Chancellorsville
May 2, 1863 - Part 2
Howard's Corps Routed
This picture was taken facing east a short distance from the previous picture. The main Union line was along the Orange Turnpike on the right side of the picture. Union troops from further west fled through this area toward the safety of the main army and beyond. Some of them even re-crossed the Rappahannock.
Wilderness Church Looking East
Union troops fled past the Wilderness Church, but some were rallied on higher ground beyond it and bought valuable time for the endangered Union army. As one of the few buildings in the Wilderness, the church was used as a hospital.
Bushbeck Line?
This is private property and therefore not interpreted, but I suspect that the high ground on the left of the picture was where Union troops rallied and briefly made a stand at the Bushbeck Line. (If you know, please e-mail me.) They would have faced Confederate attackers off the picture to the left.
Confederate Trench
That evening as Confederate troops dug crude trenches like this for the night, Jackson passed the lines to search for a route to cut off the Union army. In the confusion of night, he was shot by his own men as he returned to his lines. He would die within several days. A.P. Hill took command, but he too was wounded. Command devolved to Jeb Stuart, the famed cavalryman.