10. The end of Sri Lanka’s Civil War

9. H1N1 – The Swine Flu

8. Mexico’s Bloody Drug War

7. Pakistan: On the Verge of Breakdown

6. The Death of Michael Jackson

5. Massacre at Fort Hood

4. The Divisive Debate Over Healthcare Reform

3. Iran’s Tumultuous Election and Its Aftermath

2. Afghanistan: Can the U.S. Avoid a Quagmire?

1. America’s Economic Crisis

While most news stories, that would make an annual Top 10 list, are going to involve bloodshed, or death, two of last year’s top stories, at Time magazine, did not: “The Divisive Debate Over Healthcare Reform” and “America’s Economic Crisis.”  Obviously these stories will continue to make news headlines over the coming year.

After reading Time Magazine’s Top 10 list of news stories for 2009, I decided to assemble my own list.  The Top 10 most popular articles on This Mighty Scourge for 2009.  While totally unscientific, it certainly points out which articles my readers liked the most.  As I have done in previous lists, I have left out the articles on the Wilderness Wal-Mart, and other “calls to action,” as they always tend to enjoy a huge spike with little follow-up readership after a couple of days.  My top 10 list for 2009 are articles that have enjoyed consistent readership over long periods during the year.  If you haven’t read all of these articles, they are each hyperlinked so you can do so today.

2009 Top 10 List of Articles on This Mighty Scourge

10. Interview with James A. Hessler, author of “Sickles at Gettysburg” (Click HERE to Read)

9. The Battle of the Crater (Click HERE to Read)

8. Interview with Sally Jenkins & John Stauffer co-authors of “The State of Jones.” (Click HERE to Read) This article has been quite controversial and has been picked up by many news outlets due to the ongoing bickering between Stauffer & Jenkins and Vikki Bynum.

7. Gettysburg National Military Park – A Study in Contrasts (Click HERE to Read)

6. Interview with J. David Petruzzi, author of “The Complete Gettysburg Guide” (Click HERE to Read)

5. Antietam – One Bloody Day in September 1862 (Click HERE to Read)

4. Andersonville Prison – A Photo Essay and History (Click HERE to Read)

3. The Fighting 69^th New York Infantry and the Irish Brigade (Click HERE to Read)

2. Interview with Earl J. Hess, author of “In the Trenches at Petersburg” (Click HERE to Read)

1. Interview with Jim Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Preservation Trust (Click HERE to Read)

It should be noted that a few articles had very impressive finishes, reaching the top 10 list over the past couple of weeks.  Obviously articles that were published earlier in the year, had more time to gain readership.  For those of you interested in the articles that round out the top 20, on This Mighty Scourge, continue reading.  It’s interesting to note, that my mid-December article, on the Battle of Fredericksburg, came in at 14.  A very respectable position for only being available for two weeks.

Filling Out the Top 20 at This Mighty Scourge

11. The Battle of Chancellorsville – Joe Hooker’s Legacy (Click HERE to Read)

12. William T. Sherman – US Major General (Click HERE to Read)

13. Second Manassas – Again the Fields Turned Red (Click HERE to Read)

14. Battle of Fredericksburg – Ambrose Burnside’s First Foray (Click HERE to Read)

15. Robert E. Lee, General – CSA (Click HERE to Read)

16. Battle of the Wilderness – Grant Takes it to Lee (Click HERE to Read)

17. Robert E. Lee Surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (Click HERE to Read)

18. Wilson’s Creek – the Civil War Breaks Out in the West (Click HERE to Read)

19. Interview with Scott L. Mingus, Sr. – Author of “Flames Beyond Gettysburg” (Click HERE to Read)

20. Albert Sidney Johnston – CSA General (Click HERE to Read)

Thank you for making 2009 a successful year at This Mighty Scourge!

