The Battle of Chancellorsville
2nd-4th May, 1863

In conception, and to a certain extent in execution, Chancellorsville was one of the most elegant battles of the Civil War despite being fought in an awkward tangle of vegetation known as the Wilderness. It involved three extensive turning movements with first Lee, then Hooker, then Lee again being obliged to change front and manoeuvre. Hooker's total force of 130,000 was more than twice the size of Lee's.
Despite its ignominious conclusion, Hooker's plan was excellent. Having sent his cavalry to attack Lee's communications he crossed upriver with a force of about 60,000: Couch's corps crossing at United States Ford and Slocum, Howard and Meade crossing further upstream at Kelly's Ford. Sedgwick simultaneously crossed just below Fredericksburg on pontoon bridges and established a bridgehead. On 30th April Hooker paused at Chancellorsville to order Sickles' corps to join him from the left, bringing his force to over 75,000.
Looking at Sedgwick's bridgehead, Lee guessed that the main attack would be from upstream and was obliged to leave his prepared positions, sending Jackson to re-inforce Anderson and McLaws who were holding the line there. However, on 1st May, when Union and Confederate forces marched into each other, Hooker unaccountably failed to press forward and fell back on Chancellorsville.
The following day, it was Hooker who was turned, for Jackson had taken a circuitous route south to attack Hooker's right flank near the Wilderness Church. Due to the delays of the march, Jackson was not able to attack until after 5.00 pm and while it drove the flank inwards, Hooker's army was still intact at sunset, two hours later. In a tragic accident, Jackson was wounded in the left arm by his own men, from complications of which he died a week later. May 3rd saw Hooker's army contracting in an ever-diminishing arc, towards the U. S. Mine Ford. The withdrawal was mostly directed by Couch as Hooker had been temporarily disabled when a shell caused a section of his headquarters to descend upon him. Lee occupied Chancellorsville at about 10.00 am and was preparing a further assault when he was turned for the second time.
The cause was Sedgwick who, after hard fighting, had driven Early from Marye's Heights and was now marching towards Lee's rear. Lee was forced to send McLaws with 7,000 men to slow him down which he managed to do, holding Sedgwick east of the Salem Church overnight. In the morning Lee, realising that Hooker had gone completely onto the defensive, left Jackson's corps (now under Stuart) to hold him and moved against Sedgwick's position. He could not shift him from Bank's Ford however, across which he escaped that night. Lee moved back against Hooker, who still outnumbered him from a strong defensive position. But Hooker's nerve had gone and he too retreated back across the Rappahannock. As he said later "For once, I lost confidence in Joe Hooker".