Okla-homey
5/2/2007, 05:39 AM
May 2, 1863: Jackson flanks Hooker at Chancellorsville
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8107/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz28.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Thomas J. Jackson. He was rather unique among Cornfederate senior leaders in that he didn't support the notion of human slavery. Jackson was reared in what is now West Virginia and was of modest means. The intensely religious man had a difficult time reconciling his Christianity with owning humans. Nevertheless, Jackson decided to serve the Confederacy with his sword because he decided his responsibility to Virginia trumped his responsibility to serve the United States -- a rather quaint sounding notion to modern ears, but worthy of respect given the matter of state versus federal authority had not yet been decided.
On this day 144 years ago in Virginia, Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson administers a devastating defeat to the Army of the Potomac in the last major Confederate victory in the eastern theater during the Civil War.
In one of the most stunning upsets of the war, a vastly outnumbered Army of Northern Virginia sent the Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Joseph Hooker, reeling back to Washington in defeat.
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Joe Hooker. He loved whiskey and women. Before being given the reins of the principle Federal army and while commander of the Washington military district, he allowed large numbers of prostitutes to set-up shop in the city to service his soldiers. These women were called "Hooker's Army." While etymologists agree this was not the source of the name "hooker" for "working girls," the general's indulgence of ho's certainly helped popularize the term "hooker" in American parlance
Hooker, who headed for Lee's army confident and numerically superior, had sent part of his force to encounter Lee's troops at Fredericksburg the day before, while the rest swung west to approach Lee from the rear.
Meanwhile, defying the odds, Lee divided his numerically inferior force visibly leaving part of his army in fortified positions at Fredericksburg while secretly moving the rest of his troops to confront Hooker near Chancellorsville.
This move by Lee was huge. You must realize, that dividing your force in the face of an enemy with superior numbers violates conventional thinking about how to fight and win battles.
When the armies made contact in what was essentially a meeting engagement on May 1, instead of attacking, Hooker withdrew into a defensive posture. Had Hooker been bolder and attacked instead of going to ground, it very possibly would have ended badly for Lee given the Federal numerical advantage.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/9528/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz29.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
At right (east at Fredericksburg) the original positions are depicted. A. Observe Hookers blue force moving to the west to take Lee from the rear. B. Lee's first split was to meet that Federal movement. C. Lee's second split was to peel off Jackson's corps to move in a buttonhook to the south and west against that force and surprise it with a devastating flank attack.
Sensing Hooker's trepidation, Lee split his army a second time when he sent Jackson along with 28,000 troops on a swift, 14-mile march around the Union right flank. Splitting his army into three parts in the face of the mighty Army of the Potomac was a bold move, but it paid huge dividends for the Confederates.
http://aycu35.webshots.com/image/13154/2002708289438846358_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002708289438846358)
Artist's conception of Lee giving Jackson his orders to pull a rabbit out of a hat on the night of May 1. "Now general, what I want you to do in the morning is buttonhook south and west and surprise those people tomorrow afternoon."
Although Union scouts detected the movement as Jackson swung southward, Hooker misinterpreted the maneuver as a retreat. When Jackson's troops swung back north and into the thick woods west of Hooker's army, Union pickets reported a possible buildup; but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/7960/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz26.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Oliver Howard. He wasn't prepared for the coming flank attack of Jackson's "foot cavalry" and got his arse handed to him.
In the evening of May 2, Union soldiers from General Oliver Otis Howard's XIth Corps were casually cooking their supper and playing cards when waves of forest animals charged from the woods. Behind them were Jackson's attacking troops. These rebel soldiers had covered 14 miles in just a few hours and then had the energy to launch an attack as Jackson hurled them at the Federal flank.
http://aycu22.webshots.com/image/13341/2002775401843983668_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002775401843983668)
Still photo from the film "Gods and Generals" depicting Jackson's boys assaulting through the Federal position.
Howard's Yanks crumbled as they were driven back some two miles before stopping the Rebel advance.
They did'nt stop running away until darkness and fatigue made it impossible for Jackson's guys to "keep up the skeer."
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/6577/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz25.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Jackson's corps burst out of the woods and rolled up the Federal XIth Corps for two miles before darkness and fatigue halted the route.
Despite the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Union forces soon gained the upper hand in the war in the eastern theater.
This was facilitated by the loss of Jackson on the night of his greatest military accomplishment. As darkness fell, Jackson and his small personal staff had ridden out in front of their lines to scout a bit and try to develop a picture of just where the Federals had stopped their skeedaddle.
As Jackson and his party returned in the dark, Jackson and his aides were fired upon by their own troops. Jackson was hit in the arm by North Carolina troops who were a little quick to pull the trigger in the evening gloom.
Jackson's arm was amputated the next morning, and he never recovered. He died from complications a week later, leaving Lee without his most able lieutenant.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/6195/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz24.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
You can visit Jackson's arm buried near the site of his greatest victory.
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/9853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz14.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The rest of Jackson is buried in Lexington VA near VMI where he spent much of his adult life teaching.
Hooker lost his job and would be replaced just before the next big fight by the stoic and capable George Meade.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8055/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz27.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
George Meade. His men called him "Old Snapping Turtle." He would remain in command of the Federal Army of the Potomac for the rest of the war. Even when Grant was placed in overall command in the East, Meade remained in command of this army because Grant trusted him to follow orders and fight when necessary.
