Abraham Lincoln Quotes
The trouble with General Hooker is that he has his headquarters where his hindquarters ought to be.
Hooker made some very poor decisions as far as Lincoln was concerned.
Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, 16th President of the United States (Republican, IL), Comment to his staff about General Joseph Hooker who Lincoln was trying as Commanding General of the Army of the Potomac.
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
While running for office he was trying to win the support of Republcian Conservatives who were very unhappyt with their percieved lack of progress in fighting ISIS. However, this was insulting to many military people--especiually since ISIS was being deprived of they sources of funding and oil trade, their leaders were being killed at a rapid rate, and they were losign most of their territory. After he won the Presidency, on the very night of his inaguration he then flip flopped and paraised the general leadship of the military. While most politicans had a certain degree of hypocricy, Trump could make totally contrdictory statements without any embarassment. See Quote 644331..
McClellan found many reasons to avoid engaging the Southern forces, and when battles could not be avoided, he would never pursue the enemy after an engagement but would regroup. Much public opinion was unhappy with McClellan, but he had great support among the Democrats who were not supporters of the war. Finally Lincoln fired McClellan who then ran as a Democrat against the President in 1864. McClellan looked and talked like a great general but was much averse to fighting. Once rid of McClellan, the Union Army began to have success although losses on both sides were horrendous.
During the Civil War, General Joseph Hooker castigated the President and called for a dictator to assume power:
General Shafter had a major attack of Gout, a terribly painful disease for which there was little relief at the time. As a result he had little involvement in the battle of Santiago at the most critical period. Crassus was an incompetent general in a famous Roman battle.
Written when he was forced to share command with General Francois Kellerman.
Ex HEW Secretary John Gardner, the founder of the citizens' lobby, Common Cause, was testifying before Hays' committee: Gardner, considered an excellent Secretary by most, was a reformer who was making some suggestions not to Hays’ liking. This quote was Hays’ reposponse to Gardner. Hays was not only a bully but his lack of tact caused the State Departmemt much trouble. See {622348}.
The President told McNamara that if the administration does not send the troops the Generals want, they will be blamed for any military failures that occur. If they do send all the troops that the Joint Chiefs wanted, they would be going far beyond the limits that the Defense Secretary recommended and the President would have preferred. JBJ felt he really had no political choice. He authorized the wanted troops further escalating the war. See his special assistant’s question about that decision in {617151}.
Despite Hooker's outspoken remarks, the President appointed him commanding general anyway.
Referring to Gerald R. Ford: The quotation is usually cleaned up by substitutiong the word "walk" for "fart". Ford was actually a very bright man, but had an unassuming style that was vulnerable to negative characterization.
When George B. McClellan was commander of the Union army, he maintained a very conservative military strategy and would not initiate any attacks. Lincoln wrote:
This differed from his public statements where he extolled the militia {613331}, the politically popular thing to do. No wise politician would publicly criticize his own State’s militia.
Abraham Lincoln was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.
