Year: 1865

from the Chicago Republican, June 20.


The testimony of General Hooker be-
tore the Committee on the Conduct of the
War has just been published 1t will be
remembered that Gen. Hooker never made
an official report of the battle of Chancel-
lorsvllle, or, at least that such document
never saw the light. The present publica-
tion furnishes full account of that unfor-
tunate campaign, as well as complete
history OF the Army of the Potomac from
the time General Hooker assumed COM
mand until he was superseded at his own
request by General Meade


Gen. Hooker assumed command of the
Army of the Potomac January 26th, 1868,
shortly subsequent to the second failure of
Fredericksburg. The army was in a de-
plorable condition. It was buried in mud
1t was demOralized. 1t was disgusted. It
was deserting at the rate of two hundred
day. The officers were hostile to the
policy of the government. The absentees
numbered 1922 commissioned officers and
81, 1854 nOn-commissoned officers and pri-
Yates. Gen. Hooker doubted if the army
could be saved to the country, and so told
Gen. Halleck. But he told the President
he would enter upon the undertaking and
hoped to succeed, prooiled The President
aoouLd stand betUeen him and Gen. Hail.
leck. If the President would not do that
he thought Halleck would ruin every
thing.


Gen. Hooker set out to restore the army
to proper state of discipline and
efficiency, by wedding out disaffected
officers, preventing desertions, getting
back absentees, and endeavoring to infuse
vigor and confidence in both rank and file.
The cavalry was consolidated, and in
short time made more efficient than ever
before. The infantry grew in confidence,
but could not be made to equal Lee 3 army,
to which Gen. Hooker pays the following
high compliment:


With a rank and file vastly inferior to our
own, intellectually and physically, that army
has, by discipline alone, acquired character
have not been able to rival it, nor has there
been any near approximation to it in the other
rebel armies


Early in April, Gen. Hooker believed
the army was in condition to move against
the enemy. His idea was, as he wrote to
Gen. Peck, that he must first play with
those devils before he could spring." and
accordingly he ordered Stoneman to be
off on a grand raid. But Providence
seems to have interfered on behalf of
"those DEVILS" by sending great rain,
which flooded the Rappahannock so that
Stoneman could not got across. He wait
ed from the 18th till the 9th for the wa
tiers to assuage. The season being then
tar advanced, Gen. Hooker concluded to
change his plan, and instead of playing
with those devils, to go at them in earnest.


As modified, the problem was to throw
sufficient infantry force across at Kelly's Ford,
descend the Rappahannock, and knock away
the enemy's forces holding the United States
and Banks Fords by attacking them in rear,
and as soon as these fords were opened, to re-
inforce the marching column sufficiently for
them to continue the march upon the flank of
the rebel army until his whole force was rout-
ed, and, if successful, his retreat intercepted
simultaneously with this movement on the
right the left were to cross the Rappahannock
below Fredericksburg, and threaten the enemy
in that quarter, including his depot of supplies,
to prevent his dispatching an overwhelming
force to his left.


Of the attempt to carry out this plan
which has been severely criticised as one
contrary to alamilitary maxims, being no.
thing less than the division of his own ar
my and placing the enemy in the coveted
position between the two parts-General
Hooker proceeds to narrate in detail. His
only apprehension was in getting safely
across the river. In that he succeeded
beyond his expectations. But having got
into the Wilderness, he could find no road
nor any inhabitant who could give any in
formation of any. The enemy was dis
covered moving diagonally across his
front, toward his right. General Sickles
was ordered to find out what it meant,
and sent back word that the enemy was
flying. Instead of that, Stonewall Jack
sons corps fell with characteristic inpetu-