Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville
Part of the American Civil War

Battle of Chancellorsville, by Kurz and Allison, 1889
(Apocryphal painting depicts the wounding of Confederate Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson on May 2, 1863)
DateApril 30 (1863-04-30) – May 6, 1863 (1863-05-06)[1]
Location
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
38°18′38″N 77°38′54″W / 38.3105°N 77.6484°W / 38.3105; -77.6484
Result Confederate victory[2]
Belligerents
 United States (Union)  Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee
Units involved
Army of the Potomac[3][4] Army of Northern Virginia[5][6]
Strength

Chancellorsville campaign

  • 133,868 ("present for duty equipped")[7][8]
    • Chancellorsville:
      c. 106,000 (Army of the Potomac minus VI Corps-2nd Div./II Corps)[7]
    • 2nd Fredericksburg/Salem Church:
      c. 28,000 (VI Corps; 2nd Div./II Corps)[7]
 60,298[9][8]
Casualties and losses

Chancellorsville campaign

  • 17,287
    (1,606 killed
    9,762 wounded
    6,919 captured/missing)[10][11]
    • Chancellorsville:
      12,145 (1,082 killed
      6,849 wounded
      5,214 captured/missing)[10]
    • 2nd Fredericksburg/Salem Church:
      4,700 (493 killed
      2,710 wounded
      1,497 captured/missing)[10]
    • Minor skirmishes:
      442 (31 killed
      203 wounded
      208 captured/missing)[10]
 12,764
(1,665 killed
9,081 wounded
2,018 captured/missing)[12][11]
Map of Virginia, 1863

The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign.[13]

Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a much larger enemy force resulted in a significant Confederate victory, described by some historians as Lee's "perfect battle".[14][15] The victory, a product of Lee's audacity and Union general Joseph Hooker's timid decision-making, was tempered by heavy casualties, including Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Jackson was hit by friendly fire, requiring his left arm to be amputated. He died of pneumonia eight days later, a loss that Lee likened to losing his right arm.

The two armies had faced off against each other at Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862–1863. The Chancellorsville campaign began when Hooker secretly moved the bulk of his army up the left bank of the Rappahannock River, then crossed it on the morning of April 27, 1863. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. George Stoneman began a long-distance raid against Lee's supply lines at about the same time. Crossing the Rapidan River via Germanna and Ely's Fords, the Federal infantry concentrated near Chancellorsville on April 30. Combined with the Union force facing Fredericksburg, Hooker planned a double envelopment, attacking Lee from both his front and rear.

On May 1, Hooker advanced from Chancellorsville toward Lee, but the Confederate general split his army in the face of superior numbers, leaving a small force at Fredericksburg to deter Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick from advancing, while he attacked Hooker's advance with about four-fifths of his army. Despite the objections of his subordinates, Hooker withdrew his men to the defensive lines around Chancellorsville, ceding the initiative to Lee. On May 2, Lee divided his army again, sending Stonewall Jackson's entire corps on a flanking march that routed the Union XI Corps. While performing a personal reconnaissance in advance of his line, Jackson was wounded by fire after dark from his own men, and cavalry commander Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart temporarily replaced him as corps commander.

The fiercest fighting of the battle—and the second bloodiest day of the Civil War—occurred on May 3 as Lee launched multiple attacks against the Union position at Chancellorsville, resulting in heavy losses on both sides and the pulling back of Hooker's main army. That same day, Sedgwick advanced across the Rappahannock River, defeated the small Confederate force at Marye's Heights in the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, and then moved to the west. The Confederates fought a successful delaying action at the Battle of Salem Church. On the 4th Lee turned his back on Hooker and attacked Sedgwick, and drove him back to Banks' Ford, surrounding them on three sides. Sedgwick withdrew across the ford early on May 5. Lee turned back to confront Hooker who withdrew the remainder of his army across U.S. Ford the night of May 5–6.

The campaign ended on May 7 when Stoneman's cavalry reached Union lines east of Richmond. Both armies resumed their previous position across the Rappahannock from each other at Fredericksburg. With the loss of Jackson, Lee reorganized his army, and flush with victory began what was to become the Gettysburg campaign a month later.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Battlefields.org.
  3. ^ Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 156–170
  4. ^ Second Division (II Army Corps) and VI Army Corps engaged at Fredericksburg (or Marye's Heights), Salem Heights (or Salem Church) and near Banks' Ford, Va., May 3–4, 1863.
    Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 188–191.
  5. ^ Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 789–794
  6. ^ Jubal A. Early's Division (II Army Corps) and McLaws's Division (I Army Corps) engaged at Fredericksburg (or Marye's Heights), Salem Heights (or Salem Church) and near Banks' Ford, Va., May 3–4, 1863.
  7. ^ a b c Union strength include forces engaged at Fredericksburg and Salem Church, Va. (May 3–4, 1863).
    Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 2, page 320 and Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 188–191.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference strength was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Confederate strength include forces engaged at Fredericksburg and Salem Church, Va. (May 3–4, 1863).
    Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 2, page 696.
  10. ^ a b c d Casualties cited are for the full campaign.
    Further information:
    Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 172–192.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference casualties was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Casualties cited are for the full campaign.
    Further information:
    Official Records, Series I, Volume XXV, Part 1, pages 806–809/947–949.
  13. ^ There were three battles and one cavalry raid during the campaign. Because the three battles happened in a small geographic area and had overlapping timelines, this article covers both the battle around the village of Chancellorsville and the full campaign.
  14. ^ Field, Ron (2012). Robert E. Lee. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 978-1849081467.
  15. ^ Barney, William L. (2011). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0199782017.