Petersburg, virginia, for the historical park civil war symposium. Next, chief historian at fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National historical park will speak. All right, lets call it back to order. Thank you. Welcome back from lunch. We wanted to mention that today is the 100th anniversary to the day that the first u. S. Troops went in france. [applause] i am happy to introduce our next speaker. He is a public historian and author currently serving as the chief historian and chief of interpretation at Fredericksburg National military park. Parts worked for the four years. As well as probably the definitive book on manassas. Lets welcome him. [applause] john i have to start with this. This is not a gratuitous phrasing of my team that i have loved since i was 11 years old. You may remember they one the stanley cup in the spring. I offer this is context for some of what you have heard this week. Does anybody recall who was defeated in the final . Do you remember . Is in the state of tennessee. The lives in the state of tennessee . Will green. [laughter] after the stanley cup final he called me or i called him. I cant remember which created these artists you tell me what he told me it was great that the predators one are they a fun game to watch. The fanse where not fun to watch . He said there is something of a thing for losers. [laughter] i was like, will i will not assume the characteristics of my subjects. It is good to be here. The half justring while i went running but it proved to be a fortuitous moment. John hooker in that we love to hate grade at the time during the American Civil War the hate of hama was not as universal as it seems today. Around those figures are shaped by historians that write about them. Often the work and the writing of the historical figures after the deed is done. Is a perfectlan example. We know vastly more about him for hiscinelli personality than any of his soldiers. That is certainly true for Joseph Hooker as well. He was a man of many accomplishments and occasional brilliance. He was not a man who could judged on his visible deeds and acts. Hooker grant spoke about more than anyone else who spoke upgrade he said he regarded him as a dangerous man. He was not subordinate to his superiors. About notitious caring for the rights of others. We tend to flinch in the presence of a ambitious person. We forget that ambition is the main thing for a thriving society. He was in no means alone and being ambitious. He thought to distinguish himself from his peers that would establish himself in the people of power above him. In the matter of politics where his core beliefs knew they would do him little or no good he thought to blend with those around him. Hooker as antly for subordinate he adopted the persona of a aggressor. I think it is safe to say when you look at the history of the army at the potomac. There are few if any subordinate commanders who had a more unblemished, unbroken, spectacular record of aggression than Joseph Hooker. That was not a aggressive being. Deposition when engaged in battle exercise a separate command. Speaking of him as a subordinate. Gathering his standard all he could of his juniors. What he meant, all of their accomplishments. Grant was not a fan of Joseph Hooker. Many people those that we admire the most survived by the virtue of their accomplishment. We have all known Joseph Hooker in our life. Just as we have known a george mcclellan. These are people who live among us today on their personality and method. Others in addition to their own accomplishment rise by virtue of their effort to pare down the people around them. Joseph hooker could muster little good to say about his peers or serve your ears superiors. Figure was successful in rising by diminishing the accomplishment of those around him it was Joseph Hooker. That success and context seems remarkable to us today. In the army of the potomac people talk about the change in war. I would say understanding the war requires a understanding that it changed dramatically from the beginning in 1861 until the end. There is a change that affects military practice, we see that here. Also with military policy. The armies would become a dominant tool for implementing policy. Institutions,ial the institutions of slavery and southern civility. Those policies would become the major point of debate within the Union War Effort. 1863 and with the armies , because the army was such a important tool and because their early commanders were so avid and his insistence and participating in a debate about what those policies should be. Politics of authors officers came to matter a great deal. Poker realized this early on. Although he was a conservative opposed who generally using the army as a tool for a mensa patient for example. He did not seem to be quite as solicitous as seven civilians southern civilians. He opted out of the public debate. Ingthis day many people write about him do not have a clear idea of his politics. That was intentional on his part. He made himself disappear on those subjects that could do him the most harm and perhaps inhibit his enhancement advancement to the army. Ote by to read you a qu hooker. Embark on a pr campaign after the war until his death. Not much with newspapers although he granted a uncommon number of newspaper interviews but with samuel bates who would write a history on the battles. He offered his opinion on everything. I want to give you a sense of hooker as he undertook this. He said he lee excelled with every man i knew as a character. As a soldier i do not wish to speak of him. Elsewhere he said rather negative things. His orders of evading the army are sublime. That is, his orders of hands off the civilians was precisely right as far as he was concerned. Then he reveals himself as a proper man. Burdensmany evils, if and terrors may be ameliorated. In no instance has our government a Higher Mission than to perform in her wars. A contrast of character leads to general sherman whose orders were to retreat for nothing and whose dispatch to the government were unworthy of a gorilla. Probably would have written that as well. This speaks to