ker may attack vigorously, stand as a
rock, but cannot manoeuvre.

Hooker seems to have committed the same faults and mistake as his
predecessors did. He kept more men out of the fire than in the fire.
And this from Hooker who accused his former chiefs of that very
fault. But poor Hooker was unsupported by a good staff. This check
may turn out to be a great disaster. At any rate, a whole campaign
is lost, and one more commander may go overboard. Hooker will raise
against him a terrible storm. God grant that Hooker could be
honestly defended.

--_La critique est aisee, mais l'art est difficile_ is perhaps again
illustrated by Hooker. If Hooker is in fault, then he ought not to
survive this disaster. After all that he said, after all that we
said and repeated in his favor, to turn out an awful mistake!

_May 8._--Worse and worse. I do not learn one single fact
exculpating Hooker. I scarcely dare to look in the people's faces.
The rain is no justification. Hooker showed no vigor before the
rain. After he crossed, and had his army in hand, instead of
attacking, he subsided, seemingly trying to find out the plans of
the rebels instead of acting so as not to give them time to make
plans or to execute them.

_Tel brille au second rang qui s'eclipse au premier_, is almost all
to be said in Hooker's defense. I tremble to know all the minute
details. A paroled prisoner returned from Richmond said to me that
terror was terrible in Richmond--that Lee and his army had no
supplies. No troops in Richmond--Stoneman cut the bridges. The
rebels were on the brink of a precipice, and extricated themselves.

_May 8._--Boutwell, Member of Congress, told me that the district of
St. Louis paid more new taxes to January than any other district in
the United States. Bravo, Missourians. That is loyalty.

_May 8: Evening_--More details about this unhappy Chancellorsville.
Lee and the rebel generals have been decidedly surprised--in the
military sense--by the crossing of the river, and by Hooker coming
thus in part in their rear. But we lost time, they retrieved and
_manoeuvred_ splendidly; better than they ever have done before. Lee
showed that he has learned something. Lee showed that, by a year's
practice, he has at length acquired skill in handling a large army.
The apprenticeship on our side is not so successful; our generals
have no experience therein, and McClellan was worse at Harper's
Ferry in November than at Williamsburg in the s