Battle of Chancellorsville Timeline

The Chancellorsville campaign began when Hooker secretly moved the bulk of his army up the left bank of the Rappahannock River, then crossed it on the morning of April 27, 1863, turning Lee's flank.

Image source: Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865) and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Often called Lee's 'perfect battle,' it saw his outnumbered army defeat Hooker's forces.

Stonewall Jackson's famous flank march and surprise attack caught Oliver O. Howard's XI Corps unprepared. Howard stood shouting and waving a flag held under the stump of his amputated arm lost at Seven Pines in 1862, but could only gather small pockets of soldiers to resist before his corps disintegrated.

The fighting on May 3, 1863, was some of the most furious anywhere in the Civil War, as Lee's army pressed Hooker's defensive lines around the Chancellor house.

On May 6, 1863, Hooker withdrew the Army of the Potomac across the Rappahannock River, ending the battle in a costly Confederate victory that came at the price of Stonewall Jackson's life.

A smaller version of the destroyed Chancellor house was rebuilt using some of the original materials, serving as a landmark for many of the veteran reunions of the late 19th century.

Howard was harshly criticized for the rout of his XI Corps; he wrote in 1876 defending himself against accusations, with one critic calling him 'a hypocrite' over his conduct before and during the battle.

Image source: Oliver Otis Howard

Finally, Doubleday made no mention of any confession from Hooker about Chancellorsville in his history of the campaign, published in 1882 — a point later used to challenge claims about Hooker's admitted failure.

Image source: Abner Doubleday

The battle formed the basis for Stephen Crane's 1895 novel The Red Badge of Courage, one of the most celebrated works of American Civil War fiction.

Image source: The Red Badge of Courage

John Bigelow's The Campaign of Chancellorsville (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1910) contained an account that did lasting damage to Hooker's reputation, quoting a supposed exchange between Hooker and General Doubleday about 'what was the matter with you at Chancellorsville.'

Image source: John Bigelow Jr.

In 1927, the rebuilt Chancellor house, which had served as a landmark for veteran reunions, was destroyed by fire.

Image source: Chancellorsville, Virginia

Sears's research has shown that Bigelow was quoting from a letter written in 1903 by an eyewitness whose account was unreliable, casting doubt on the famous story that damaged Hooker's reputation.

The Battle of Chancellorsville was depicted in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, based on the novel of the same name by Jeff Shaara.

Image source: Gods and Generals (film)

That same year, the United States Congress authorized the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which preserves land that saw fighting in the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, the Chancellorsville campaign, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

Image source: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

The American Battlefield Trust and its federal, state and local partners have acquired and preserved 1,365 acres (5.52 km²) of the Chancellorsville battlefield in more than 15 different transactions from 2002 through mid-2023.

In May 2002, a regional developer announced a plan to build 2,300 houses and 2,000,000 square feet of commercial space on the 790-acre Mullins Farm, site of the first day of fighting at the Battle of Chancellorsville, sparking preservation efforts.

As a result of preservationists' efforts, in March 2003 the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors denied the rezoning application that would have allowed development on the historic Mullins Farm site.

By working with county officials and developers, the Trust acquired 140 acres of the Chancellorsville battlefield in 2004.

Continuing its preservation work, the American Battlefield Trust acquired another 74 acres of the battlefield in 2006.