New-York tribune., 1909-05-23
London. May I.

was WlINlD SlBlt VI ii4S NCAaN- A--O
said one OF his staff, would have liked
= =. With the pickets,' No doubt. He would
- liked to be anywhere in the field where the
,.u,s of a bullet coming his way was greatest
.s.t,a has 2 passage which might have been
-, for Hooker That accomplished his
-. ~ var remarks that the reasons against
..,-r = battle are always stronger than tho
lessons for lighting II it was TO be decided on
Balance Of arguments, no battle would ever be
so,,n But there are Generals who have IN
80, an overmastering impulse Of battle; II IS
= Che blood: temperament prevails over argl-
.,.rt ard they are the men who carry on
Hooker was OF them He loved
a-h+irc for fghting's sake. and with the apostles
. neace at any price he had not an atom OF
e,-rrnathv He would have thought Herbert
c,c1cer something less than man. as he was;
md Mr.. Carnegie If he had been anything then
t,+ the boy he has never outgrown. worthy
,,scinIe Of an unworthy master.
&o l am not keeping you waiting for the
storv Of Antietam. for am not going to retell
Il But Hooker. on that day hero. has had
hard measure since. and like to do him what
,ustice I can I liked the man. My acqualnt-
snce with him began that morning To near
him issue an order like the sound OF the
f-st cannon shot. He gathered up brigades and
divisions I'm his hand. and sent them straight
against the enemy mat II lipI oN an n h-~0
rhetoric Il is literal statement of the literal
fsct. His men loved him and dreaded him.
r,a-l., IN the morning he had scattered his staff
- t7e winds and was riding alone. on the firing
Bne Looking about him for an officer, he saw ma
end said who arc you?" told him viii YOU
take an order for me2' Certainly There
r-asa regiment which seemed wavering: and had
fallen little back. Tell the colonel Of that
regiment 10 take his men to the front and keep
them there" / gave the OrUer. Again the
question:
Who are you2'
The order is General Hooker's-
IT must come to me from a staff officer or
from my brigade commander"
"verv- good ! will report TO General Hooker
that you decline to obey
oh for Gods sake don't do that The Rebels
are too many for US hut had rather face them
than Hooker
And on went his regiment. 1 returned TO
Hooker and reported Yes" said he, L see'
but don't let the next man talk so much: and
was sent of again
vas with Hooker when he was wounded,
about O'Clock. He was, as ne always was, the
finest target in the field and natural mark for
the Rebel sfarpshooters. II was easy to see that
they followed him. and their bullets followed
him. wherever he rode I pointed that out to
him He replied with an explosion of curses
and contempt He did not believe he could be
hit No Rebel bullet was to find its billet in
him He vas tall and sat high in his saddle.
He mas Of course in uniform,-no khaki in those
dayg but bright blue and gilt buttons and all
the rest Of it: his high coIoured face itself
mark and he rode white horse. Not long after
had sr-,ten 2 bullet struck him in the foot It
vas the best bullet those troublesome gentlemen
in gray fired that morning He swayed in the
saddle and fell or would have fallen # he had
not been caught. Then they carried 20 the rear
the hope Of the Union arms for that day; and
. for other DAYS 20 follow.
7 saw him again about IN the afternoon
had been asked 10 him by one or two Of
General McCIeTan's staff who knew had been
with Hooker IN the morning 7 have said long
since what the errsnd was they wished 10 lay
upon NJ. what ] supposed II to be. General
Wilson explained 10 me, the publication Of
That article. that 7 had mistaken the meaning
Of the men I talked with; that the officers who
asked ma t. go never designed that I should
suggest 10 Hooker 10 take command Of the
army, but only TO find ont whether he could re-
sumo the command Of his own corps; and per
hans Of another; not waiting for orders. appar-
entity. II does not much matter, for L OF course.
declined 20 carry any such message as 1
thought was proposed TO me. It for the
II they had any such purpose in mind, it was
mutnv. patriotic but uQmilitary- Well might
they lose patience when they the promise
Of shattered rebellion fade before their eyes.
But that day was not yet, happily, since a
premature victory over the South would have
left great questions unsettled. This scheme. or
dream, none the less interesting because
il slowed, thought. what McCIelan's own
officers thought Of his generaIslip on that fate
ful day; and possibly Of something besides his
generalship.
But went 10 the little square red brick
house where Hooker had been taken, and was
allowed 10 see him. It needed questions He
vas too evidently done for; till that day and
many days TO come had passed He was suf-
fering great pain : told him 1 had come by
request Of some Of McCIellan's staff to ask how
he was. "You can see for yourself" he an
swered. family. THE pain Is bad enough. but
what hate 70 think is that it was Rebel bull
JET which did It" His courage was indomitable;
his contempt for the Rebels not one whit abated-
He asked for the latest news from the field Of
battle. told him Il no longer a field Of
battle: that Mcclellan resting on his arms;
that he would rot use his reserves: and that
there was every prospect that Lee would escape
with his beaten army across the Potomac He
ragged at the thought ~Unless."I added
You need not 20 on" retorted Hooker. You
must see cannot move"
It tortured him TO think rat his mornings
work was half thrown away; and that Mcclellan.
hfth some $4,000 fresh troops. was content TO
see the sun go down indecisfve day. Into
his face, white with the pain which tore az him.
came heat and color and the anger Of an tndig-
nent soul. Tho surgeon shook his head and
said Eoodby.
rode back TO headquarters: only 20 hnd that
the decision had been taken. or perhaps that Nc