When this object was afterwards attained, General Hooker issued an order of congratulation to his troops, in which he declared that he occupied a position so strong that "the enemy must either ingloriously fly or come out from behind his defences, and give us battle on our own ground, where certain destruction waits him."

CHAPTER XXXIV.

GENERAL HOOKER ADVANCES.

GENERAL HOOKER's preparations were at last complete, and on Monday, the 27th day of April, the troops were put in motion.

The 5th, 11th, and 12th Corps of the Federal army, under General Slocum, moved with eight days' rations toward Kelly's ford, near the point where the Orange and Alexandria Railroad crosses the Rappahannock, and by Tuesday night were in position and ready to cross on the ensuing day. On Tuesday night also, the 1st, 3d, and 6th Corps were opposite Franklin's crossing, three miles below Fredericksburg, ready to cross on pontoons simultaneously with the force above.

Both columns were on Wednesday, April 29th, thrown across the Rappahannock at the points mentioned, and established themselves, without resistance, upon the southern bank of the river. At the same time the great cavalry expedition under General Stoneman began also to move, its route being through the county of Culpepper, in the direction of Gordonsville.

General Hooker was in personal command of the main body, which crossed at Kelly's ford, and now steadily moved toward the Rapidan.

As soon as the designs of the enemy were developed in the directions of Kelly's ford, General Stuart concentrated his cavalry in front of that point, and observed their further movements,

communicating full information of their force and the direction of their march to General Lee. As the Federal column advanced, he hung upon its front and flank, and by a successful attack at Madden's, below Brandy, threw the enemy into disorder, and ascertained from prisoners captured that the column consisted of the corps of Howard, Slocum, and Meade. The men had eight days' rations in their haversacks, and supply trains moved with the force, from which it was apparent that General Hooker designed a real advance to offer battle to the Southern army.

Every exertion was now made by Stuart to harass them and impede their progress. Discovering speedily that they were moving toward Ely's and Germanna fords on the Rapidan, he hastened with General Fitz Lee's brigade around by Raccoon ford above, to gain the front of their column, and interpose himself between them and Fredericksburg. General W. H. F. Lee's brigade, which constituted the rest of the command, was detached to guard the upper förds of the Rapidan, and oppose Stoneman's heavy column of cavalry, which was then advancing in the direction of Gordonsville.

The great events occurring in another portion of the field will prevent us from returning to the subject of this extensive raid. We shall, therefore, speak briefly of it here. The Federal cavalry rapidly advanced and attacked General W. H. F. Lee upon the Rapidan, but were delayed there for a considerable time by that able commander. When he fell back in accordance with orders from General R. E. Lee, General Stoneman hastened across, penetrated the country to the Central Railroad, which he tore up for a short distance near Trevillian's; passed on to James River, ravaging the country and carrying off horses; attempted to destroy the Columbia aqueduct, but failed; returned; retreated, destroying the bridges on the South Anna behind him; and hurried back across the Rapidan. During all this time the horsemen of Lee had harassed him at every step; cut off detached portions of his command; captured many officers and men; and greatly demoralized his men. With an adequate

force, instead of a few hundred men upon jaded horses, General W. H. F. Lee would have cut off General Stoneman's retreat and compelled his surrender.

The Federal columns under General Hooker had meanwhile pressed on to Germanna and Ely's fords, where they succeeded in crossing in spite of resistance from Captain Collins, of the 15th Virginia cavalry. At the same time Couch's 2d Corps prepared to cross at United States ford below.

In front of Banks' and Ely's fords General Lee had two brigades of Anderson's division, Posey's and Mahone's, and one battery-in all about 8,000 men. Upon the approach of the enemy this force was withdrawn and concentrated at Chancellorsville, where it was joined upon the morning of the 30th by Wright's brigade, which had been sent up to reënforce it. The enemy still pressing on, reënforced now by Couch's Corps from United States ford-making four army corps, under the immediate command of General Hooker-General Anderson fell back from Chancellorsville to Tabernacle Church, on the plank road five miles below, where he could be reënforced by the old Mine road, running thence to General Lee's position near Fredericksburg.