his core belief of a conservative to war. Something that mcclellan certainly shared. Israel is to examine the character of others. Which he did constantly. His unwillingness for praise. Or at least praised without a counterbalancing criticism. Ooker engaged in damning his progresspeded toward success. I would imagine Joseph Hooker byk his seat this weekend having will premature him a green cheer will him up a bit. We would have enjoyed having him here. He was famous for being a fun guy. He could be entertaining. When aes injudicious format like this could have a welcome injection of fun. Always in a amusing sort of way. Hists historians we as orians have come to know his way of thinking. His calculated machinations. Aspirednspired for the director we would have learned the underbelly of Joseph Hooker. sfore the civil war reputation and the army was his perfectly capable service and mexico and a raucous behavior in california. He served well in mexico and enjoyed his time in the postwar period. He would not marry until 1865. He was a bachelor, not lifelong but almost. In california where he was until 1853 and then resigned in 1853 he gained a reputation. He gambled and drank. War he was looked upon as a good soldier but a unreliable man. Thefornia garnered him support of his comrades. He was a common drunkard. I think it is almost impossible but he had a certain reputation among his colleagues in the army. Somebody wants to strive his once described his time in the army as a beach bum. I think that is pretty accurate. A Staff Sergeant later refer to him as a decade california gambler. For Joseph Hooker his time in california coincided precisely command of henry talent who would be his superior officer during his tenure as commander of the postponement potomac. Knowledge of hooker in california deeply affected the rest of their careers. He is aware that i know some things about his career and conduct in california. Fearing i may use that information against him he seeks to ward off that affect by making it seem i am his personal enemy. Enemyld become a constant and a thorn in his side. We do not know if he is right. Surgically certainly he thought that the knowledge of his antics during his time in thefornia shaped relationship that the two of them had. As a civilian he received this was from sonoma which i have not heard if it is still standing. It is preserved in sonoma. After hisian resignation in 1853 he received a number of contracts to help the railroads and several roads in oregon. He never left california he certainly had a strong presence in oregon. It was there he developed a Political Base including the eventual support of this man. This is not working. Newmitsmith. Ames who would become a United States senator. He was a democrat. There he is. It did not work that way when will was here. Smith would be after statehood and he would become a senator and would be one of his many boosters on capitol hill. The papers that are out in the Oregon Historical society are full of Joseph Hooker. They offer the most cohesive look at his method of rising in the army. With the onset of war in 1861 Joseph Hooker had to borrow 700 to retire the debts that he still labored under in california and presumably oregon. So that he could travel east to assist the Union War Effort. He long after first manassas received a commission as a brigadier general. At that time the 32nd ranked union army to slots ahead of ulysses grant. Then he was in charge of a division in which would become the third corps of the army of the potomac. Hooker was kind and accessible belovedeers and largely by his men who were proud of the energy that he brought to his endeavors. His first trip into the it happened without you send in that time. It came on the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 when his division led the advance of the union army towards williamsburg. This is not going to be a tactical move at all. Suffice to say it was the first evidence of one of his most important qualities. That was his aggression. At was the lead of the army the approach of williamsburg. Rather than waiting for support, waiting to become part of a well organized advance he decided he needed to forge ahead and make contact rapidly. He was bloodied and driven back. To some degree he was rescued by the other division. Carney quickly concluded and would never lose the opinion that he was reckless. Y was probably the greatest Division Commander for the army of the potomac. He was extremely aggressive but not careless. Hooker was aggressive to the point of carelessness. The commander of the artillery on the peninsula wrote this. I must say that he did not impress me at all favorably as a power of a general. His great idea was to go ahead until we run against the army and then fight them. Not let the second cork it and there first. On the one hand hooker reputation for aggression. Within the circle of the army there was a caveat that he was also reckless. After the battle mcclellan hooker but hancock. , hancocke was superb the superb became his nickname. Hooker received little to no notice. Started a campaign to inform those of what he had accomplished. Two weeks after the battle of williamsburg he written he had written to many senators. Himself sting of boasting of himself but also of someone elses family. In writing to a new york congressman he said of mcclellan i am amazed of his inhumanity. He has been of the instance or humanity of a great man. Another correspondent praising himself and criticizing mcclellan. Does notnding general know what leadership is or if he does he is indisposed to acknowledge it. I think mcclellan is the most trifling soldier yet. See hookers internal feelings were changing or intensifying. He was not one of the legions of loyalists in the army. He continually tried for promotions. Senatorscontinually to and the white house. We have a letter written to oregon. This is typical of the others we can assume that not only did he promote his own accomplishments but denigrated others. Thating of the commanders surrounded him in the army of the potomac he told nesmith i would rather cut down trees than serve in the army