Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-08-29
TRIBUTE FROM PACIFIC COAST.
Estimate Of Col. George w. Hooker
from the Portland oregonian-keen
Fighter, IrrepressibIe Jester.

Fighter, lrrepressibIe Jester.
The Portland Oregonian, one of the
leading newspapers of the Pacific
coast, published edtorially the fol-
lowing in its issue of Sunday, August
II:
"a notable man died on the 9th
inst in Brattleboro. Vt, in the per-
son of Colonel George w. Hooker.
He was not without distinction in
military or civil life He was in
every great battle of the Army of the
! Potomac, from Antietam to the final
operations before Richmond, in April,
1865, when as Lieutenant-Colonel on
! the staff of General Devens, he or
! ganized the Union column that oc-
| cupied the city; he had previously
served on the staff of General George
j. Stannard at Gettysburg and Cold
! Harbor. The notable thing about
| Colonel Hooker during his four years
of service in the Army was that he
was always at his place on the firing
! line: was not seldom wounded. and
always came up smiling. no matter
what happened. He was a peren-
nially light-hearted. bubbling jester;
splendid soldier in action.
Good fighters are not seldom men
of keen wit and bitter Jest, but Hook
er was a kindly, tender-hearted, am
liable man bubbling over with pure
fun from morning to night; he never
took anything seriously in peace or
war, except the happiness of his wife
and child. to whom he was devoted.
He never quarrelled with anybody;
never uttered words that wounded
anybody; he was a generous man of
open hand and lovable nature. When
there wasn't any fighting that called
him into battle he was the irrepres-
sibe jester of his army corps. At
Cold Harbor June 3. 1864, Colonel
Hooker, who had recklessly ridden a
white horse all day, fell. struck by
five bullets. While lying on a
stretcher waiting to be transferred to
the cars, Hooker was recognized by a
party OF passing officers, who inquired
How are your" "AIl right, boys;
three years in the service and only
Just got a benefit" This allusion to
his Eve wow s being like an actors
FIRST benefit night illustrates the elias
tic and irrepressible humor of the
man which was his salient character
istic in the dread business of war
or the calm world of peace In this
respect he seemed more like a gay
French captain of the sixteenth CEN
fury. such as Dumas loved to delin-
cate than like a modern New Eng
land Yankee. Shakesp eare's SUI
preme jester. Falstaff. is always first
at a feast and last at fight. Mer-
Quito is the only one of Shakespeare S
heroes who is always a keen fighter
and always an irrepressible jester.
The combination is rare, and because
, Colonel Hooker fully represented il
0 he seems to us TO be a notable man.
D After the civil war, business
success and political prominence
Y came to Colonel Hooker, but he was
still the same man, the same laughing
, philosopher. Everybody, high and
low, laughed at his sallies, and every
body, high and low, loved him for his
. warm, generous heart and open hand
a and his sweet, gentle spirit, for there
Q was never any sting in his speech
0 He was a member of the Republican
0 National committee. member of the
9 state legislature and sergeant-at-arms
y of the House in the forty-seventh Con
gress. Whatever he earnestly de
. sired he generally obtained because
few people could resist the fascination
. of his fine temper and delightful
!, acquaintance was national through hi:
: official political associations, and hi:
( several years residence in New YORK
and Washington.
"ln war he rose to popularity ant
preferment, first through his captivat
ing mercurial temperament, and theI
his smiling courage under fire enabled
him TO hold his ground and win pro
= motion, but he owed nothing to super
9 for military aptitude or taste for tao
tics. Had he remained in the line
he had neither the patience nor the
e military aptitude that would have
I. enabled him to have risen to a field
j. officers place. He was a man o
h joyous. brave. free spirit. who wal
/. ready to chan King Death If time anC
e place was given him, but he was like
l. one of Charles Levers gay young
e Irish dragons. to whom life in wa
:. or peace was nothing but a frolic, {;
e subject for constant laughter rattle
ban for tears.
~"And in peace Colonel Hooker VOL
his way as he did in war. by hi
q social talents. Hooker was neve
0 severely disappointed nor unduly elat
o ed, no matter what happened, ever
o if it happened to him. He got
y great deal OF pleasure out OF lie, ant
q he always wanted to make it pleas
O ant for his fellow-men. If brillian
courage makes a hero, he certainl
was a heroic soldier. and IL the caps
city to go into battle with a good
n humored jest on your lip and to com
/ out of battle still testing makes
humorist, he was a remarkable an
exceptional humorist. He will b
! mourned and missed by many VIII
. . have enjoyed his cheerful personalit
q and merry humor, by many who kneN
4 his worth as a soldier. and most c
1 all. by those to whom he was kin
- and generous friend in sunshine an
l6 storm for the sake of old comradt
ship in the Army of the Union"
The Third Vermont regiments lit
5, annual reunion was held at st. Johns