26 January 1863 A.D. GEN Joseph Hooker Takes Command of Army of the Potomac

26 January 1863 A.D.  GEN Joseph Hooker Takes Command of Army of the Potomac

 

Editors. “1863—General Joseph Hooker assumes command of the Army of the Potomac.”This Day in U.S. Military History.  N.d. https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/january-26/. Accessed 26 Jan 2015.

 

1863 – General Joseph Hooker assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following Ambrose Burnside’s disastrous tenure. Hooker was a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Seminole War and the Mexican War, and he had served in the American West in the 1850s. When the Civil War erupted, Hooker was named brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac. He quickly rose to division commander, and he distinguished himself during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. He also continued to build his reputation as a hard drinker and womanizer. He earned the nickname “Fighting Joe,” and received command of the First Corps in time for the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. His corps played a major role in the Battle of Antietam in September, and when Burnside failed as commander, Hooker had his chance. The general first had to deal with the sagging morale of the army. He reorganized his command and instituted a badge system, where each division had their own unique insignia. This helped to build unit pride and identity, and Hooker led a reenergized army into Virginia in April 1862. Hooker’s appointment was part of Lincoln’s frustrating process of finding a winning general in the east. After Irwin McDowell, George McClellan, John Pope, McClellan again, and then Burnside, Lincoln hoped Hooker could defeat Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It was a tall order, though, and Hooker was not up to the challenge. In May 1863, Hooker clashed with Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Union army suffered a decisive and stunning defeat. Lincoln’s search for an effective commander continued, and he eventually replaced Hooker with George Meade.