Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer and Union major general who rose through corps command to lead the Army of the Potomac in January 1863. He reorganised and supplied the army effectively and then launched an ambitious manoeuvre intended to force Robert E. Lee away from Fredericksburg.

The resulting Chancellorsville campaign ended in Confederate victory after Hooker surrendered the initiative and Lee divided his smaller army. Hooker remained in command until shortly before Gettysburg and later served with distinction in the Western Theater, including during the Chattanooga and Atlanta campaigns.

The Gettysburg Campaign places Joseph Hooker at the critical transition between Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. As Lee carries the Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania, Hooker remains in command of the Army of the Potomac until disputes with Washington lead to his replacement by George G. Meade only days before the battle. His removal helps the book explain the uncertainty surrounding Union command at the opening of the campaign and the abrupt burden inherited by Meade.