Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-09-15

attaclz on the rebel left had been re-
pulsed ani THAI the fighting in that
part of the Fl I'D was over for tho time,
Irode back across the creek in the di-
rection of General McClellan's head
quarters. 1t was expected that he
would order forward his reserves
under General Fiz John Porter, but
he did not. Precious minutes and
PRICELESS hours ebbed away and moth
ing was done. / was looking about
for rc-mornt as my horse had
couple of bullets in him and could not
be depended on, when an officer of
General NlcClcllan's staff whom l
knew detached himself from the
group at little distance and came
over to me. lie said:
"I hear You were with Hooker
when he was woundcd?"
"Yes."
s'Do you know whether he is dis
abled?"
said that he had been hit hard
could not sit his horse. and had been
carried off on an ambulance; since
then had not seen him.
''Do You know where he is?"
ayes; at red farmhouse in an
open field on the right, this side of
the creek"
''Will you take message to him?"
BY this time | began to think the
fhterrogatory both curious and serious,
and 1 answered,
''That depends on what the mes
sage is"
My friend and / were by ourselves,
we'll out of ear-shot of the staff, but
within view, and saw that the staff
or some of them were watching what
went on. He came little closer.
lowered his voice, and said:
s'Most of us think that this battle
Ii only half fought and half won.
There is still time to finish it. But
Mcclellan will do no more. What 1
want you to do is to SEQ Hooker, find
out whether he will take command Of
this army and drive Lee into the Po-
tomac or force him to sure nder."
It was perhaps the most astounding
request ever made by soldier to
civilian. What he suggested was
nothing less than an net of mutiny in
tile face of the enemy, and told him
so.
ct know t 1T as we'll as you do"
was the ans,JAr. 1--WE all know it,
but we know also that it is the only
way to crush Lee and end the rebel-
Hon and save the country"
Ipointed out that If Hooker were to
be approached on such subject, it
ought to be by him or by one of his
a., ! I-,k
and that, if they meant business,
they ought to be ready to take the
risk added that thought it more
than likely that General Hooker's an
swer to such proposal would be to
order the man who made it, whoever
he was, under arrest.
at need not be proposal" he re-
piled. "All we want you to do is to
sound Hooker and let us know what
his views are. The rest we will do
ourselves." I asked him if he meant
to give me written message.
Certainly not. Such things are not
put into writing
s'But why should Hooker believe
me. or compromise himself in con-
versation with u man he never saw till
this morning?'
He said it was known had acted as
Hooker's aide, and urged sundry other
reasons. / still declined, but he still
pressed it. Hooker, he declared, had
won the confidence of the army, and
Mcclellan had lost it, 1t was no time
to stand on trifles- He regarded what
he proposed to me as patriotic duty
and SO on. Finally, as persisted in
refusing to be the bearer of any such
message, he asked if I would sec
Hooker, and bring them word whether
he could, in any circumstances, take
the field again that day. To this I
saw no objection, and rode off,
found General Hooker in bed and in
great pain. He asked eagerly for
news of the battle. When l told him
that the attack ON both wings had
failed, that no movement had been
made for the last two hours, and
that General Mcclellan seemed
to have no intention of max
ing any, he became angry
and excited, and used language OF
extreme plainness. I had noticed in
the morning that he had very copi-
GUS vocabulary. 1t was directed, for
the most part, against the enemy,
whose sharpshooters followed him all
over the field, in which his tall figure
in full uniform, and his white horse
were by far the most conspicuous tar
gets. Once his staff got the benefit oi
this flow of energetic speech, wher
tyeo or three of them joined in the
sn Egestion that the proper place for Z
4 ps commander was not In the
sHirnish linz, and that he could moi
rgudently main under so hot fire.
Now 1t WAS turned upon Mcclellan
with whoea Excessive caution and sys.
teuatic incrtness in the crisis of I
great battle he had no patience. Thi,
ontburSt gave me an opportunity o
pntting the question l wanted to, ant
nSkal him whathar his wound won Ia