Mike Noirot

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So it was with the 121st New York Infantry.  Salvatore G. Cilella’s recent book, “Upton’s Regulars: The 121st New York Infantry in the Civil War,” is the story of the foot soldiers from that famous New York Volunteer regiment.  Breaking new ground, by not just studying the battle history of the 121st, Cilella’s cutting edge book explores the lives of the soldiers, before, during and after the conflict.  Made famous by their second commander, Colonel Emory Upton, the 121st New York was considered unequaled in the proud VI Corps, Army of the Potomac.  Upton drilled the men and earned their trust, respect and loyalty.  On the parade ground they operated with precision, but on the battlefield they earned their laurels by hard fighting.  During the battle of Salem Church, part of the Chancellorsville Campaign, they would be decimated by an ambush engineered by CSA Brigadier General Cadmus Wilcox.  At the battle of Rappahannock Station, they would capture over 1,000 Confederate soldiers by storming their bridgehead.  In May 1864, they would arrive at Spotsylvania Court House with an effective strength of 460 soldiers, of all arms.  After Upton’s gallant charge of the Mule Shoe salient, and the fighting at the “Bloody Angle,” they would be reduced to 94 – with only four field officers left unscathed.  They would continue to cement their reputation during US Major General Phil Sheridan’s 1864 Shenandoah Campaign, with solid battlefield performances at Third Winchester, Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek.  During the waning months of the war, they would fight in the trenches in front of Petersburg and perform heroically, while being flanked on two sides, at Hatcher’s Run.  Saving one of their best battlefield exploits for the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, they would capture over 1,000 Confederate soldiers, including CSA Major General George Washington Custis (G.W.C.) Lee – son of Robert E. Lee.  Arriving at Appomattox Station, on April 9, 1865, they were prepared to offer battle again – but were spared by Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant.  While their regimental battle flag proudly carried the names of the battles they fought in, four members of the regiment would earn the Medal of Honor for individual gallantry: Seymour H. Hall, Warren Dockum, Benjamin Gifford and Harris Hawthorne.  All told, 1,800 soldiers served in the 121st, with nearly 740 becoming battlefield casualties, or dying of disease.

“Upton’s Regulars” is a monumental study of these brave fighting men.  Cilella, no stranger to history, is the president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center.  His biography of the 121st New York will take you on a journey with the soldiers.  Beginning with the recruitment of the regiment and taking you through the publication of its regimental history, in 1921, his fast paced book is hard to put down.  I recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mr. Cilella.  The following interview, like all of my author interviews, is divided into parts, so you can listen to it at your leisure.  This is a book that I recommend for any serious student of the Civil War, or anyone interested in what it meant to be foot soldier during the American Civil War.

Details about “Upton’s Regulars”
Written by: Salvatore G. Cilella, Jr.
Hardcover: 586 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: June 11, 2009
ISBN-10: 0700616454

Salvatore G. Cilella, Jr. Interview – 14 Parts
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, 42 seconds

Part 1: Sal Cilella Interview Part 1
Time: 7:35
Contents: Introductions | Sal’s interest in history and the Civil War | Authors and historians that influenced Sal’s interest in the Civil War | Alan Nolan’s influence on “Upton’s Regulars”

Part 2: Sal Cilella Interview Part 2
Time: 5:57
Contents: Discussion on “Upton’s Regulars” | Why the 121st New York Volunteer Infantry? | Otsego and Herkimer counties and the 121st New York | Recruiting the 121st New York

Part 3: Sal Cilella Interview Part 3
Time: 6:12
Contents: The “three phases” on the Civil War | Lincoln’s call for 300,000 soldiers in 1862 – 50,000 quick recruits can bring the war to an end?

Part 4: Sal Cilella Interview Part 4
Time: 7:39
Contents: The use of bounties to entice new recruits | A “patchwork” of bounties in New York | Mustering in at Camp Schuyler with Colonel Richard Franchot

Part 5: Sal Cilella Interview Part 5
Time: 4:09
Contents: Transferring to Washington, D.C. | The Maryland Campaign – hard marching and disease | Colonel Franchot leading his men shows his limited knowledge of the military arts

Part 6: Sal Cilella Interview Part 6
Time: 5:21
Contents: Franchot’s resignation and the forgotten commander – Charlie Clark | Emory Upton’s promotion to regimental command and his visits to convalescing soldiers | Clark prepares the 121st New York for command by West Pointer, Emory Upton | Cross-training the line officers of the 121st

Part 7: Sal Cilella Interview Part 7
Time: 8:28
Contents: Severe level of disease in the 121st New York during its first year of service | The use of firsthand accounts and primary source material in telling the soldiers’ stories | Researching “Upton’s Regulars”

