Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker was an officer in the U.S. Army from Massachusetts. He was a West Point Graduate in 1837, and achieved the rank of major general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Hooker served with distinction at the Battle of Williamsburg, and earned a reputation as an aggressive combat commander. He served throughout the war, commanding both at the Corp and Army levels, usually with distinction. However, Hooker is frequently remembered for leading the Army of the Potomac to defeat by the divided army of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863, allowing the Army of Northern Virginia the initiative to move North of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Born: November 13, 1814
Birthplace: Hadley, Massachusetts
Father: Joseph Hooker 1765 – 1852
(Buried: Brookside Cemetery, Watertown, New York)
Mother: Mary Seymour 1780 – 1857
(Buried: Brookside Cemetery, Watertown, New York)
Wife: Olivia Augusta Groesbeck 1825 – 1868
(Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio)
Married: October 3, 1865 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Education:
1837: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (29th in class)
Occupation before War:
1837 – 1838: 2nd Lt. United States Army 1st Artillery
1838 – 1848: 1st Lt. United States Army 1st Artillery
1841: Adjutant of West Point Military Academy
1846: Brevetted Captain for Gallantry at Battle of Monterey, Mexico
1847: Brevetted Captain and Assistant Adjutant General
1847: Brevetted Major for Gallantry at Battle of Chapultepec, Mexico
1851 – 1853: on leave of Absence from United States Army
Testified in court martial of Gideon Pillow against Gen. Winfield Scott
1853: Resigned from United States Army on February 21st
1853 – 1858: Farmer near Sonoma, California
1858 – 1859: Superintendent of Military Roads in Oregon
1859 – 1861: Colonel of California State Militia
Civil War Career:
1861: His application for Commission was rejected
1861: Borrowed money to make a trip east from California
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers, Infantry
1861: Served in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.
1861 – 1862: Helped guard the Lower Potomac River
1862: Brigade Commander Battle of Yorktown, Virginia
1862: Brigade Commander Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia
1862 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteers, Infantry
1862: Commander of Third Army Corps, Army of Virginia
1862: Commander of First Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
1862: Wounded in the foot during Battle of Antietam, Maryland
1862 – 1868: Brigadier General in United States Army, Infantry
1862: Commander of Fifth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
1862: Corps Commander during Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia
1863: Commander of Union Army of the Potomac
1863: Union Army Commander at the Battle of Chancellorsville
1863: Resigned as Commander of Army of the Potomac on June 28th
1863: Waiting on Orders in Baltimore, Maryland
1863: Union Army Commander at Battle of Lookout Mountain, TN.
1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee
1864: Commander of 20th Army Corps during Atlanta Campaign
1864 – 1865: Commander of Northern Department in Cincinnati, Ohio
1865: Brevetted to the rank of Major General for duty at Chattanooga
1865: Led President Lincoln’s funeral Procession in Springfield, Illinois
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1868: Brigadier General in United States Army Infantry
1865 – 1866: Member of Board for Retiring Disabled Officers
1865 – 1866: Commander U.S. Army Department of the East
1866 – 1867: Commander U.S. Army Department of the Lakes
1867 – 1868: on Leave of Absence from United States Army
1868: Retired United States Army as Major General on October 15th
Died: October 31, 1879
Place of Death: 64 years old
Cause of Death: Stroke
Age at time of Death: 64 years old
Burial Place: Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio
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