Gettysburg, for that action was q
chance encounter, neither Meade nor Lee anticipat-
ing until It was over that they would come in col
burg. Hooker Is q man Of that high-strung ner-
vous temperament which is physically incapable
OF enduring pain. At Antietam he received q
the field. At chanceiiorsville he was Simply
stunned by the falling OF pillar, shock from
which most men would have rallied in two hours
but which rendered him for days really incapable
motely attributed his present condition. But q
man whose memory is SO defective ought to be
A. H. GUERNSEY.