The Battle of Chancellorsville name should be mentioned among the most spine-chilling battles in the history of the USA.The famous Battle of Chancellorsville was a tug of power between the Union and Confederates. Even though the battle lasted for a short amount of time, the casualties were more than enough.While the Civil War inflicted more than enough horrendous situations between the union soldiers and the confederate soldiers, the battle between the two troops headed by Lee and Hooker started from the east of Richmond and continues up until the Hazel Grove in northern Virginia which is near the village of Chancellorsville. Lee’s flank became famous for making Hooker surrender and also brought him into a situation where people were upset about losing a beloved General. Read on to learn all there is to know about this battle.What was the Battle of Chancellorsville?The American Civil War between the North and South states of America started in 1861 and lasted until 1865. There were several reasons for the war to commence but the main reasons were differences in ideologies. Slavery was one of the reasons for this civil war. The South depended greatly on slaves to work in their fields. People in the North believed that slavery was exploitative and wanted to ban it. These abolitionists started to convince people to make slavery illegal which made wealthy southern landowners scared. The economy of the northern states in the mid-1800s had shifted to industry from farming. The people in the southern states still depended on the farming economy and therefore depended on slavery.The idea of states was another issue that led to the battle. The idea of the state’s right wasn’t new during the Civil War and it was decided what powers the states and the federal government would have. Even after this, the federal government felt that its powers were being taken away. This caused a conflict and gave rise to the war. The expansion was also a reason for the conflict as the USA kept on adding new states to their domain which kept on shifting the power between the North and South and made the states insecure about losing power. The final straw for the South was when Abraham Lincoln was appointed as the President. He was a member of the anti-slavery Republican party, because of this, the South assumed that Lincoln was against the South as well. After Lincoln was elected, many southern states wanted to separate from the USA. Almost 11 states left the Union and wanted to form a new country known as the Confederate States of America. Lincoln couldn’t let that happen and sent troops to these states to make them join back and thus the war broke out.The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle in the American Civil war. The battle started on April 30 and lasted till May 6, 1863. The battle took place in Spotsylvania County, northern Virginia which is near the village of Chancellorsville.After the vicious battles in Fredericksburg, the Confederate army of General Lee and the Union forces under General Hooker fought against each other through the winter, and on April 27, General Hooker sent some of his union troops after General Lee’s army in order to cut off their supply lines. This operation under the supervision of Union General George Stoneman didn’t affect the federal army much. Hooker’s army headed towards Fredericksburg in order to attack Lee’s army. Joseph Hooker’s plan was to attack Lee’s rear and front and therefore attack them in a double envelopment in Chancellorsville.At this attack, General Lee split his army and left a small confederate cavalry at Fredericksburg in order to stall Major General John Sedgwick, while Lee moved with his army towards Hooker’s army to attack. Hooker had to withdraw his union forces from Chancellorsville and give up the territory to Lee. Lee at this point divided his army again and sent Confederate Lt Stonewall Jackson’s corps commanders on a frontal assault in order to route the Union XI corps. Jackson, in this defensive battle, got wounded from fire by his own men and hurt his left arm. Even though the wound wasn’t that serious the infection got the best of him and Jackson died.On May 3, Lee with his finest army launched the most gruesome attacks on Joseph Hooker and his union army. This caused heavy losses on both sides but Hooker had to withdraw his own army in order to survive. Hooker halted the attacks while Sedgwick fought the small confederate army in Fredericksburg and then advanced towards Lee’s army. The Confederates fought a successful battle in order to delay the Union in the battle of Salem Church. Lee focused on Sedgwick and drove him back to Kelly’s ford. On May 5 Lee attacked Hooker again. Joseph Hooker began to retreat with his union soldiers and the campaign ended when the army reached the Union line east of Richmond. Both the armies resumed their position, but Hooker lost his battle against Lee’s Confederate army.What was the significance of the Battle of Chancellorsville?The Union and Confederates that fought during the American Civil War were just the Union and the confederate states of the nation. The confederate states were the ones that left the union during 1860-1861. The conflict between these two groups went on for four years and in the end, the condition of slavery was banned nationwide. Lincoln was the president of the United States during the Civil War and he wanted to keep the USA one whole nation. As he declined the proposition of acknowledging the southern states as an independent nation, the war broke out.The main reason for this war was also slavery. Slavery had existed in the nation for a very long time and the slaves made up more than half the working people. Even though people in both northern and southern states knew that it was wrong they were too unbothered to get rid of slavery. Most of the economy was powered by the northern states which made the southern states intimidated. Politicians on both sides tried to appease the people and passed several policies and laws like the Missouri compromise, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Compromise of 1850, and more, which all failed to divert the country from an internal war.There have been several battles in history that have brought specific changes to the working of the nations. The Battle of Chancellorsville was one such battle that changed the course of the North and South and helped to shift the power. The battle made sure the name of Robert Lee would be imprinted in the pages of history for changing the whole scenario of overtaking power. Even though the battle was for a short period, it was important as the South had held off the attacks of the North for two years consecutively.The Battle of Chancellorsville during the Civil War was a necessary win for the Confederates. It helped them to bring a balance between the North and South. The Battle of Chancellorsville casualties were quite gruesome for both the Union army and the Confederate army but this win stabilized the hold of the Confederate on their capital, the state of Virginia, and made sure the Union couldn’t overpower them.Who won the Battle of Chancellorsville?The Battle of Chancellorsville that started on April 30 and lasted until May 6, 1863, was won by the Confederates. This battle was crucial during the Civil War as it brought quite a balance between the two troops and helped the confederate have an upper hand. Even though the battle is famous for helping the Confederate balance the power, it is also famous as General Thomas Stonewall Jackson lost his life during this battle. This Confederate General was quite beloved and appreciated due to this skills for making the important tactics during the battle.The main focus was on General Lee and General Hooker who had led these battles and when the Confederates won, Lee had to face a lot of criticism and praise at the same point in time. Even though he had a smaller army than the Union he was able to drive them away, but as he didn’t listen to the orders of his superior and divided his troops, they lost Stonewall which was grieved by everyone.Important Battle Of Chancellorsville Facts The Battle of Chancellorsville significance can’t be overlooked as it played a very important role during the Civil War. After the battle was over and the troops retreated, the Unions were shocked for losing as Hooker was quite confident that they would win the battle and bring subsequent power during the Civil War. Lee was praised and criticized at the same time.The victory of Lee was appreciated but also criticized because of the tangible results. The army troop in Potomac had to face severe casualties and although Hooker lost almost 13,000 men, that didn’t cause quite a damage to his troops, rather Lee losing so many men amounted to more than half his army.He got praised for taking the right decisions to fight and therefore win but was also criticized by the likes of General James Longstreet who was a confederate general. Longstreet was annoyed that Lee didn’t abide by the orders and chain of command and gave his own orders. Lee’s left flank had overpowered the union army for sure but also had brought doom over Stonewall which didn’t sit right with the Confederates. The loss of Stonewall made Lee realize his faults and acknowledge the army of Northern Virginia from two corps to three.
The Battle of Chancellorsville name should be mentioned among the most spine-chilling battles in the history of the USA.
