In answering the question earlier about the possibility of a President establishing a Dictatorship, I posted an excerpt from a letter that President Abraham Lincoln sent to the commander of the Army of the Potomac, Major General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker.
When Lincoln wrote this letter, he was frustrated by the fact that “Fighting Joe” wasn't fighting so hard. Like the two Generals who had preceded Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac — George B. McClellan and Ambrose Burnside — Hooker showed some reluctance in pursuing Confederate forces and engaging them in large-scale battles. President Lincoln was bothered further by General Hooker's tendency to be somewhat outspoken and controversial in his comments and actions, particularly in undermining General Burnside during Burnside's command, and telling a reporter from the New York Times that “Nothing will go right until we have a dictator, and the sooner the better.”
Here is the full text of the extraordinary letter that President Lincoln wrote to General Hooker after appointing him as the commanding General of the Army of the Potomac:
Read Full Article »