Chancellorsville Battlefield

The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 - May 6, 1863, was a major battle during the American Civil War.
Chancellorsville is known as Confederate General Robert E. Lee's "perfect battle" because his risky decision to divide his army in the face of a much larger enemy force resulted in a significant Confederate victory.
The Chancellorsville campaign began when Hooker secretly moved the bulk of his army to the left bank of the Rappahannock River and then crossed it on the morning of April 27, 1863. The Union cavalry under Major General George Stoneman began a long-range attack on Lee's supply lines around the same time.
On May 1, Hooker advanced from Chancellorsville to Lee, but the Confederate general split his army in the face of superior numbers, leaving a small force at Fredericksburg to deter Major General John Sedgwick while he attacked Hooker's advance with about four-fifths of his army.
On May 2, Lee again divided his army and sent Stonewall Jackson's entire corps on a flanking march that routed the Union XI Corps.

The heaviest fighting of the battle - and the second bloodiest day of the Civil War - occurred on May 3 when Lee launched multiple attacks on the Union position at Chancellorsville, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides and the withdrawal of the main army of Hooker.
The campaign ended on May 7 when Stoneman's cavalry reached the Union lines east of Richmond. Both armies resumed their previous position across the Rappahannock from each other at Fredericksburg. With the loss of Jackson, Lee reorganized his army and began what would become the Gettysburg Campaign a month later.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Koos Winkelman