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.
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