HOOKER, JosErn (1814-79). A distinguished American soldier. He was horn at Hadley. Mass.. November 13, 1814; graduated at West Point in 1837 in the same class with Jabal Early and Braxton Bragg, and was assigned to the First Artillery. Ile served in Florida and on the _Maine frontier in 1637-40, and was adjutant at \Vest Point in IS-11, and of his regiment from 1841 to 1846. During the Alexican War he served as aide to Gens. Persifer F. Smith, Thomas I.. [Lamar, \\ illiauu I1. Butler, and Gideon .1. Pillow; participated in the principal battles both of the northern and of the southern eampaign. receiving the brevets of captain, major, and lieutenant•colonel for gallantry; beeam• cap tain in 18.143; Was assistant adjutant-general to the Pacific Division in IS-19 .11, and resigned from the army February 21, 1S:;3. From that date until the outhreak of the Civil War he was in turn farmer, civil engineer. and colonel of Cali fornia militia. Ile was appointed brigadier gen eral of volunteers. 17, 1861, and in Nardi, IS6•. was assigned to the command of the Sec ond Division. Corps, Army of the Potomac. the May 5, 1862. he became major-general of volunteers, and at the battle of Williamsburg, Va.. fought on that day, handled his division with skill and valor. Ile was active throughout the Peninsular campaign. and subsequently was con spicuous in the kitties of Bristoe Station, the second battle of Bull Run, and Chantilly. In the _Maryland campaign, as commander of the First Corps. he took part in the kitties of South _Moun tain and Antietam, being wounded in the hitter engagement. Ile was appointed brigadier-general in the Regular Allay September IS62.
In _November, 1S62, he was placed in command of the Fifth Corps, and at the battle of Fred ericksburg (q.v.) commanded the centre grand division of the Army of the Potomac, comprising the Third and Fifth Corps. On January 26, 1s63. he was assigned by President Lincoln to the command of the Army of the Potomac. ]his first act was to refill and reorganize the army. In a few months he had reeruited depleted regiments, supplied them with new clothing and equipments, weeded out incompetent officers, armed. equipped, and organized the mounted troops in a single corps, and in other was had infused new life into the army.
In his new command General Hooker failed, however, to show those qualities on (he battle field which hail *distinguished him as a corps and division commander. With the greater part 14 his army he advanced against General Lee, who then had a force half the size of his own, and who was stationed south of the Rappahan nock. with the intention of attacking him in
flank and rear and crushing him at one blow. Ilis plans were somewhat dera»upd by water and the failure of his cavalry under Stone man to cut Lee's eommunientions. While in position around Chancellorsville his ri”ht flank was surprised by the Confederate General Jack son, one corps was thrown into confusion. and after a protracted struggle, lasting from the 2d to the Ith of in Which both armies sufTered great losses. the Army of the Potomac was forced to I he Rappahammek. While the fighting was hottest. on Nay 3d. Hooker was stunned, a pillar against which he was leaning having been struck by a cannon ball. The disastrous result was largely due to his vacillation and his inability to rope with an emergency. (See CTT NCELLORS VILLE, "RATT).E OF.) After the battle Rooker and Lec stood for some time facing each other across the Rappahammek, and shortly after Lee had started on his aggressive campaign Which terminated in the battle of Gettysburg, Hooker broke up his camp and followed. The pressure of public opinion in the North, however, combined with friction between General 11001:er and Gen eral Ilalleck, and growing lack of confidence in Hooker on the part of President Lincoln caused him to otter his resignation, and on June 2S, 18113, General .Nleade succeeded him. The Gov ernment then gave him eonimand Of the Eleventh and 'Twelfth Corps, later combined to form the Twentieth Corps (.1rmy of the Cumberland), and sent him (September 24, 186:11 to reenforce Noseerans l'hattailooga. On November 24th, in the so-called 'battle among, the clouds,' at the head of his new command, lie led a charge in the lace of the Confederate d•tillery and infantry posted on Lookout Moun tain. For his conduct on this oeeasion he was, on March 13, brevetted niajorgene•al in the Regular Army. Ile further distinguished himself under Sherman at Dalton and Resoca, and in the atta on Atlanta. At his own request (July 30. I46-1). he was placed ou waiting orders Septem ber 28th, when he was put in •11111111:1114 Of the Northern Department. on July S. I565, he was given •lti•ge of the Department of the East. and soon tiflerwards of the Department of the Lakes, with headquarters at 1)etroit. where he remained until 1867. A paralytic attack occasioned his retirement from active service (Iletober 15,1s6s), with the full rank of major-general in the Regu lar Army. General llool:er was a iimn of hand some physique and of great personal magnetism. Ile died at Garden City. L. I., October 31, 1g79.