Legacy Hooker was popularly known as "Fighting Joe" Hooker, a nickname he regretted deeply; he said, "People will think I am a highwayman or a bandit.""Hooker's Comments on Chancellorsville", Battles and Leaders, Vol. III, p. 217. When a newspaper dispatch arrived in New York during the Peninsula Campaign, a typographical error changed the entry "Fighting – Joe Hooker Attacks Rebels" to remove the dash and the name stuck.Foote, p. 234. Robert E. Lee occasionally referred to him as "Mr. F. J. Hooker" in a mildly sarcastic jab at his opponent.
Legacy Hooker was popularly known as "Fighting Joe" Hooker, a nickname he regretted deeply; he said "People will think I am a highwayman o,r a bandit.""Hooker's Comments on Chancellorsville", Battles and Leaders, Vol. III, p. 217. When a newspaper dispatch arrived in New York during the Peninsula Campaign, a typographical error changed the entry "Fighting – Joe Hooker Attacks Rebels" to remove the dash and the name stuck.Foote, p. 234. Robert E. Lee occasionally referred to him as "Mr. F. J. Hooker" in a mildly sarcastic jab at his opponent.