River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-08-29
JOE HOOKER.

JOE HOOKER.
His Criticism oa a Ne,r York Tribune
Correspondent, Gen. Grant and Gen.
Sherman.
To the Editor of the New York Tribune:
MATTHIAS VINEYARD, Mass, Aug. H.
My attention has just been called to an
article in your paper, over the name of Will
liam f. 9. Shanks, in regard to the battle of
Lookout Mountain. After the lapse of so
much time since the battle was fought lf
ever am sorry he seems to have forgotten
some of the circumstances necessary to o
correct understanding of the fight, and /
have only moment 10 call your attention to
few of his more prominent omissions in
his narrative, but will refer you for fuller
details to my report of the battle-now on
file in the war department--should you de-
sire to inform yourself further on the sub
ject. On the whole, however, ] cannot do
less than to thank Mr.. Shanks for the kind
ness IN his motives in espousing the contro-
versy Gen. Grant has thought proper to
| open with me and my command
| in regard to the fight. The
| interview said to have been held with that
| gentleman by a correspondent of the Herald
| have always seriously doubted and shall
continue to do so until more fully confirmed
respecting it. Interviewers have of late dis
played SO much cunning and mischief
making in the practice of their pursuits
that think my incredulity will not appear
strange to you. Gen. Grant has held such
high positions that L am unwilling to be-
lieve that he will voluntarily go back on
| himself, or on the troops that served him
| Writ oil 4be ii
lures, as he seems to have done, and which
can account for in no other way than that be
was in his cups, or that the prospect of q
third term had crazed his brain. OF course,
Gen. Grant will never be charged with
having written or spoken the substance OF
the interview as reported to US, for that is
foreign to his style, for any one who has
either read or listened to him can readily dis
cover. | strongly suspect that the inter
viewer was 'roached by another officer OF
the army of high rank, whose peculiar mode
of warfare for some time past has been OF
this covert character.
But before calling your attention to some
| of what | consider inaccuracies in Mr.,
Sbanks' letter, / may premise briefly by say
| ing that it was not the intention of the gen
eral-in-chief for any part of tue Army of the
Potomac to take a leading role in the opera
tons around Chattanooga, which fact / was
not aware of until my command was divided
and the Eleventh corps of it sent across the
tennessee to reinforce Gen. Sherman, who
with the Amy of the Tennessee, was operat-
ing on the opposite extremity of the enemy's
line; ard then you viii see by my report thai
7 applied TO go with the Eleventh corps, al
| they were going into battle.
Subsequently the river got up, carried
away the driftw cd, and broke the bridges
before all of Sh5rman's army had crossed
and then it was determined and not till then
that I might make, with one division of The
Twelfth corps and two divisions of othe
armies, a demonstration ON Lookout Noun
tain. Gen. Grant had previously communi
Gated design to attack Lookout Mountain
but, after a division of my command
it is clear and satisfactory that his origina
design had been abandoned, and it was onl'
through the intervention of Divine Provi
dence that an opportunity was presented mt
for attack. Thus, you see, "man often pro
poses but God disposes.
did attack and carried Lookout Noun
tain, and this was the first assurance to Gen
Grant that he vas to be successful in all hi
operations around Chattanooga, although
Gen. Sherman had repeatedly informed hin
Of srsn.aaSne shiloh yuaao sas,,o.' -seAli44sal-
Captain Van Horns history of the Army
of the Cumberland will present you with al
of the facts, and | know them to be facts
Gen. Grant or General anybody else to TIN
contrary notwithstanding.
Gen. Grant, as well as some other officer
high in rank, is famous for after-thoughts. a
you will find on critical examination. w,
had, and presume still have, rings in tn,
army as well as out of it.
I have not written so much about the
fight at Lookout since the war as | nov
have, as | am anxious that you should know
all the facts. My fight at Lookout nigh
have equaIed Gen. Grants in the Wilderness
had chosen to advance in front ON the enc
my behind their intrenchments, which
seemed to be his favorite mode, but which
his whole army revolted at Cold Harbor
But had no particular desire to be consid
cred a butcher in my mode of making war.
Sometime / do hope that a committee o.
intelligent and fearless Congressman may
be appointed to investigate this subject anc
report not only on this battle, but Shiloh
the losses in the Wilderness, ETC., etc., as IL
no other way can the truth of history be
made out.
Gen. ingalls,, Grants own quartermaster
informed me that he furnished Transports
ton for 5000 men to go North between the
|
this number could not embrace all the cas-
ualties.
| If Gen. Grant expects to reach the third
term by the circulation of such imposing ano
abominable statements. l am inclined to
think that he will find it rough travelling be
fore he reaches halfway there. But you
may feel assured that these are not his state
ments. Some one is s'bulldozing' him, the
same as was the case among the politicians
while he was administering the government
as President,
You probably saw an account of an inter
view with me at Saratoga, in which ignored
the war, Gen. Grant, and pretty much every
thing else. / had learned early in life that
the best mode of fighting the devil was with
his own weapons.
| But, before writing more, let us turn tc
Mr.. Shanks' letter. Not man of Towards
command was in the fight at Lookout Noun
tain, and. if I had advanced in front at the
base of the mountain, might have lost half
of my command, and in the end have been
successful. 1t was under the influence OF
my success, too, that Thomas command
made its glorious assault on Mission Ridge,
as they had all been witnesses of our achieve
ments on the Path and 25th, while the army
on Gram left had accomplished nothing it
was sent to do. Yours, as ever,
j. HOOKER, Major General