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| General Joseph Hooker (Photo by Mathew Brady) |
In the summer of 1863, the Potomac River played an outsized role in the floundering of two military careers within a month of one another - General Joseph Hooker's and General Gordon Meade's.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee was on the move, and the Potomac River became the stage
In the summer of 1863, Abraham Lincoln faced the same strategic dilemma—twice. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was on the move, and the Potomac River became the stage for two near-captures that never happened. Two Union generals failed to stop him. And Lincoln, ever the storyteller, responded with metaphor, disappointment, and ultimately, dismissal.
Abraham Lincoln loved metaphors. He used them to clarify complex ideas and add color to his stories. But they weren't always just folksy. When needed, they could also be used to deliver sharp critiques.
In the summer of 1863, the Potomac River played an outsized role in the floundering of two military careers within a month of one another - General Joseph Hooker and General Gordon Meade.
Abraham Lincoln faced the same strategic dilemma—twice.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee was on the move, and the Potomac River became the stage for two near-captures - one before Gettysburg and one after - that never happened.
Two Union generals careers floundered failed to stop him. And Lincoln, ever the storyteller, responded with metaphor, disappointment, and ultimately, dismissal.
🐂 First: Hooker and the Ox Over the Fence
In early June, Lincoln warned General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker not to get tangled near the river as Lee advanced north:
“I would not take any risk of being entangled upon the river, like an ox jumped half over a fence and liable to be torn by dogs front and rear, without a fair chance to gore one way or kick the other.” [1]
Lincoln’s metaphor was vivid, rural, and unmistakably pointed. Hooker hesitated. Lincoln replaced him with General George Meade.
🏞️ Then: Meade and the Slippery Grasp
Meade won the Battle of Gettysburg in early July. But when Lee retreated toward the Potomac, trapped by floodwaters and lacking a bridge, Lincoln saw a golden opportunity to end the war.
Meade didn’t seize it.
Lincoln drafted a letter—never sent—but filled with quiet fury:
“You had him within your grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war.”
No ox. No dogs. Just a metaphor of missed opportunity.
🔁 Same River, Same Result
Two generals. One river. One president. And the same “lack”—a failure to act decisively when the moment demanded it.
Lincoln’s metaphors softened the sting with wit, but they couldn’t mask the frustration. He wanted boldness. He got caution. And the war dragged on.
📜 This was another topic from the archives of Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.A few days later, Lincoln sent another message, this time mocking the scattered positioning of Lee’s forces:
“If the head of Lee's army is at Martinsburg and the tail of it on the plank road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the animal must be very slim somewhere. Could you not break him?” [1]
Lincoln’s metaphors in weren’t just colorful—they were also strategic suggestions framed in a way that was easy to visualize. He was urging Hooker to act decisively, to exploit Lee’s vulnerabilities, and to stop dithering.
Hooker didn’t. Lincoln replaced him with General George Meade.
Meade beat Lee at Gettysburg, and then - like Hooker - he failed to destroy Lee's army caught at the rain-swollen Potomac River.
📜 This was another topic from the archives of Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.Mac
📚 Works Cited
[1] Gross, Anthony. (1912). Lincoln's Own Stories. New York City, NY: Harper and Brothers Publishers. p.202.
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