with these people exercise command. He would continue on. There were a love threats like this from officers in the company. He would continue on. Do you want to stand up again, see if we can get it to change . [laughter] [applause] he has the real controller. John we are just kind of on by the whole thing, are we not . Hadhe battle of antietam he risen to the command of the first corps of the army of the potomac. There was tremendous turmoil and change in the way of manassas. He took what is known as the first corps onto the battlefield at antietam. Antietamr saw him at saying he had rather confident cheeks that reveal him as a blushing girl. He looked up mostly he had been painted. They are a continual part of his visage messaged mentioned by almost everyone. This continued the perception influences under the of alcohol. I can find no evidence of that is true. At antietam here again exhibited aggression. On the night of the 16th of september he was order to cross antietam creek and move towards what we now know as the northwood. He did so energetically. It did it so energetically that he entangled his men almost among the confederates. To the point when the sun rose the next morning the lines were so close together that he had no choice but to simply go forth. Frommoved any flexibility the equation by being overly aggressive that night. Unquestioneds wrote one of his officers who admired him. Has not shown himself as a tactician. He would be wounded at antietam. I am not sure that the story is quite recognize how limiting his active aggression act of aggression putting his men so close to the confederate line was for the union army. Some of his fellow officers in the army certainly recognize that. Said i should fear his prudence that the own to be done is pitch in and fight. Those words when you and i are at may 1. Iguratively after the battle of antietam he spent weeks in washington recovering. It was at this time with full access to powerbrokers that he laid the foundation politically for his future rise to commander of the army of the potomac. He did not engage in any conversations are discussions about philosophy or policy. He confined himself to topics of dilatory topics. Of the as the quality peers in commanders with whom he served. Once back in the field he continued his ways under burnside. A november 18 when his campaign was rumbling towards a river and had arrived at that river he to burnsideter not suggesting a different policy but to edwin stanton. He does not denigrate him he implied a different route. He is unsuccessful in altering the union plan. He would spend the next two months engineering that only his own rise but burnsides paul fall. The enemy he wrote at this time seemed to have confident counted on the delay. Speaking derisively of mcclellan. Have never failed in their calculation predicting the implication that burnside would fail similarly again. So, those of you who man a organization you have conversations about the people you work with and manage. We all do. Sometimes we speak i charitably of them perhaps. One of the things i think we have all learned early is that if you are in a position of authority you may have those conversations and they may be necessary to your organization to have those kind of frank conversations. You do not have been with people below you. You discredit yourself as a leader as soon as that happens. As one who served and the third core who knew him well said he was a easy talker and was custom to criticism freely. Even and the presence of the conduct of his affairs. When it concerns himself he indulges in boasting. Amongnnot reckon modesty his purchase. Of all these men who would become a enemy of him when called him a man more dangerous. He was certainly unprincipled and would begin to pull down the men. Characteristics of ham is that most of the boasting we have about him or that he engaged in was forwardlooking boasting. Ambitious people, people of accomplishment, i think we expect them to find subtle ways if not explicit ways to boast about their accomplishments. The most dangerous kind of sting his perspective prospective boasting. The claim what your success will look like. Was his favorite kind of boasting. When henry benton talked about confronting robert e. Lee he said he did not intend to defeat him the intended to bank him entirely. With his command of the army of the potomac he would engage in retrospective criticism of his peers and superiors with forward thinking boasting as his own intentions and accomplishments. I am going to sprinkle these through because they are so wonderful. He wrote the luminous after the asleep olume numeral unburdened himself by the match about the people he served with. Maybe his favorite target of all was covered. He said he was always a woman among the troops. Not born and petticoats but he ought to have been and he should wear them every day. He is going to burst into tears. I may safely say that i consider him loyal but a asked. I have no wish to dispute his claim but his brain is the larger than a hickory and not fit for command. What i love about that is not but thatry met comment he has no wish to disturb his repute in anyways. He often did this. Why did he do this . I think as all of us are students of Human Behavior he believed there would be a gain for him. Certainly it turned out there probably was. He was probably the most successful in the United States military during the civil war. His efforts got him a command. That is that the way he would have explained what he did. , again in a letter to samuel bates. I was pronounced in my opinion for the sake of the cause and the country. There is no tell feelings towards the person or party implicated or in any way reflecting on their merit. Simply to have the attention of the authorities called into subject and that mistakes may be remedied. I was too earnestly and the war to look at people privately or silently. He did all this utterly regardless of any affluence and may have on myself. Few phrases one begins with b and ends with s. Failure on the battlefield, it doomed her inside. When burnside was relieved after wasary of 1863, hooker give