Such were the relative positions of the adversaries on the night of Thursday, the 30th of April. General Hooker had entirely succeeded thus far in his plans; his main body was over, Sedgwick's column was recrossing the river to march up and reunite with him, and Stoneman was streaming like a meteor toward the Central Railroad. Around Chancellorsville, the Federal forces were rapidly throwing up strong intrenchments, and two-thirds of the difficulties and dangers of the whole campaign seemed over.

They had just commenced.

CHAPTER XXXV.

IN THE WILDERNESS.

THE battle of Chancellorsville was a strange conflict, and it took place in a singular country. Let us attempt to sketch the features of the landscape, and define some of the localities of the great drama.

66

Journeying westward from Fredericksburg over a broad and excellent road, which in former days was the great highway between the lower Rappahannock and the mountains, the traveller is called upon to decide, some five miles from the town, whether he will continue in the road which he is pursuing-the “old turnpike "-or follow one which diverges to the left, and is known as the Orange plank road." Both lead to Chancellorsville, five or six miles distant-the "old turnpike" conducting him straight over hill and through dale to the point in question; the "plank road" winding around so as to pass over a more level country. Taking the latter, the traveller passes the ruins of "Tabernacle Church," five miles from Chancellorsville; then "Aldrich's house," two miles distant; and reaches the locality of the great struggle.

Chancellorsville was (for it is now destroyed) a large brick mansion, with ample wings, and was formerly used as a tavern for the entertainment of travellers journeying to and fro from Fredericksburg to the mountains. Standing in front of the Chancellorsville house and looking southward the traveller had before him extensive fields bounded by forests; behind him a belt of woods, through which approached the main road from Ely's and United States fords, a few miles distant. By this road the Federal forces reached Chancellorsville. Two or three miles in front, but concealed from view by the thick growth of stunted oaks and pines, was "the Furnace," an assemblage of buildings for smelting iron ore. By this locality, Jackson moved from a

point between the "Tabernacle Church" and Chancellorsville, to gain the right flank of the enemy. A mile or two distant on the right was a plain wooden dwelling house, on the left side of the main road, known as "Melzi Chancellor's." Between this house and Chancellorsville, Jackson fell. A few hundred yards from it, in the edge of the woods on the right of the road, was a small white building, known as "Wilderness Church." Just beyond this point the old turnpike, which had been swallowed up at Chancellorsville by the plank road, again left it-the plank diverging to the left, the turnpike running straight on. Two or three miles beyond Chancellorsville the plank road was joined by a branch, the Germanna ford plank road coming from the northwest and crossing the old turnpike at "Wilderness Run," five miles from Chancellorsville, where stood and still stands a tall wooden building, called the "Wilderness Tavern." Here Jackson was taken when he was wounded. Last of all, about half a mile from the angle formed by the junction of the Orange and Germanna plank roads, an eccentric independent highway known as the "Brock Road," and running from Spottsylvania Court-House to Ely's ford, crossed the Orange road and the old turnpike, keeping on its course without respect to either. By the "Brock road" Jackson attained the old turnpike, and made his attack upon the enemy's right and rear.

"The

The country around Chancellorsville was known as Wilderness," and the bare fields, alternating with dense and impassable thickets, communicated to the region an appearance inexpressively drear and melancholy. The houses were few and lost in the interminable pines-often no indications of human habitation were seen for many miles; and the only sign of life which greeted the lonely traveller as he pursued his dreary journey in the evening over the interminable plank road, winding on through the thick wood, was the mournful cry of the whippoorwill-that sound which was the last to greet the ears of so many dying soldiers on the night of the great battle about to make this sombre region more gloomy and depressing than before.

In this country of unending thickets and narrow and winding