January 25, 1863---Burnside resigns; Hooker's in charge

JANUARY 25, 1863:     

 

After arriving back in Washington after the miseries of the Mud March, General Ambrose Burnside submits a list of “Officers To Be Replaced” to Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War. Top on the list is Ambrose Burnside. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker, despite concerns that Hooker “is too great a friend of John Barleycorn.” Despite the fact that he is known as “Fighting Joe,” Hooker’s military exploits do not define him. Like Burnside, who becomes famous for his whiskers, Hooker becomes famous for allowing young ladies of questionable virtue to ply their trade among his soldiers. So many prostitutes are drawn to the Army of The Potomac that they are called “Hooker’s Girls,” or, just eventually, “hookers.”