Existing comment:
An Army Reborn:
After the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg, General Joseph Hooker took command of a demoralized Union army and gave it new life. He improved food and sanitation in the winter encampment, curbed desertion, and rewarded regiments that showed improved discipline with furloughs. The creation of corps badges, like those below, instilled in soldiers a sense of pride in their unit.
Morale soared. On the eve of Chancellorsville one Union soldier wrote home, "I am in hopes we shall make Richmond howl this time." |