DK - The American Civil War

THE BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE

AFTER

men of the Eleventh Corps. There was
no time for the Union regiments to
realign and react; the only safety was
in flight. But further along the Orange
Turnpike, two stubborn holding actions
delayed the Southern advance, including
a stand made by Brigadier General Carl
Schurz’s totally German Third Division
at the Wilderness Church. Unfairly
labeled by nativistic Anglo-Americans
as the “flying Dutchmen,” these men
had in fact bought time for the rest of
the Federal Army to react.

Lee’s greatest day
Frustrated by the failing momentum of
his attack, and in the pitch black of the
woods, Jackson reconnoitered in front
of his lines to ascertain the positions of
the Union forces and was accidentally
shot by his own men. Stuart took over.
May 3 dawned a brilliant, crisp day,
and by the time the sun was rising
above the trees at Hazel Grove, this
key terrain was in Confederate hands.
Southern artillery swarmed the open
ground, dominating the clearings of
Fairview and Chancellorsville, and
opened a murderous fire on Union
infantry and artillery holding those
positions. Waves of Southern infantry
assaulted hastily prepared Federal
brigades posted in the woods to the

Union failure at Chancellorsville
After Jackson’s rapid march to outflank the Union right on
May 2, the Union army was outfought in the fierce action
of the following day. Union commander Joseph Hooker
lost his nerve and retreated back across the Rappahannock.

The strategic initiative in the East passed

to the Confederates. As the Union army

reorganized, Lee’s next major move would

be the advance to Gettysburg.

SALEM CHURCH

Union Major General Sedgwick and his Sixth

Corps attacked Jubal Early at Fredericksburg on

the morning of May 3. They pushed him off

Marye’s Heights, and proceeded west down the

Orange Turnpike toward Lee’s rear. A desperate

stand by Brigadier General Cadmus

Wilcox’s Rebel brigade at Salem Church

stopped Sedgwick cold. The next day, the

Confederates launched a series of

uncoordinated assaults on Sedgwick, who

beat each of them off in turn and escaped

relatively unscathed back across the river.

Confronting his tired and unsuccessful division

commanders, Robert E. Lee reportedly lost his

temper over this lost opportunity.

“WHAT WILL THE PEOPLE SAY?”

Upon hearing news of Hooker’s withdrawal

across the Rappahannock River, a horrified

President Lincoln turned to a colleague and

said, “My God, my God, what will the people

say?” Yet another campaign in the East had come

to nothing. Northern morale plummeted.

CASUALTIES AT MARYE’S HEIGHTS

“At that moment I believed my commanding

general a whipped man.”

DARIUS COUCH, COMMANDING THE UNION SECOND CORPS, ON HOOKER’S LOSS OF NERVE, MAY 1, 1863

north and south of Fairview. Some of

the most vicious fighting of the war

occurred before Hooker ordered the

abandonment of first Fairview, and

then Chancellorsville.

Despite having two corps standing

idly by that could have crashed into

Stuart’s northern flank, Hooker chose

to retreat. Nearly all his subordinates

agreed that Chancellorsville was one of

the greatest Northern lost opportunities

of the war. Against all odds, Lee had

scored a tactical victory, inflicting 17,000

casualties on the enemy while suffering

13,000 of his own—though among

these was the irreplaceable Jackson.

The

W

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Wilderness

Church

United

States

Ford

River Road

Orange^ Plank

Road

Orange

Turnpike

Rap

pah

ann

oc

k

Riv

er

Hazel

Grove Fairview

LEE

McLAWS

ANDERSON

JACKSON

replaced by

STUART

REYNOLDS

MEADE

HOOKER

SICKLES

SLOCUM

COUCH

HOWARD

JACKSON

Chancellorsville

Fredericksburg

Salem

Church

④ May 3: Lee

dispatches McLaws

to reinforce troops

at Fredericksburg

⑥ May 6:

Hooker retreats

back across river

② May2, 5:30pm:

Jackson’s attack takes

Howard’s corps by complete

surprise. 4,000 prisoners

taken. Jackson later

wounded by friendly fire

③ May 3:

Confederates gain

upper hand in fierce

fighting around

Chancellorsville

⑤ May 4:

Anderson’s division

also redeployed to

Fredericksburg

① May 2:

Jackson makes

long march

that outflanks

Union right

KEY

Union positions May 2

Union front line May 4

Confederate positions May 2

Confederate front line May 4

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0 miles 1 2

1 2

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