After  McLaws  joined  forces  with  Early,  Sedgwick,
though  still  outnumbering  his  foes,  became  the  hunted  rather
than  the  hunter,  and  seems  to  have  counted  himself  happy,
tinder  cover  of  the  friendly  darkness,  to  make  his  escape
across  the  river.
It  is  fair  to  say  that  some  military  critics  take  a  different
view  of  Sedgwick's  operations,  and  it  may  well  be,  after  all,
that  Hooker's  lieutenant  has  suffered  in  general  estimation
mainly  by  reason  of  his  being  brought,  under  the  circum-
stances, into  comparison  with  Lee's  matchless  second  and
his  absolutely  perfect  appreciation,  support,  and  execution
•of  the  plans  of  his  great  chief  in  this  the  most  brilliant  of
his  battles.
Hooker's  own  part  in  these  operations  would  seem  to  have
been  more  creditable,  but  his  great  weakness  was  a  tendency
to  boasting.  There  was  a  striking  contrast  between  the
records  he  made  for  himself  in  his  order  book  and  in  the
field.  When,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1863,  he  took  com-
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  his  first  act  was  to
christen  it  in  the  memorable,  high-sounding  phrase — "The
Finest  Army  on  the  Planet."  On  the  same  day,  in  General
Order  No.  I,  he  emphasized  the  inferiority  of  its  enemy,  and


l8o  FOUR  YEARS  UNDER  MARSE  ROBERT

added :  "Let  us  never  hesitate  to  give  him  battle  whenever
we  can  find  him."  After  just  three  months  of  waiting  he
did  find  him,  right  across  the  river  where  he  had  all  the  time
been,  and  moved  upon  him.  Then,  after  three  days  of  really
skilful  maneuvering,  on  the  3Oth  of  April,  as  he  took  up  his
position  at  Chancellorsville,  he  issued  his  General  Order  No.
