Chancellorsville
May 2, 1863
The Last Meeting
Subject of many an artwork, Lee and Jackson met here on
the night of May 1st to make plans for the next day. With
fresh intelligence that morning, they worked out the details. On May 2nd, Lee further
divided his forces, keeping 17,000 men himself to face Hooker while Jackson with
26,000 men moved deep into Hooker's rear. The plan was risky even by the
standards of the dynamic duo. The two wings of the army would not be
within supporting distance, and Jackson's column would be vulnerable marching
across Hooker's front. But as with most of their plans, it worked.
Jackson's Column Spotted
Jackson's column was spotted through this clearing from a treetop at the Union position on Hazel Grove, and the Yankees began firing artillery at the column.
Catherine's Furnace
Among the vulnerable sections of Jackson's march was here at Catherine's Furnace, just a mile from the start . Probing Yankees of Sickles' III Corps arrived late while the tail end of Jackson's column was passing. They battled Confederates of the 23rd Georgia on the hill in the center and right of the picture, capturing most of them further down the road on the left. Only after Jackson's men had passed did the Yankees occupy the area, splitting the two wings of the Confederate army. Both Jackson and Lee sent two brigades toward the furnace, but the Yankees maintained control. Although Jackson's column had been spotted from Hazel Grove, Hooker believed that this was the beginning of a Confederate retreat to Gordonsville.
Howard's XI Corps Attacked
It was late in the day by the time Jackson was deployed for the attack. He had passed up the possibility of a quicker frontal attack on the Union right and instead marched all the way to the Orange Turnpike and deployed perpendicular to the Union corps. When woodland creatures began stampeding through the mostly German XI Corps, the men were amused, but soon the camp was swarming with Confederate attackers and the Yankees were routed.
The Union line was deployed along the Orange Turnpike off the picture to the left, in a line roughly parallel to the bushes on the left of the picture, and facing to the left. The Union right flank was refused, with von Gilsa's brigade probably somewhere in the cemetery on the left half of the picture facing the Confederate attack. Krzyzanowski's brigade was to the rear of the main line. The Confederates approached in a line roughly parallel to the treeline in the center of the picture. At the time, most of this area was Wilderness, a thick early growth wooded thicket. Jackson's divisions quickly routed the Union corps, facing relatively light resistance.