The Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30- May 6, 1863
“Mud March” of January, 1863Union Army is HumiliatedNo end of the war in sightBurnside is replaced
Aftermath of Fredericksburg
Emancipation Proclamation becomes effective
January 1, 1863
Nickname: Fightin’ JoeLoved by his menBrilliant organizerOverconfident and cockyRaises morale by introducing better sanitary
conditions for food preparationCreates different patches and logos for each
corps
Joseph Hooker
To cross the Rappahannock River, converge on Chancellorsville, and surprise Robert E. Lee’s Confederate ArmyAttempts to flank Jackson’s men, but JEB
Stuart figures this out and warns Jackson
Hooker’s Plan
Much like when Burnside was in command, Hooker’s fellow officers grew to dislike him very quickly
After ordering his men to march forward, he then sent a message to them ordering a halt
Hooker thinks he has Lee right where he wants him“My plans are perfect. May God have mercy on
Robert E. Lee, for I shall have none.”
Dissention in the Ranks…Again
The Union Army outnumbers the Confederates 100,000 to 30,000, because he chose to advance his men with only Jackson’s corps
Hooker has his men dig in around camp, and says that Lee will not be able to defeat him because of that
However, he made one fatal mistake…
Outnumbered…Again
Even though the battle was only 2 days old, the generals and Hooker himself knew something was wrong
Years later, Hooker said, “I just lost confidence in Fightin’ Joe.”“The retrograde movement had prepared me for
something of the kind, but to hear from [Hooker's] own lips 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.”- Darius Couch
Loss of Confidence
After Stuart scouts the Union position and informs Lee, he orders Jackson to commit a daring surprise attack on the Union’s unguarded left flank on May 2
An hour before sunset, Jackson attacks while the enemy is cooking dinner and unprepared, and they flee through the camp and past Hooker’s headquarters
There is mass confusion for both sides, as men cannot find their regiments and don’t know where they are
Surprise Attack
During the battle, a cannonball strikes Hooker’s house and a shingle falls off and hits him on the head, knocking him unconscious
When he finally stands up and walks away, another cannonball lands where he was just laying
Near Death Experience
Jackson scouts the Union position in the woods at night, when he rides near a regiment of South Carolina soldiers, who open fire, thinking he is the enemy
He is struck in the arm, shoulder, and handThe doctors amputate his arm, and his
wounds heal, but he develops pneumonia“He’s lost his left arm, and I have lost my
right.”- Robert E. Lee
The Wounding of Jackson
The Most Famous Arm in the World
The Second Battle of Fredericksburg
Though it looked like they would be badly beaten, the Union rallies, and although they lose the overall battle, they inflict severe damage on the Confederates
Final casualty figures:USA: 17,000CSA: 13,000
Actions of May 3-6
Though the CSA Army had technically won the battle, their celebration was short lived
Jackson would die of pneumonia on May 10There was a sense of disbelief in the southThe Confederacy would never recover from
his loss, as in later battles, his presence was sorely neededExample: Ewell at Gettysburg
Known as a “Pyrrhic Victory”
A Bittersweet Victory