Category Archives: Fredericksburg

Chancellorsville May 2, 1863

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Lee And Jackson Make Battle Plans

May 2, 1863

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson meet at Chancellorsville.

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson meet at Chancellorsville.

The night of May 1, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson are sitting on Union hardtack boxes by campfire. Lee and Jackson are working on their battle plans.

Outnumbered more than two to one, Lee still wants to take the offensive against Hooker. Lee knows the Federals hold a good defensive position on the high ground around Chancellorsville and the situation is too risky for a direct attack. Moreover, the Rappahannock River protects the Federal left, so turning it is impossible. Lee needs a way to go on the offensive. General Jeb Stuart soon provides the way.

Hooker’s Right Flank Is “in the air”

Stuart’s cavalry scouts have found that Hooker’s right flank has no natural or artificial obstacle to protect it, Hooker’s right flank is “in the air” and vulnerable. To move without detection around to the Federal right flank, Lee and Jackson need a route through the Wilderness. One of Stonewall Jackson’s staff officers finds a man who lives in the area and this local knows of a road used to haul charcoal to an iron-smelting furnace. Jackson can move his troops to the Federal right flank by using the charcoal-hauling road and a few other roads.

Lee’s Gamble

At Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee gambles with his battle plans. Lee stays with only 15,000 men to face Hooker’s main force, while Jackson takes his corps of about 30,000 men through a way of roads and paths to the Federal right. Stuart’s cavalry will screen Jackson’s movement from the Federals and Lee will divert Hooker’s attention as Jackson’s men make their way. Meanwhile, General Jubal Early has his men at Fredericksburg.

Splitting the Army of Northern Virginia into three separate groups is a big risk. If Hooker chooses to take the offensive, then his superior number of troops can destroy any of Lee’s separated groups. Lee counts on “Fighting Joe” Hooker to do nothing while Stonewall Jackson makes his march to the Federal right flank.

Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson

Early the morning of May 2, Stonewall Jackson begins his march. As Lee remains behind with his relatively meager amount of troops, Jackson takes his 30,000 men on a twelve-mile march around Hooker’s army. Jackson has Stuart’s cavalry to screen his march, but Union infantry still detects the Rebel movements and troops under General Dan Sickles attack the tail of Jackson’s column.

General “Fighting Joe” Hooker knows of Stonewall Jackson’s flanking movement, but Hooker thinks the Rebels are retreating instead of making offensive movements. Hooker does nothing to prepare for an attack on his right flank. By late in the afternoon of May 2, Stonewall has 30,000 men behind the unaware Federal troops.

A Rare Moonlight Fight

Stonewall Jackson tells Major Eugene Blackford: “You can go forward then,” and with their bone-chilling Rebel Yell battle cry the Confederates advance out of the cover of the Wilderness. The 11th Corps, under command of General Oliver O. Howard, have the Federal right. Mostly made up of German-Americans, the 11th Corps is about 12,000 strong. The 11th Corps, known as the “Dutch Corps” (a mangling of the word “Deutsche” for “German”), has a poor reputation based on previous battle action. Today would not improve the “Dutch Corps” reputation.

The Confederate attack took place near suppertime and most of Howard’s troops are preparing food or relaxing. The oncoming wall of attacking rebels surprises the Federals. By nightfall, Jackson’s men have backed the Federals up two miles. It was a moonlit night, and even after dark some fighting continues in the woods and thickets of the Wilderness. Night fighting was very rare in the Civil War, but this is an example of it. Finally, darkness ends the Confederate attack.

Tar Heels Fire Into The Darkness

General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson and several other officers are looking for a way to renew the attack. They are out ahead of their lines in the darkness and confusion of the Wilderness, scouting for the best way to begin a new attack. As they are returning to their lines at a trot, they come upon a regiment from North Carolina. In the dark, the Tar Heels hear the horses approaching and mistake their riders as Federals, the North Carolinians begin firing and Stonewall Jackson is struck.

Stonewall Jackson shot at Chancellorsville.

