Battle of Chancellorsville 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville 1863
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 9 to 10
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.64

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		bravado, pitted, repulse, impassable, finding, retreat, wilderness, uproar, encampment, upstream, battlefield, misfortune, artillery, pleasure, cautious, campaign
	content words:		Civil War, President Lincoln, General McDowell, General McClellan, Robert E., General Pope, General Burnside, Fighting Joe, General Hooker, Rappahannock River

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Battle of Chancellorsville 1863
By Mary L. Bushong

¹     On the eastern front of the Civil War, President Lincoln was having a great deal of difficulty finding the right man to lead the Union army. He had started out with General McDowell but had quickly replaced him with General McClellan. McClellan was a cautious general, and while he was respected by his men, he did not take advantage of situations which might have brought an end to the war more quickly. He also had the misfortune to be pitted against Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest military geniuses of his time.

²     McClellan was temporarily replaced by General Pope and then reinstated. After the battle of Antietam, he was replaced again by General Burnside. Burnside was in turn replaced for the spring campaign of 1863. The new general in charge was Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker.

³     The Union army was experiencing low morale because of their many losses. Lincoln was determined to have a major victory to raise everyone's spirits. He gave Hooker specific orders to spare no man, keep back no reserves, but to get the victory.

⁴     General Hooker was the opposite of General McClellan in how quickly he was willing to move.

⁵     It was early April, and Lee's men were still in their winter camp around Fredericksburg. Hooker ordered his cavalry commander to cross the Rappahannock River with his men and 22 guns before April 13. The commander reached the banks of the river just as it started to rain. The river was soon impassable and remained so for two weeks. He was unable to carry out his orders to interrupt the lines of communication between Lee's two encampments.

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