Battle of Chancellorsville 1863
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 30 April 1863 – 6 May 1863 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1863 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 38.3105, -77.6484 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
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.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a much larger enemy force resulted in a significant Confederate victory, described by some historians as Lee's "perfect battle". The victory, a product of Lee's audacity and Union general Joseph Hooker's timid decision-making, was tempered by heavy casualties, including Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Jackson was hit by friendly fire, requiring his left arm to be amputated. He died of pneumonia eight days later, a loss that Lee likened to losing his right arm.
The two armies had faced off against each other at Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862–1863. 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. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. George Stoneman began a long-distance raid against Lee's supply lines at about the same time. Crossing the Rapidan River via Germanna and Ely's Fords, the Federal infantry concentrated near Chancellorsville on April 30.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Chancellorsville (revision 1380654431), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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- Action off Galveston Light 1863
- Battle of Aldie 1863
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All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
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