Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1881-08-20
FIGHTING JOE HOOKER.

Union General His Personal Traits, Il alb
its and AssociatiCns-The Character of a
Much Misunderstood Soldier INDICATED
by One Who Knew Him.
From the Philadelphia Press.
My first personal acquaintance with
General Hooker was on the 18th Of April,
Army of Potomac near Falmouth. Hook
er's fame. and his soubriquet Of Fighting
Joe, "gained in the PeninsElar campaign
Of 1862, had reached our ears while we
were marching, fighting, and being habitu-
ally fanked and cut Off from our supplies,
under Banks and Pope. I had seen him
at Antietam, where during the terrific fight
ing on the right his magnificent daring and
magnetic presence had brought round after
round of cheers from troops who then
first saw him, and where he was painfully
wounded in the front Of the battle. Now
he was our commander, and when he APP
peared that day side by side with our
much loved president all hearts went out
to him.
OF all our leading generals think Hook.
er was the handsomest; and the charms Of
his person were matched by those Of mind
and disposition; in height six feet, perfect
~ proportional, we'll rounded in face and
limb, dignifed and graceful in movement,
with high intellectual forehead, clear, al
most rosy complexion, pleasant blue eyes,
Frightening when he spoke, brown hair
lightly silvered, neat and exact to regula-
ton in dress and equipment, a splendid
rider on splendid horse, his appearance
justified every expectation Of the enthusiast
tic army.
then remembered that while he was in
the City of Mexico with our army under
Scott, Captain Joseph Hooker was known
among the dark-eyed senoritas as "El her
mosa Captain" (the beautiful captaih)
Now, at 46 years Of age, he was 81 hermosa
General, one Of those charming middle
aged officers who captured all hearts of both
sexes. No greater contrast can be mag
ined than that presented by President Liza
coin and General Hooker as they rode slow
ly up and down the lines the day of that
review. Lincoln's long limbs and bony
frame and features, attired in rather rusty
looking black, and topped with that mon
strosity, black silk hat, and mounted on
horse that seemed too small for him, and
which he sat by 10 means gracefully show
ed to less advantage than under any other
possible circumstances. Yet the army
loved him as children their father; and
there was in his honest, homely, careworn
face, as he kindly looked into every face in
those miles Of soldiers in rank, a depth Of
sympathy, almost of entreaty, that hushed
even the stiffness of parade into deep So
lemnity.
Generally grand review is dashing
affair. Then the attractions of war are
seen at their best. and the hearts Of young
men and maidens are captivated, and those
Of old soldiers glow with pride and profess
sional qualification. The ranks are opened,
the men immovable, except when they
come to a present arms, the bands and
drum crops flourish, and down from the
right and Daek again sweep at tearing gall
lop the reviewing general and all his bril-
liant retinue. ~.
The brilliant general and his snowy ca.
valcade and the drums, and the bands were
there that day, but all were tempered by
| the presence of one homely, thoughtful
man. Lincoln's heart had been made sore
by repeated disaster to the army he loved
so we'll, and his great mind overtaxed with
the strain Of his country's need. and he had
now for the first time visited the army, tc
talk his good common sense to it's gener.
ais and see his "boys" face to face.
AS we looked upon him that day we felt
something Of the Te norman salatt0ma1s,
and realized moressfully thsn ever what the
country expected Of the Army of the Po-
tomac under it's new commander.
| Nicknames, terms Of endearment, admir-
| alton, respect, or familiarity we're frequently
bestowed upon generals early in the war, and
generally adhered to them ever after, having
their origin in some prominent trait or char
acter or appearance. Later on, when discip-
line and battle made soldiers of the boys,
there WAS less Of such nonsense, and yet ii
was not entirely nonsense. Fighting Joe
Hooker, Old Pap Thomas, Uncle Billy
Sherman Little Phil Sheridan, and Little
Mac arillusrations.
Hooker distliked extremely this brevet,
and used to say it disguised him. It,meant
nothing to begin with, although conferred
on an occasion when he was conspicuous
for dash and personal exposure. But dur
ing the first year Of the war about every
other field officer Of volunteer regiments
was named in the local paper OF his home
the Fighting Major" or the Fighting Col
ouel," and we read about the Fighting
50th and the Fighting 150th" ad nauseam
as it it we're not the business in which all
were engaged to fight and the fighting
were the exception. I think the friends at
! home in those early days must have expect.
ed the enemy to be Unanswered into sub
lection and rebellion to be suppressed by
fanking, and they thought it the thing
when any one gave and took blows in earn
est to christen him on the spot for his I'M
expected display of valor. Hooker disliked
the name for another reason, because il
implied that he was brave, rash general
who would fight, but was not supposed tc
have capacity to much else.
There was very little of this clan tran IN
the regular army-a band of officers and
men who neither then nor since attracted
their share Of public attention nor received
their share Of praise for the heroic, patent
patriotic work they performed with self
negation that was worthy of copy by the
volunteers was volunteer, and write
| this sinnlu as a inst trih11ta R,1t Il, r.tr,r,,