Stonewall Jackson shot at Chancellorsville.

A bullet hits Jackson in his right hand, a second in his left wrist, and a third strikes him in his left arm between the shoulder and elbow. Stonewall’s frightened horse bolts and runs toward the Federal lines, bashing Jackson’s face into a low tree branch before Jackson regains control of the horse. The third bullet is the most damaging to Jackson, it shatters bone and cuts an artery.

Stonewall Jackson is severely injured. He is in great pain and moved to the rear on a stretcher, but not before urging his men to continue the fight and finish the victory. General Jeb Stuart assumes command of General Jackson’s 11th Corps.

Night has now fallen and the fighting ends for this day. The morning of May 3 would renew the Battle of Chancellorsville.

 

 

NEXT: Chancellorsville May 3 – 6, 1863
PREVIOUS: Chancellorsville May 1, 1863

 

My book 501 Civil War Quotes and Notes features quotes made before, during, and after the Civil War. Each quote has an informative note to explain the circumstances and background of the quote. Learn Civil War history from the spoken words and writings of the military commanders, political leaders, the Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs who fought in the battles, the abolitionists who strove for the freedom of the slaves, the descriptions of battles, and the citizens who suffered at home. Their voices tell us the who, what, where, when, and why of the Civil War. Available as a Kindle device e-book or as a paperback. Get 501 Civil War Quotes and Notes now!

Chancellorsville May 1, 1863

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Robert E. Lee’s Masterpiece

May 1, 1863

Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

At the Battle of Chancellorsville Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia is outnumbered by Union Major General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker’s Army of the Potomac by more than two to one, yet Robert E. Lee and his “right-arm” General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, defeat the Federals. Chancellorsville is “Lee’s Masterpiece.”

Lee’s victory at Chancellorsville will provide him his path to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and another meeting with the Army of the Potomac in early July of 1863.

Despite being Lee’s most canny and skillful victory, Chancellorsville will also bring a great loss to General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

Note: Chancellorsville is a brick plantation house located in the area known as the Wilderness, it is not an actual town.

Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker

General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker was a bombastic, egotistical, and conceited individual. Hooker was a person who thought his ends always justified his means, he would often disobey orders, jump over levels of command, or just flat out lie in order get what he wanted. Joe Hooker was a handsome six-footer and popular with the women. However, among the men Hooker served with he was not popular. He was not well liked or trusted.

General Joseph Hooker’s nickname of “Fighting Joe” came about by accident. The New York newspaper Courier and Enquirer had received a report about some action Hooker was involved in during McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign. The heading of the report said: “Fighting – Joe Hooker” and it was meant to indicate that the report should be used to add more information to an already existing article about Joe Hooker’s part in the battle.

Due to an error at the newspaper, this new report was treated as a separate article and was given the heading of: “FIGHTING JOE HOOKER” with the hyphen omitted. The newspaper readers loved the nickname and it stuck. At first, Hooker himself did not much care for the nickname, but as time progressed, he liked it more and more.

With reservations, President Lincoln gave Joe Hooker command of the Army of the Potomac on January 25. Hooker was replacing General Ambrose Burnside, who’d been a weak leader. Burnside had failed at Fredericksburg and later brought about a blunder known as the “Mud March.” Burnside’s time as commander of the Army of the Potomac ended.

On To Richmond!

The rallying goal for the North was: On to Richmond! If the Army of the Potomac could take the Confederate capital of Richmond, then the Confederate cause would be broken and the war won. Burnside’s loss at Fredericksburg left General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia firmly dug-in with a defensive position at Fredericksburg, and blocking the Army of the Potomac’s path to Richmond. Now with Fighting Joe Hooker as the new commanding general, the Army of the Potomac would launch a fresh offensive on Richmond.

Joe Hooker

Joe Hooker

Joe Hooker went to work preparing the Army of the Potomac for his plans. Hooker reorganized the army and made changes in commands. The Army of the Potomac at this time consisted of nearly 150,000 troops and was the largest mobilized field army in the world.

