The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-05
FIGHTING JOE'S PROMISE.


said my friend Ennis of the Eight New
Jersey infantry, was chaplain of a.
Michigan regiment He had a peculiar
experience soon after General Burnside
was relieved from command of the
army of the Potomac and General Joe
Misunderstanding Joe Hooker-suc-
ceeded him. I wonder how many Off
GERS and men who were in the army
of the Potomac remember a striking,
not to say sensational, incident of that
period?
There had been very, very gloomy
times in that army for many weeks
The great slaughter, without UnionY
gain, at Fredericksburg, and the utterA
failure of Burnside's mud march had 4
the effect to seriously discourage both
officers and men. There were more evil
dences of discomfort and decentralization
for q few weeks that winter of 1923
in the army than existed at any other.
period during the war. Men were sus-l
picious of their generals, questioned
their generalship, scolded Lincoln for
not causing a Reorganization, and eX-
pressed great fear OF failure to save the
country.
General Hooker had a fine record as at
fighting soldier. The army had confi-4
dence in and admiration for him, andi
naturally there was much rejOicinge
when he assumed command. As was
sometimes the case in the army, much
Of the rejoicing was helped along by a.
more than generous use Of commissary5
whisky. In fact, for two or three days
after Hooker took charge a great many
OF the men and pretty nearly all of they
officers who cared to drink were in moi
condition for the ordinary duties of SOL
der life, AMI certainly unpTepared fOr3
the emergencies of q sudden attack orr
a great battle. General Hooker Wasi
not Outdone in this respect by any OF
his officers. In those days he was not,
averse to the use of the ardent-aI
steady user of it.
of course this state of affairs Games
to the knowledge of the troops, ANDY
there was almost no end of comments
on it, Had Lee known the condition ing
which the army was during the sad3
state in which Hooker and most of hiss
generals We're, after partially recover
ing from weeks of gloom, he could
have demOraliZed, if not destroyed, the
army of the Potomac. It is lucky fOrs
the nation that General Lee did not
know the situation of affairs The ranlki
and file realized the situation; they
appreciated the fact that they would
have been almost helpless in the caSef
of a sudden attack. Who wonders that
they talked, that they commented, that.
they criticized-that they felt that they
had been deeply wrOnged by the con-
army and other men holding high rank
Much of this talk, many of these
comments came to the ears of Chaplain
Edwards The more he reflected the
more he felt that he had a call to per-
form an important duty; that it was
his plain, urgent duty to go to General
Hooker and speak Of those things
which he had heard from the lips of
many of the men in the army he had
the honor to command. He didn't know
General Hooker personally; had never
met him, but he made the visit
After introducing himself the zeal-s
Gus chaplain said: General Hooker, Z
have come on q mission that may result9
in my arrest and dismissal from the
service, if not a severe punishment. butts
I am impressed that L would not be (
doing my duty to you, this army, ours
country and my God, were 1 to remain
silent
General Hooker very kindly saidsf
Chaplain be seated, and let me hear
what you have to say
Or Edwards-he was not a doctor
| then, just a plain reverend or chaplain
began in this way: General Hooker.
have you any idea what the men have
been saving in relation to the drinking.
| customs among the officers, yOurSelfF
| included, the last few days%
Hooker, not at all surprised, an
! swered that he had not.
| Then let me tell you, for I have
! mingled with them and have had many
/ opportunities to hear their comments;s
! they are all in one direction. When
| the news of your appointment to the
/ command of the army of the POtOmaOS
came there was universal rejoicing
among the men. They had the utmost
| confidence in you When they heard
that you and other officers were indulg-
ing to excess in that which both I'm
| nerves and units men for the highest
| duties soldiers are called upon to per-
! form. they Inurmured and expressed,
fear that a mistake had been made in
! placing you at their head. They have
| been talking among themselves as to
what might have happened had Gen
eral Lee and his army attacked this
| army while so many Of it's officers.
including the general in chief, were I'M
der the influence of strong drink. They
have expressed the belief that disaster
and destruction would have been the
fate Your appointment had the effect
to lift the dark clouds Of gloom Your
example, these days, initiated by so
many others. has brought back that
cloud, and it rests heavily over your
army today. Good soldiers that these
men are, they are also American citi-
Zens. observers and thinkers, and it
will not do to give them too severe a
test
til DR.. Edwards reached this point, and
then his face fell into his hands. He
sat in that position for some minutes.
When he Strengthened up he looked
into the face of DIR. Edwards, and
then, in a manner most animated, ask
ed Chaplain, do you tell me that that
is the way the men Of this army have
been talking. and that that is the way
they feel? Do you tell me that there
is a feeling of gloom among the brave
: men of the army of the Potomac
| because the head of that army and
| some Of it's commanders of brigadeS
and divisions have been indulging to-
excess?'
| THAT is what I have felt called
upon to tell you, General Hooker, and
it is the truth
: & Chaplain said Fighting Joe Hook
= er, Chaplain, 1 give you my promise,
2 and with it my hand that so long as I
/ have command of the army of the Po-
2 tomac I will not drink another drop of
5 Intoxicating liquor and then he warm
2 ly thanked the chaplain for calling.
, Certainly it was an unusual thing
4 for a general in chief in command of
\ more than 100000 troops, separated
e from an eneny's army of about equal
= size by a narrow river. to have chap
lain give him a lecture on his personal
2 habits. censure him for a course he had
\ pursued. But who today will condemn
Dr.. Edwards for having done thar