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Rating: 
Summary: Fighting Joe Hooker
Review: Concentrates well on Hooker's role within the Federal Army. There are detailed accounts of his relationships with superiors and subordinates alike. Well researched and descriptive accounts of his role and the role of his units in key battles. The author fails to use direct quotations enough and tells the reader what was said rather than allowing the speaker's own words to be used. Very helpful in researching the early movements and battles of the III Corps, 2nd Div.
Rating: 
Summary: Stands the test of time.
Review: History tends to remember Joe Hooker for one thing; the disaster at Chancellorsville. It was at that battle that Hooker for once, "lost confidence in Hooker." Unfortunately, Hooker held his highest military position at Chancellorsville and that one low point overshadows the rest of a rather illustrious career. Walter Hebert published this book in 1944 and while new heights in civil war scholarship have been attained since then, this is in my opinion the definitive work on Joe Hooker. Hebert does an outstanding job of bringing General Hooker to life. The General has many virtues and Hebert points those out as well as Hooker's faults. One of Hookers greatest virtues as well as one of his greatest faults was his confidence in himself. This vast confidence made him willing to actually fight while many around him were timid in the extreme. On the other hand this confidence is what caused his loud impatience with his superiors and led to his downfall. Hooker also had a keen military mind and his plan for the Chancellorsville campaign was an excellent plan if only he had had the nerve to put his plan into action. Amazingly, after Chancellorsville as Lee began his movement north, Hooker predicted the action at Gettysburg. Hooker had made an enemy of Henry Halleck and that, more than Chancellorsville led to his leaving the Army of the Potomac. Still, Hooker had friends in Washington and was given a Corps to take to the relief of Rosecrans in Chattanooga. Again Hooker distinguished himself but here too he had an enemy in William T. Sherman. As the Federals started out for Atlanta it was usually Hooker's men who bore the brunt of the fighting but because of Sherman's enmity, got little of the credit. Sherman finally managed to rid himself of Hooker by getting him to resign and then slandered Fighting Joe in his memoirs. Others who were involved like Henry Slocum, who was no friend of Hooker, later discredited Sherman's narratives of some events. Of course, Hooker had brought all of this on himself but it was still a sad situation. Hebert does such a fine job of writing that one feels he has come to know Joe Hooker. One in fact, really begins to like the man. On occasion I found myself rooting for him to succeed, until I remembered he was a Yankee and came to my senses. I have often said that a biography is a true success if when the subject dies the reader feels a sense of loss. I felt that when Hooker died because in the pages of Hebert's book I felt I had come to know Joe Hooker personally. In a world overrun with civil war biographies, this has to be one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Stands the test of time.
Review: History tends to remember Joe Hooker for one thing; the disaster at Chancellorsville. It was at that battle that Hooker for once, "lost confidence in Hooker." Unfortunately, Hooker held his highest military position at Chancellorsville and that one low point overshadows the rest of a rather illustrious career. Walter Hebert published this book in 1944 and while new heights in civil war scholarship have been attained since then, this is in my opinion the definitive work on Joe Hooker. Hebert does an outstanding job of bringing General Hooker to life. The General has many virtues and Hebert points those out as well as Hooker's faults. One of Hookers greatest virtues as well as one of his greatest faults was his confidence in himself. This vast confidence made him willing to actually fight while many around him were timid in the extreme. On the other hand this confidence is what caused his loud impatience with his superiors and led to his downfall. Hooker also had a keen military mind and his plan for the Chancellorsville campaign was an excellent plan if only he had had the nerve to put his plan into action. Amazingly, after Chancellorsville as Lee began his movement north, Hooker predicted the action at Gettysburg. Hooker had made an enemy of Henry Halleck and that, more than Chancellorsville led to his leaving the Army of the Potomac. Still, Hooker had friends in Washington and was given a Corps to take to the relief of Rosecrans in Chattanooga. Again Hooker distinguished himself but here too he had an enemy in William T. Sherman. As the Federals started out for Atlanta it was usually Hooker's men who bore the brunt of the fighting but because of Sherman's enmity, got little of the credit. Sherman finally managed to rid himself of Hooker by getting him to resign and then slandered Fighting Joe in his memoirs. Others who were involved like Henry Slocum, who was no friend of Hooker, later discredited Sherman's narratives of some events. Of course, Hooker had brought all of this on himself but it was still a sad situation. Hebert does such a fine job of writing that one feels he has come to know Joe Hooker. One in fact, really begins to like the man. On occasion I found myself rooting for him to succeed, until I remembered he was a Yankee and came to my senses. I have often said that a biography is a true success if when the subject dies the reader feels a sense of loss. I felt that when Hooker died because in the pages of Hebert's book I felt I had come to know Joe Hooker personally. In a world overrun with civil war biographies, this has to be one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book did a excelent job explaning how fighting joe rose to the head of the army. This book take you through joes childhood and laterlife.
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