The Army of the Potomac had become dispirited after the Union loss at Fredericksburg the previous December, but with Joe Hooker it regained its morale. Joe Hooker is a fighter! President Lincoln gave General Joe Hooker the freedom to make his own plans for the offensive campaign that would take place with the arrival of spring and the drying of the muddy winter roads. Lincoln did require two things of Hooker; that he go on the offensive as soon as possible, and that he leave Washington guarded.

May God Have Mercy On General Lee

Hooker planned to have one wing of his army march 40 miles upstream of the Rappahannock River and then cross it and the Rapidan River at fords located west of Confederate defenses. These troops then would move east and attack the Confederate left flank. The rest of the Army of the Potomac would cross the Rappahannock at a point below Fredericksburg to harass the Confederates there.

“Fighting Joe” Hooker thought his plans were good, his plans in fact, were not bad at all, and he was confident. Before the campaign Hooker said:

“My plans are perfect and when I start to carry them out, may God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.”

Lee Is Greatly Outnumbered

Hooker began his troop movements on April 27. General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia had spent the winter entrenched at Fredericksburg. Lee’s troops numbered about 61,000 men and Hookers’ troops about 134,000 men, Lee had less than half the men of Hooker. By April 30, Hooker had 50,000 men at a brick mansion named Chancellorsville. Chancellorsville was located at a crossroads in the dense, thicket-like, scrubby, secondary growth known as the Wilderness of Spotsylvania, ten miles west of Fredericksburg.

General Lee and his “right hand” General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson had correctly sized up the situation. They realized the Yankees at Chancellorsville, and not those who were opposite them and below Fredericksburg, were the main threat of Hooker’s offensive advance. The Confederates left a division to hold the Fredericksburg entrenchments, and the greater part of Lee’s army headed west toward Chancellorsville.

Hooker Wants To Embolden The Enemy To Attack

On the morning of May 1, Jackson’s troops met up with Hooker’s men a few miles east of Chancellorsville. Despite having a superior number of troops, Hooker fell back to a defensive position in the Wilderness terrain around Chancellorsville. The Union troops put up entrenchments around General Hooker’s Chancellorsville headquarters.

Major General Darius N. Couch was the Army of the Potomac’s senior corps commander and he told General Hooker there was disappointment among the army leaders that Hooker had chosen a defensive posture at Chancellorsville. Couch himself, had favored an offensive strategy. “Fighting Joe” Hooker told General Couch:

“It is all right, Couch, I have got Lee just where I want him; he must fight me on my own ground.”

Couch was in disbelief with what Hooker said to him:

“To hear from his own lip that the advantages gained by the successful marches of his lieutenants were to culminate in fighting a defensive battle in that nest of thickets was too much, and I retired from his presence with the belief that my commanding general was a whipped man.”

Hooker distributed to his corps commanders a circular including these words:

“The major general commanding trusts that a suspension in the attack to-day will embolden the enemy to attack him.”

Lee And Jackson Meet At Night

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson meet at Chancellorsville.

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson meet at Chancellorsville.

Lee and Jackson would meet the night of May 1 to decide on a plan, supposedly while sitting on cracker barrels or boxes. What these two great Confederate generals conceived during their night meeting was one of the most remarkable military gambles ever devised.

On the coming day of May 2, “Fighting Joe” Hooker was going to have emboldened enemy attacking him.

 

 

 

 

NEXT: Chancellorsville May 2, 1863

 

My book 501 Civil War Quotes and Notes features quotes made before, during, and after the Civil War. Each quote has an informative note to explain the circumstances and background of the quote. Learn Civil War history from the spoken words and writings of the military commanders, political leaders, the Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs who fought in the battles, the abolitionists who strove for the freedom of the slaves, the descriptions of battles, and the citizens who suffered at home. Their voices tell us the who, what, where, when, and why of the Civil War. Available as a Kindle device e-book or as a paperback. Get 501 Civil War Quotes and Notes now!