Part 8: Sal Cilella Interview Part 8
Time: 6:03
Contents: Emory Upton’s drilling and training molds the 121st New York | Caught in a ambush – the 121st and its terrible losses at the Battle of Salem Church and enduring their first large scale engagement

Part 9: Sal Cilella Interview Part 9
Time: 8:20
Contents: Upton’s misstep in recruiting veteran soldiers for the depleted ranks of the 121st | The trying march to Gettysburg | Pursuing Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia | Desertion and the execution of Thomas Jewett | The 5th Maine Infantry – sister regiment of the 121st New York

Part 10: Sal Cilella Interview Part 10
Time: 4:53
Contents: To go into winter camp or not to? | The Battle of Rappahannock Station | Rappahannock Station a defining battle for the 121st New York

Part 11: Sal Cilella Interview Part 11
Time: 4:29
Contents: Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and the Overland Campaign | Egbert Olcott assumes command of the 121st with Upton’s promotion to brigadier general | The Battle of the Wilderness | Upton’s Charge of the Mule Shoe salient at Spotsylvania Court House | Decimation at the Mule Shoe and the “Bloody Angle”

Part 12: Sal Cilella Interview Part 12
Time: 5:26
Contents: The 121st arrives in Washington to protect against CSA Lt. General Jubal Early’s advance into Maryland | Serving under US Major General Philip Sheridan in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign | The battle of Cedar Creek and Sheridan’s brilliant counter attack

Part 13: Sal Cilella Interview Part 13
Time: 8:28
Contents: The terrible winter months of 1865 in front of Petersburg, Virginia | The battle of Hatcher’s Run | The collapse of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and the battle of Sailor’s Creek | The decades long controversy of who captured CSA Major General G.W.C. Lee | Harris Hawthorne receives the Medal of Honor – the controversy still smolders | The VI Corps delayed arrival in Washington D.C. after Appomattox Station and suffers through their own “Grand Review”

Part 14: Sal Cilella Interview Part 14
Time: 7:42
Contents: Saving the best for last – post Civil War history of the 121st New York Volunteers | Future projects Mr. Cilella is working on | Wrap up and closing

Other Great Civil War titles from the University Press of Kansas

Details about “Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era”
Written by: Nicole Etcheson
Paperback: 370 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: December 31, 2003
ISBN-10: 0700614923

Details about “Citizen Sherman: A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman”
Written by: Michael Fellman
Paperback: 504 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: July 9, 1995
ISBN-10: 0700608400

Details about “Commanding the Army of the Potomac”
Written by: Stephen R. Taaffe
Hardcover: 284 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: February 23, 2006
ISBN-10: 0700614516

Details about “Guide to the Atlanta Campaign”
Written by: Jay Luvas (editor) and Harold W. Nelson (editor)
Paperback: 383 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: May 7, 2008
ISBN-10: 0700615709

 
Details about “Jefferson Davis, Confederate President”
Written by: Herman Hattaway and Richard E. Beringer
Paperback: 566 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: April 30, 2002
ISBN-10: 0700612939

Details about “Joseph E. Johnston and the Defense of Richmond”
Written by: Steven H. Newton
Hardcover: 278 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: November 1998
ISBN-10: 0700609210

Details about “Lincoln Seen and Heard”
Written by: Harold Holzer
Hardcover: 226 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: February 2000
ISBN-10: 0700610014

Details about “Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War”
Written by: Craig L. Symonds
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: February 28, 1997
ISBN-10: 0700609342

Details about “The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest”
Written by: Brian Steel Wills
Paperback: 457 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: April 1998
ISBN-10: 0700608850

Details about “The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat”
Written by: Earl J. Hess
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: September 9, 2008
ISBN-10: 0700616071

Details about “The War Within the Union High Command”
Written by: Thomas Joseph Goss
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Date of First Edition: August 2003
ISBN-10: 0700612637

 
###

Today, the Civil War Preservation Trust announced a new campaign to save 179 acres of endangered battlefield at The Wilderness and Chancellorsville battlefields.  As you have previously read, on This Mighty Scourge, The Wilderness Battlefield has continued to be lost to development – including Wal-Mart receiving a special use permit to build a Supercenter adjacent to the hallowed ground that was covered with the blood of our countrymen.  Using generous matching funds, the CWPT has committed over $1 million to save 85 acres of Chancellorsville battlefield and 94 acres of The Wilderness.  Following are the details as provided in their email earlier today.

