Joe Hooker was a pretty interesting fellow any way you look at it…
Joseph Hooker, Making of a Soldier
Joseph Hooker (1814-79) was Massachusetts born, and perhaps genetically destined for the military. His grandfather had been a Captain during the American Revolution. His upbringing was generally unexceptional, but he was sent to West Point as a teenager, and graduated in 1837, mid-range in his class. Notable among his classmates was John Sedgwick, a Union Major General who fought at Gettysburg and died at Spotsylvania. On the “Gray” Side, was Braxton Bragg and Jubal Early, also Generals.
Even at West Point, Joe Hooker was notable for his good looks, and kindly disposition toward the ladies – as well as for John Barleycorn.
Nevertheless, once graduated as 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery, he fought first in the Seminole Wars. Then, during the War with Mexico, he served under both Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. During that time, he received three separate brevet promotions (the last to Lt. Colonel), for leadership and bravery. No doubt about it, he was a doer – and someone to be watched for the future.
Alas but… There was a subsequent insubordination court martial trial for General Gideon Pillow (who most West Pointers had a low opinion of). Unfortunately, Joe Hooker provided testimony against General Scott. The court martial case was politically downgraded by President Polk to a court of inquiry and Pillow was exonerated. But Winfield Scott was not a man to be messed with, and he never forgot Hooker’s lack of support. The “handsome captain” as the Mexican senoritas called him, eventually realized that his career was not going anywhere and by 1853, he resigned his commission.
He went to California, where his years-at-large were boring for him. He couldn’t find a suitable career in the civilian world, and found his pleasures mostly with women, whiskey and some wagering.
He made a half-hearted attempt to re-enlist during the Buchanan Administration, but his efforts went nowhere. Winfield Scott was still General-in-Chief and had a long memory.
Back in the Saddle
But by the summer of 1861, after the Union defeat at Bull Run, the Civil War had passed from politics to all out warfare. Hooker contacted President Lincoln, who commissioned him as Brigadier General (Lincoln needed all the trained officers he could get), with a division under General George McClellan, in Washington DC.
Working with McClellan seemed to be an ideal assignment for Hooker. Both Generals were excellent administrators, innovators, and good at army-and-morale boosting. Both had overweening egos, too.
During McClellan’s Peninsula campaign in 1862, Hooker was commended several times by his C.O. but, as may have been his nature, he found fault with McClellan’s strategies and tactics. He believed Little Mac was too cautious. Still, he managed to keep the carping from reaching McClellan’s ears, and made a positive name for himself, which led to his promotion to Major General.
His absolute devotion to the welfare of his men was cemented in the Union Army, and they grew to love him almost as much as they loved McClellan. Nevertheless, Hooker’s reputation as a heavy drinker with an eye for the ladies grew.
General Joe: The Myth
The hard drinking part was probably more myth than fact and Hooker never denied his occasional thirst. He was likely no more enamored of the bottle than General Ulysses S. Grant, but it never seemed to be detrimental to his career.
The “eye for the ladies” is only part of the myth. Hooker was a handsome, blue-eyed fellow, and definitely attracted to the fair sex – the more accommodating the better. The myth grew that female camp followers were particularly attached to Hooker’s Division, and happy to avail themselves to needy soldiers. Including Hooker. Some considered the gals as “Hooker’s Army,” and the phrase “hooker” came to connote a prostitute.
Ah, another but.. There are a few sources that claim the term “hooker” was coined long before and elsewhere. One source says it went centuries back to the Netherlands, where there was a lowland area, commonly called the Hook (because of its unique geographical shape), where prostitution flourished in the 16th or 17th century. Maybe.
More likely, however, it was an area down by the Manhattan wharves, called Corlear’s Hook, a jutting hooked piece of land. It also was a popular red light district for the sailors’ pleasure, giving its name to “hookers.”
Whatever the actual source, General Joe Hooker was the magnet for its attachment. He never denied his weaknesses. And history seems to like the General Hooker story better than it does old oddball bits of geography in places that nobody remembers today.
Fightin’ Joe: The Legend
During the Civil War, newspapers proliferated north and south. The major ones in the big cities with deep pockets were quick to dispatch their key reporters to the army (whichever one they chose) and ply their readership with the latest stories. Millions and maybe billions of words were written for the masses.
During the Peninsula Campaign in 1862, there were several major battles, and practically daily skirmishes somewhere. It was customary for the journalists to follow the action by listing the corps/senior officer who was actually engaged, and telegraphing the information to their editors. Frequently the telegram would be headed: Fighting (comma, dash or colon) General Somebody.
One on particular occasion, the journalist (or telegrapher) neglected to use the punctuation, thus the headline read: Fighting Joe Hooker. This is a true story, perhaps massaged somewhat from time to time. But punctuation was definitely the key to the “Fightin’ Joe” sobriquet. It also sounded good. It stuck – even to this day.
But “Fightin’ Joe” was not happy about it. He believed it made him sound like a hothead, or a bandit, or even someone who could not control his soldiers. And he was none of those things.
Sources:
Henig, Gerald S. & Niderost, Eric – Civil War Firsts – Stackpole Books, 2001
Morris, William and Morris, Mary – Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins – Harper and Row, 1971
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/joseph-hooker
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