The two armies would next meet in a decisive battle two months later in July at a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7717/insane7zo6mq.jpg
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8107/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz28.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Thomas J. Jackson. He was rather unique among Cornfederate senior leaders in that he didn't support the notion of human slavery. Jackson was reared in what is now West Virginia and was of modest means. The intensely religious man had a difficult time reconciling his Christianity with owning humans. Nevertheless, Jackson decided to serve the Confederacy with his sword because he decided his responsibility to Virginia trumped his responsibility to serve the United States -- a rather quaint sounding notion to modern ears, but worthy of respect given the matter of state versus federal authority had not yet been decided.
On this day 144 years ago in Virginia, Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson administers a devastating defeat to the Army of the Potomac in the last major Confederate victory in the eastern theater during the Civil War.
In one of the most stunning upsets of the war, a vastly outnumbered Army of Northern Virginia sent the Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Joseph Hooker, reeling back to Washington in defeat.
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Joe Hooker. He loved whiskey and women. Before being given the reins of the principle Federal army and while commander of the Washington military district, he allowed large numbers of prostitutes to set-up shop in the city to service his soldiers. These women were called "Hooker's Army." While etymologists agree this was not the source of the name "hooker" for "working girls," the general's indulgence of ho's certainly helped popularize the term "hooker" in American parlance
Hooker, who headed for Lee's army confident and numerically superior, had sent part of his force to encounter Lee's troops at Fredericksburg the day before, while the rest swung west to approach Lee from the rear.
Meanwhile, defying the odds, Lee divided his numerically inferior force visibly leaving part of his army in fortified positions at Fredericksburg while secretly moving the rest of his troops to confront Hooker near Chancellorsville.
This move by Lee was huge. You must realize, that dividing your force in the face of an enemy with superior numbers violates conventional thinking about how to fight and win battles.
When the armies made contact in what was essentially a meeting engagement on May 1, instead of attacking, Hooker withdrew into a defensive posture. Had Hooker been bolder and attacked instead of going to ground, it very possibly would have ended badly for Lee given the Federal numerical advantage.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/9528/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz29.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
At right (east at Fredericksburg) the original positions are depicted. A. Observe Hookers blue force moving to the west to take Lee from the rear. B. Lee's first split was to meet that Federal movement. C. Lee's second split was to peel off Jackson's corps to move in a buttonhook to the south and west against that force and surprise it with a devastating flank attack.
Sensing Hooker's trepidation, Lee split his army a second time when he sent Jackson along with 28,000 troops on a swift, 14-mile march around the Union right flank. Splitting his army into three parts in the face of the mighty Army of the Potomac was a bold move, but it paid huge dividends for the Confederates.
http://aycu35.webshots.com/image/13154/2002708289438846358_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002708289438846358)
Artist's conception of Lee giving Jackson his orders to pull a rabbit out of a hat on the night of May 1. "Now general, what I want you to do in the morning is buttonhook south and west and surprise those people tomorrow afternoon."
Although Union scouts detected the movement as Jackson swung southward, Hooker misinterpreted the maneuver as a retreat. When Jackson's troops swung back north and into the thick woods west of Hooker's army, Union pickets reported a possible buildup; but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/7960/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz26.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Oliver Howard. He wasn't prepared for the coming flank attack of Jackson's "foot cavalry" and got his arse handed to him.
In the evening of May 2, Union soldiers from General Oliver Otis Howard's XIth Corps were casually cooking their supper and playing cards when waves of forest animals charged from the woods. Behind them were Jackson's attacking troops. These rebel soldiers had covered 14 miles in just a few hours and then had the energy to launch an attack as Jackson hurled them at the Federal flank.
http://aycu22.webshots.com/image/13341/2002775401843983668_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002775401843983668)
Still photo from the film "Gods and Generals" depicting Jackson's boys assaulting through the Federal position.
Howard's Yanks crumbled as they were driven back some two miles before stopping the Rebel advance.
They did'nt stop running away until darkness and fatigue made it impossible for Jackson's guys to "keep up the skeer."
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/6577/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz25.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Jackson's corps burst out of the woods and rolled up the Federal XIth Corps for two miles before darkness and fatigue halted the route.
Despite the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Union forces soon gained the upper hand in the war in the eastern theater.
This was facilitated by the loss of Jackson on the night of his greatest military accomplishment. As darkness fell, Jackson and his small personal staff had ridden out in front of their lines to scout a bit and try to develop a picture of just where the Federals had stopped their skeedaddle.
As Jackson and his party returned in the dark, Jackson and his aides were fired upon by their own troops. Jackson was hit in the arm by North Carolina troops who were a little quick to pull the trigger in the evening gloom.
Jackson's arm was amputated the next morning, and he never recovered. He died from complications a week later, leaving Lee without his most able lieutenant.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/6195/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz24.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
You can visit Jackson's arm buried near the site of his greatest victory.
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/9853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz14.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The rest of Jackson is buried in Lexington VA near VMI where he spent much of his adult life teaching.
Hooker lost his job and would be replaced just before the next big fight by the stoic and capable George Meade.
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8055/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz27.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
George Meade. His men called him "Old Snapping Turtle." He would remain in command of the Federal Army of the Potomac for the rest of the war. Even when Grant was placed in overall command in the East, Meade remained in command of this army because Grant trusted him to follow orders and fight when necessary.
The two armies would next meet in a decisive battle two months later in July at a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7717/insane7zo6mq.jpg