“You Can Go Forward, Then”

A Historic Opportunity to Save Land at Both Chancellorsville and the Wilderness

“You can go forward, then” — With those very words, Stonewall Jackson unleashed his 30,000 hardened soldiers upon an unsuspecting Federal Eleventh Corps deep in the woods around Chancellorsville.

It has to be one of the most exciting and historically important preservation opportunities that we’ve ever presented.  CWPT is now in a position to save a critical section of the Chancellorsville battlefield – the very ground where Stonewall Jackson’s forces crashed into the Union Buschbeck Line during his famous Flank Attack on May 2, 1863.

In addition to this remarkable Chancellorsville opportunity, we are also partnering with the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust to save 94 acres of the Wilderness battlefield.

As you well know, this great 1864 battlefield, where Grant first met Lee in battle, continues to be threatened by nearby development efforts.  Now we can step forward and snatch back a portion of the battlefield before it’s too late.

View our Chancellorsville-Wilderness Appeal Online:
civilwar.org/chancellorsvillewilderness
Battle maps, history articles, photos, videos, and more

Chancellorsville

* Acreage: 85 Acres
* Location: Spotsylvania County, Virginia
* Total Cost: $2,125,000
* CWPT Commitment: $916,667
* CWPT Donation Match: $2.3 to $1

Wilderness

* Acreage: 94 Acres
* Location: Spotsylvania County, Virginia
* Total Cost: $950,000
* CWPT Commitment: $95,000
* CWPT Donation Match: $10 to $1

My friend, I will be the first one “over the top,” so to speak.  I have already written a personal check, made payable to CWPT, for $1,000.  I could not, in good conscience, ask you to contribute to an effort I was not willing to put my hard-earned cash into as well.

For your gift of $100 or more, I will do something that CWPT has done with great success at several other battlefields around the nation, such as The Slaughter Pen at Fredericksburg, the First Day of Chancellorsville, Harpers Ferry, Parker’s Crossroads and more:

For your donation of just $100 or more today, I will include your name on a permanent display that will stand on this hallowed ground.

You read that right; this offer is not just for those “heavy hitters” among us; everyone who gives $100 or more to this appeal will have his or her name included on this commemorative display!

CWPT is going to recognize – at Chancellorsville, on this ground – the thousands of CWPT members who will now make this historic victory possible.

Most Sincerely Yours,

Jim Lighthizer
President

Civil War Preservation Trust
1156 15th Street N.W., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20005 | Phone (202) 367-1861
www.civilwar.org

Please take some time today to learn more about this great opportunity to save this hallowed ground.  I will be making my donation this evening – I hope you will as well.

Click here to listen to my June 2009 interview with CWPT president, Jim Lighthizer

Battle of Chancellorsville(ii)

Location: Chancellorsville, VA
Dates: April 30 – May 6, 1863
Union Commander:  Joseph Hooker, Major General
Confederate Commander:  Robert E. Lee, General

Battle Summary:
Abraham Lincoln, and the citizens of the United States, were ready for a change.  After a terrible defeat, in front of Marye’s Heights, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the army was in disarray on the east bank of the Rappahannock River.  Being further demoralized, in mid-January 1863, while searching out CS General Robert E. Lee’s left flank, in what was dubbed the “Mud March,” the Army of the Potomac was a shadow of its former self.  Abraham Lincoln had had enough.  Promptly after the “Mud March,” Lincoln continued his search for a commanding general, that could win battles.  Unlike Irvin McDowell, George McClellan and John Pope, Burnside would continue in corps command, where he performed his best service.  Lincoln tapped First Corps commander, Joe Hooker to lead his army of the Potomac.

Hooker, who had earned the nickname, “Fighting Joe,” after a punctuation error in a newspaper, was known as a brave soldier who commanded respect.  Soldiers under his command, would fight for Hooker, as he would be there at their side.  However, outside of the First Corps, Hooker was not well known.  Hooker exhibited exemplary service, leading the First Corps, at the Corn Field, at Antietam, and the center Grand Division at Fredericksburg.  While Lincoln’s promotion of Hooker was not without reservations, he believed Hooker would exhibit the tempered aggressiveness he needed to get wins, in the east.

