May 2, 1863---The Battle of Chancellorsville: Day Three

MAY 2, 1863:    

The Battle of Chancellorsville (Day Three): 

Robert E. Lee divides his army a second time, leaving himself only 15,000 troops to face Hooker’s massive 100,000-plus force, while in the early morning, Lieutenant General “Stonewall” Jackson directed his corps to march against the Federal left flank, which was reported to be “hanging in the air” with no anchor. Such a circumstance would make it easy to bypass the troops and attack them from the side with enfilading fire. 

The difficulty for Jackson’s men was that their route took them through the 150 square mile dreaded “Wilderness,” a bleak, heavily wooded, swampy, thickly underbrushed, ensnaring region crossed by only a few footpaths. The Wilderness was the site of two of the worst confrontations of the Civil War, Chancellorsville being one, and The Battle of The Wilderness (which took place exactly a year after Chancellorsville) being the other.  

 

 

Fighting this day, however, was sporadic, until Jackson’s column of 30,000 men reached its jumping-off point, prepared to flank Hooker’s forces. At around 5:30 pm, Jackson’s line broke free of The Wilderness and surged forward in an overwhelming attack that caused an entire Federal Corps to collapse.  After a time of utter chaos and huge casualties, the Federal troops rallied, resisted the advance, and counterattacked. 

Disorganization on both sides and the coming of darkness ended the fighting for the day. While making a night reconnaissance, Jackson was mortally wounded by one of his own pickets mistaking him for an infiltrator. He was carried from the field. J.E.B. Stuart took temporary command of Jackson’s Corps.