History: The American Civil War: Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

By Kurz & Allison

The Battle of Chancellorsville began on April 30th, 1863, ending on  Wednesday, May 6th, 1863, and concluded with a decisive victory for the confederacy. Lee took a risk and split his army to allow him to surprise Hooker, in addition he sent Jackson's Corps to hit the Union in their right flank through a heavily wooded area that the Union did not think the Confederate army could move massed troops through. Hooker received a hit to the head by a stray brick when his command center was bombarded, this likely contributed to his erratic commands. This victory can also be considered a double edged sword for Lee as scholars and historians agree that this victory caused Lee's overconfidence at the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition, this battle saw Lee lose one of his best corps commanders, Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The battle involved 154,734 combatants with 97,382 Union soldiers and 57,352 confederate soldiers. The casualties for the battle total to 30,764  with 17,304 Union casualties' and 13,460 confederate casualties. After the battle Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia marched north into Union territory where they were defeated by Union forces at Gettysburg.