that Sedgwick heroically
obeyed and executed orders sent to him. No doubt can exist about it.

2d. The orders written by _such_ a staff as Hooker's might have been
written in _such_ a way as to confuse the God Mars himself. Marshal
Soult could fight, but as a chief of Napoleon's staff at Waterloo,
could not write intelligible orders.

3d. Setting aside Sedgwick's disobedience of orders, it does not in
the least justify Hooker in hearing the roar of cannon, and knowing
what was going on, and at the head of eighty thousand men allowing
Sedgwick to be crushed; and all this within a few miles. Fitz-John
Porter was cashiered for a similar offense. Hooker's action is by
far worse, and thus Hooker deserves to be shot.

_May 13._--Rumors that Halleck is to take the command of the army,
together with Hooker. I almost believe it, because it is nameless,
and here all that is illogical is, eventually, probable.

Poor Hooker. Undoubtedly, he had a soldier's spark in him. But
adulation, flunkeyism, concert, covered the spark with dirt and mud.
I pity him, but for all that, down with Hooker!

If Hooker or Halleck commands the army, Lee will have the _knack_ to
always whip them.

_May 14._--Wrote a paper for Senators Wade and Chandler, to point
out the reasons of Hooker's failure. Did my utmost to explain to
them that warfare to-day is not empiricism, but science, and that
empiricism is only better when sham-science has the upper hand.
Hooker's staff was worse than sham-science, and was not even
empiricism.

I explained that such evils, although very deeply rooted, can,
nevertheless, be remedied. An energetic government can, and ought to
look for and find, the remedy. The army, as it is, contains good
materials for every branch of organization; it is the duty of the
government to discover them and give them adequate functions.

Further: I suggested to these patriotic Senators that as in the
present emergency, it is difficult to put the hand on any general
inspiring confidence, the President, the Secretary of War and the
Senators, ought immediately to go to the army, and call together
all the commanders of corps and of divisions. The President ought
to explain to the difficulty, nay, the impossibility of making a new
choice. But as the generals are well aware that there must be a
commander, and that they know each other in the fire, the President
appeals to their patriotism, and asks them to elect, by secret
ballot on the spo