Saturday, July 6, 2013

May 4, 1863---The Battle of Chancellorsville; Day Five



MAY 4, 1863:    

 The Battle of Chancellorsville          (Day Five):

At Salem Church, Union commander, Major General John Sedgwick sent to Headquarters for instructions; Hooker advised him to withdraw “if necessary.” With nothing clearer to guide him, Sedgwick withdrew across the Rappahannock overnight; Early reoccupied Marye’s Heights, nullifying the Union victory at Fredericksburg the previous day, all the while harrying Sedgwick’s retreating forces. Although Lee and Early had planned a major thrust to destroy Sedgwick that day, it was delayed by dithering from subordinate commanders, and did not launch until 5:00 PM. Due to the reluctance of Lee’s subalterns to press the attack, the engagement, while bloody, never amounted to the assault it had been planned to be, and Sedgwick escaped in good order and reasonably intact. 


No comments:

Post a Comment