The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-09
Stories Emnen Worth Telling of Experiences and Adventures
in the Great National Struggle.

| Sedgwick to know If he could hole
Banks's Ferry until morning; Sedgwici
| replied that he could not and half ar
hour after that he could. which last
| message was DELAYED on the way some
hour or more, and too late for the NOV,
Hooker had in mind; which was tc
| cross to the east side at United States
Ford. then march down and cross a
Banks'S Ferry, join Sedgwick, and
| march for Richmond direct, in the
shortest line. and on the best roads
Lee would have been on his right
where Hooker had manuvered to get
him, and without supplies. and on diff
cult roads. Hooker's teams were all
loaded with 10 days supplies and were
kept ready to start at the word of COM
mand. million rations were on ship
board awaiting his order to meet him on
the Pamunky or at White House or
wherever ordered. Gen. Hooker's
magnificent strategic attempt to take
Richmond failed thru the failure of
first. Stoneman, who did nothing he
should have done; then Howard. who
neglected to obey a positive order to
put the Eleventh Corps in a proper
position to repeI attack, and SedgwicIi
good soldier. but no confidence in him
self, failed to be on time at the place
where ordered, and finally the tele-
graphic service. which failed to deliver
a telegram. What succession of adj
versitfes tending to the defeat of the
splendid strategy of the campaign, the
most inexcusable of which was the
neglect of Howard to promptly obey
the order, which he says, in an article
written and published in the Century
Magazine, neither reached me nor to
my knowledge my Adjutant, Col. Mysen-
berg" But which Gen. Schurz says, in
McClure's Magazine. June, 1907, page
l66, he (Shurz). read and delivered to
him that identical dispatch-and its de-
livery was followed by another animal
ed discussion between us, in which ]
most earnestly-altho without effect
endeaYored to convince him that in
case of such an attack from the west
our right as then posted would be
hopelessly overwhelmed. This order
was as follows:
Headquarters of the Army of the
Potomac, Characteristic, May 2, 1868,
$3.50 a. m
'Maj-Gens Slocum and Howard:
I am directed by the Major General
commanding to say that the DISPOSE
ton you haze, made of your corps
has been with a view to a front
attack by the enemy. II he should
throw himself, upon your flank, he
wishes you to examine the ground and
determine" the position you will take
in that event. il. order that you may be
prepared for him in whatever direction
he advances. He suggests that you
have heavy reserves well in hand to
meet this contingency The right of
your line does not appear to him to be
strong enough. No artificial defences
worth naming appear to have been
thrown up. and there appears to be a
scarcity of troops at that point, and
not, in the Generals opinion, as favor
ably posted as might be. We have good
reason to believe that the enemy is
moving on our right. Please advance
your pickets as far as may be safe. in
order to obtain timely notice of their
APPROACH H. yanAllen. Brigadier-
General and Aid-de-Camp.'
Col. Mysenberg is dead. but as con-
tributary to an understanding of this
question ii is well to include here an
extract from a letter from H NJ. KeI-
logg to me, well known during his long
and honorable service in the Eleventh
Corps as a man of probity and intelli-
gence, whose intimate acquaintance
with the facts entities him to be heard
and to be believed %" This is what he
says: 81 was in the Adjutant- Generals
Office, under T. A. Mysenberg, at How
ards headquarters during the Chan
cellorsville and Gettysburg campaigns.
While there / had charge of the records
and files of letters received and tele-
grams received. The famous $40 a
m. May 2. 1863. order of Hooker to
Slocum and Howard in the field at
Charlottesville was received and was
kept from the files of the Adjutant-
Generals Department until two months
afterward. and "a hours after old joe
was relieved was then slipped into my
hands to be recorded ard filed at EN-
mitsburg. Md, JunS 80, after all dan
ger of Howard's court-martial was
over"
Hooker was General fitted by edu-
cation. by experience, and by the high
est qualities of mind and heart to
command men in the great game of
war; not playing the game to win
fame of killing men, not even his cne-
mics. unless by their sacrifice the 1ause
of his country cnuld be advanced or
sustained. His soubriquet of Eight
ing joe the catchword of some cor
respondent of the newspaper fraternity
annoyed him always. as by it he had
the reputation of being an irascible,
impulsive bruiser.
The soubriquef OF seFIgbtinE joe.
The name of "Fighting Joe" was
misleading. and has caused misappre-
hension of his character and motives,
especially to those who have attempted
70 explain Charlottesville. The action
of the Fighting Joe" of their magma
ton. commanding an army largely out
numbering the rebel army he had so
brilliantly surprised, and ignorant of
the wilderness in which he found him
self: confronted by Lee. who was forti-
fed by the forest almost as impreg-
nably as he had been at Marye's flights
when attacked by burnside; these
critics cannot understand why the
Fighting joe" of their imagination did
not pitch in. "kilI and be killed until
he had worn out Lees army-then
what?" Well, that would be the end
Of their thinking; they would let the
future take care of Itself. Even the
intellectual Carl Schurz who was very
much personally present at Chancellors-
willie, can't understand why Hooker
seemed to lose his aggressiyenes" and
wait for Lee TO attack him. SchurZ
was not in command of the army, with
all the responsibility such command en-
tailed: Hooker was, and realized that
he was entrusted with the lives of $780,
900 men. with which to help put down
the rebellion, not simply to conquer the
rebel army of Virginia. He was adj
vised by the President that the politi-
cal condition of the country and the
shocK and unnecessary waste OF life
at Fredericksburg by Burnside. was
such that probably another army could
not be raised; that. therefore, he must
be careful to avoid any great risk He
had his army where he invited and de-
sired an attack from Lee, who, having
once tried. declined to make another
assault.
For Hooker to advance in the Wilder
was IN Oh npIV nv hpnds of cnI