Hooker went to work immediately, bringing order, out of chaos.  He drilled his army, provided leave for soldiers, and brought pride back to an army that was demoralized, after the fiasco, in and around, Fredericksburg.  During February, March and early April, Hooker’s plan began to come together.  It called for a move north, along the east bank of the Rappahannock River, past Falmouth .  This move would be made by six of his seven infantry corps (I Corps, II Corps, III Corps, V Corps, XI Corps and XII Corps) and his Cavalry Corps, commanded by US Brigadier General George Stoneman.  His remaining infantry corps (VI Corps), commanded by US Major General John Sedgwick, would remain in the Fredericksburg area, in attempt to keep Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the ridges behind Fredericksburg.

As March gave way to April, and the roads in northern Virginia firmed up, Hooker put his tactical plans in motion.  His plans called for Stoneman to go upriver, fording the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers, to get behind Lee, cutting his vital supply line: the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.  Once this was accomplished, he would cross his six infantry corps at Kelly’s Ford, before Lee knew his intentions, and was able to challenge his crossing.  To further confuse Lee, Sedgwick would cross his VI Corps into Fredericksburg, in an effort to keep Lee engaged there, while the rest of Hooker’s Army of the Potomac would fall onto the rear of Lee’s unsuspecting army.

Unfortunately, Lee quickly deduced what Hooker’s plans were.  Sending a portion of his 1st Corps from Fredericksburg, Lee rushed two brigades, commanded by Brigadier Generals Carnot Posey, and William Mahone, to the area of a small crossroads tavern, Chancellorsville.  They were told to hold the Union army at bay, until Hooker’s plans could be better understood.  Lee was in a quandary, he could not leave Fredericksburg unguarded, as the road to Richmond would be wide open to the Federals across the river.  However, he was faced with growing danger to his north.  Fortunately, for Lee, the area near Chancellorsville was heavily wooded, with small scrub oaks, and other dense vegetation.  This gave him the advantage of being able to plan his offensive away from the prying eyes of the quickly gathering Federal force.

Hooker’s flanking forces arrived on west side, of the Rappahannock, on April 30, most having crossed at Germanna, and Ely’s Fords.  There, he deployed his army, with US Major General George Meade’s V Corps, US Major General Darius Couch’s II Corps and US Major General Henry Slocum’s XII Corps all in the vicinity of the Chancellorsville Tavern.  Additionally, US Major General Oliver O. Howard’s XI Corps arrived and was deployed along the Orange Plank Road, west of Chancellorsville.

On May 1, Hooker had fully enveloped the Chancellorsville Inn, and was faced by all of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.  With Lee’s army well protected by the Wilderness, the armies tangled during the afternoon, with neither side gaining a significant advantage.  Additional troops had also arrived, for the action on May 1, as US Major General Dan Sickles had brought his III Corps into action, via U.S. Ford.  Having probed forward, toward Fredericksburg, along the Orange Plank Road, Hooker ran into stiffer resistance than he had anticipated, from Lee’s entrenched army.  As the battle sputtered to a standstill, Hooker determined to defend his position, around the Chancellor house, protecting his retreat route at U.S. Ford.

By late day, on May 1, Lee had ordered the last defenders from Fredericksburg – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s 2nd Corps division, of CS Major General Jubal Early – to join the rest of the army.  Sedgwick’s VI Corps would follow them out the Orange Turnpike, with little or no energy, even after Hooker had ordered him to move with alacrity, pushing Early’s Division into Lee’s rear, now holding the rest of his army, at Chancellorsville.

Late in the evening, Lee would meet with his most trusted subordinate, Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, behind the lines in Chancellorsville.  This would be their last meeting, but the outcome of the meeting would be one of the most daring military moves in history.  Had it failed, Lee would be forever second guessed.  If it were successful, Lee would be able to crush Hooker’s larger force (Hooker held close to a 2:1 advantage at Chancellorsville), destroying it against the banks of the Rappahannock River.  In this late night conference, upon learning of a back road through the Wilderness, Lee determined to split his army, sending Jackson’s Corps on long march around Hooker’s right flank.

