By Gary W. Gallagher, Ph.D., University of Virginia
During the winter of 1862, President Lincoln was under pressure to find a way to beat the Confederate Army in the Eastern Theater. The defeat of the Federals under the command of Ambrose C. Burnside had depressing effects on the North. It led to many criticisms from various sides and forced Lincoln to take action. Finally, he replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker. Was Hooker a better commander than Burnside?
Criticisms After the Battle of Fredericksburg
Harper’s Weekly, which was a very popular magazine published in New York City, demonstrated the North’s frustration with: “The Northern people have borne silently and grimly imbecility, treachery, failure, privation, loss of friends and means, almost every suffering which can afflict a brave people. But they cannot be expected to suffer that such massacres as this at Fredericksburg shall be repeated.”
In addition to the extent of the defeat, the way the Federals had failed was also disappointing. Anyone would have guessed that sending soldiers to a battle with well-positioned and prepared enemies wouldn’t have been wise. Democrats and Republicans criticized Lincoln for how he had conducted the war effort. Upon hearing about the news of Fredericksburg, he told a friend, “If there’s a worse place than hell, I am in it.” But things were supposed to get even worse.
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The Dissatisfaction in the Union Army
Burnside proved to lack administrative and commanding skills. He could not supply uniforms, food, and medicine to his men on time. His administration was rife with chaos and criticism. Every day, 200 men deserted the Union Army. The soldiers were aware of their commander’s inability to supply food to them, although there were warehouses near them that were full of the necessary goods.
Many soldiers openly criticized him behind his back; they sent letters to Lincoln and members of Congress about their dissatisfaction with their commander. One of these men was Joseph Hooker, a lieutenant, who thought he would be more efficient than Burnside.
Learn more about Antietam.
Joseph Hooker Replaced Ambrose Burnside
Finally, Lincoln was convinced to replace Burnside with Hooker. The press called him “Fighting Joe” which he hated. A typo in the newspaper gave him this name and it continued to live with him.
Hooker had criticized Burnside widely before, and his statements had created the impression that he thought himself to be a better candidate to replace Burnside. He was also a West Point graduate. He was also a good fighter, wounded at Antietam. Now it was time to demonstrate his other abilities, especially those Burnside had failed to show. Through his organizational skills, he managed to flow supplies of food and medicine. Medical care and camps’ hygiene got much better. The soldiers got paid, and men’s physical health and spirits improved dramatically.
Soon he was flaunting himself as the head of the best army in the world. He said that the question wasn’t if he could capture Richmond, but when he could do that. He also threatened that he was not going to have mercy on Robert Lee, and he should pray God would have mercy on him.
Those words were alarming to Lincoln and many others. Lincoln said that in his experience, “The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation because she never cackles until the egg is laid. A hen at least will wait ‘til she’s produced something. Hooker’s cackling plenty, and he hasn’t produced anything on the battlefield yet.”
Lincoln and Halleck wanted Hooker to focus on Lee’s army instead of Richmond. He knew that a victory over Lee’s army would do a great job in mending the damage done to the reputation of the Northern military, especially in the eyes of the Northern people. He wanted a decisive victory to signal the Union Army’s success in Virginia.
Learn more about the war in the West, winter 1862-63.
A Perfectly-planned Campaign
The plan that Hooker devised for his campaign was one of the best ones that any Union commander put together during the war. Here’s how he had planned the stages of his campaign. Both the armies were in exact places they were after the Battle of Fredericksburg. He wanted to stage a cavalry assault behind Lee’s army toward Richmond to cut links between Lee and his capital. Four thousand infantry soldiers remained in front of Lee at Fredericksburg under the command of Sedgwick.
Sedgwick would act like they planned to do the same thing they had tried at the Battle of Fredericksburg to trick Lee. Hooker would take 70,000 of his infantry on a long turning movement. They would come in the back of the Army of Northern Virginia by going up the Rappahannock River, go behind Lee’s left flank, and go over the Rappahannock and Rapidan River.
So, Hooker had planned to use Sedgwick’s men to crush Lee’s army at Fredericksburg, and if he retreated toward the south, Hooker would attack him on his way toward Richmond.
Common Questions about the Aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg: Role of Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker replaced Ambrose Burnside. He was a West Point graduate called “Fighting Joe” by the press. Under the command of President Lincoln, he planned a campaign to go after General Robert Lee.
Ambrose Burnside failed to command his army effectively, which led to the crushing defeat of the North during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Therefore, President Lincoln, who faced widespread criticism, replaced him with Joseph Hooker.
Through his organizational skills, Joseph Hooker managed to flow supplies of food and medicine. Medical care and hygiene in the camps got much better. The soldiers got paid, and men’s physical health and spirits improved dramatically.
