{"product_id":"2940013085664","title":"Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: General Joe Hooker's Reports during the Battle of Chancellorsville (Illustrated)","description":"Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was a career United States Army officer, fought in the Mexican-American War, and was a major general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction at places like Antietam and Atlanta, Hooker is best remembered for his loss to General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. After a clerical error in an early battle in the war, he was known as “Fighting” Joe Hooker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring the spring of 1863, Hooker was promoted to command of the Army of the Potomac and gained a reputation as an outstanding administrator, restoring the morale of his soldiers, which had plummeted to a new low under Ambrose Burnside after Fredericksburg. Hooker famously said of his revived army, “I have the finest army on the planet. I have the finest army the sun ever shone on. ... If the enemy does not run, God help them. May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.” Lee would later playfully (and somewhat dismissively) refer to “Fighting” Joe Hooker as Mr. F. J. Hooker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the commanding general, Hooker wrote general orders during the Battle of Chancellorsville that were preserved in The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. The orders became notorious when Hooker predicted Lee’s army was trapped and had to withdraw or be defeated. Instead, despite being heavily outnumbered, Lee split his army and had Stonewall Jackson march across the Army of the Potomac’s right flank. Jackson’s successful attack routed the XI Corps and disrupted Hooker’s plans. Moreover, Hooker would be injured by an artillery shell and rendered unable to command later in the battle, and it’s believed he may not have been fully coherent when he commanded the army’s retreat. Regardless, Hooker’s pronouncement after the stunning defeat rang hollow to all who read it, since it so defied reality. Hooker would be fired by President Lincoln the following month, just days before the Battle of Gettysburg \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis edition of Hooker’s reports includes illustrations and maps of the campaign, as well as pictures of the important commanders of the battle.","brand":"Charles River Editors","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47068709060848,"sku":"2940013085664","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013085664_p0.jpg?v=1763576358","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013085664","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}