As May 2 dawned, Jackson put his corps in motion.  It would be a long route to Hooker’s right flank, which CS Major General J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry Corps had determined was “in the air.”  In order to ensure surprise, Jackson stayed well south of the Orange Plank Road, so far that he actually turned south along the Brock Road, heading away from the prying eyes of the Federals.  This caused Hooker to believe that Lee’s army was in the process of retreating, to Richmond. 

With sporadic fighting throughout the day, Hooker determined to maintain his defensive posture in the area of the Chancellor homestead.  Further west, as supper was being prepared, in Howard’s XI Corps camps, the soldiers were relaxing, inevitably talking about the far off rattle of musketry, near Chancellorsville.  As the soldiers rested, around 5:20 PM, some troops noticed deer running towards them, from the thicket of the Wilderness, northwest of their camps.  Within moments, the “Rebel yell” was heard as their camps were stormed by Jackson’s infantry corps.  The resulting panic led to a headlong retreat, towards Hooker’s headquarters near the Chancellor house.  Hooker was able to rally his troops, counter attacking Jackson’s Corps, before darkness fell over the blood soaked fields, of the Wilderness. 

Overnight, Hooker would contract his lines, bringing order, out of disorder. However, it was apparent that Lee had more than answered Hooker’s flanking move, neutralizing a vastly superior force, and was in position to destroy the Federal army, on May 3.

While Hooker was engaged in repairing his damaged lines, Lee suffered the most devastating loss of the entire war.  After pushing the Federal XI Corps, from their camps, “Stonewall” Jackson was reconnoitering his position, between the enemy lines, to make preparations for the final “mop up,” on May 3.  Riding on his trusted horse, “Little Sorrel,” Jackson would be shot, in the left shoulder, by his own troops, as he approached his lines.  Jackson would have his left arm amputated and was expected to recover over the coming months.  However, pneumonia would set in, and Thomas Jackson would die, at Guinea Station,on May 10, 1863.  Lee would later be quoted as saying, “He lost his left arm; but I have lost my right arm.”

On May 3, Robert E Lee further tightened the vice, that Hooker found himself trapped in.  After pushing Sickle’s III Corps,from the heights, near Hazel Grove, Lee’s artillery came to life, bombarding Hooker’s, ever more precarious position, at the Chancellorsville Inn.  With Sickle’s retreat from the Hazel Grove position, CS Major General J.E.B Stuart, commanding Jackson’s 2nd Corps, pushed forward into the ever shrinking Union lines, from the west, while CS Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps pushed them from the east.  The fighting on this day would be some of the most intense of any battle in the eastern theater, of the Civil War.

On May 4, with Stuart’s Corps holding Hooker’s main army at U.S. Ford, Lee turned his attention to US Major General John Sedgwick’s tardy VI Corps.  Sedgwick would be pushed back to Fredericksburg, and was in a similar position as Hooker’s army, just a couple miles away.  His lines formed a “U” shape, backed up against Scott’s Ford – the only escape route.

With very few offensive options, remaining open, Hooker withdrew his forces, on May 5 and 6, closing one of the most disastrous campaigns for the North, during the entire Civil War.

Campaign: Chancellorsville

Outcome: Confederate victory

Troop Strengths
Union: 130,000
Confederate: 60,000

Casualties (estimated):
Union: 18,000 (killed, wounded or missing/captured)
Confederate: 12,800 (killed, wounded or missing/captured)

Battle Aftermath:
The Battle of Chancellorsville was considered Robert E. Lee’s most spectacular victory.  Lee was able to achieve victory, dividing his much smaller army in two, in front of a very aggressive adversary.  Unfortunately, Lee was never fully able to overcome the loss of his most trusted lieutenant – Stonewall Jackson.  After decimating Hooker, Lee went back on the offensive, pushing north into Pennsylvania, towards a fateful meeting with the next commander of the Union’s Army of the Potomac: US Major General George Gordon Meade.  While this offensive move was designed to alleviate some of the pressure in western theater, where CS Lieutenant General John Pemberton, at Vicksburg, was under a siege by US Major General Ulysses S. Grant.  Gettysburg, and Vicksburg would both be Confederate losses, by July 4.

(i) Sears, Stephen W., Chancellorsville, published by Houghton Mifflin Company 1996, Pgs. 57–58.
(ii) This entire essay is published on my website, BattlefieldPortraits.com.