Battle Of Chancellorsville Essay

The Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history, was a war between the North and the South, also known as the Union and the Confederacy respectively, fought by both sides for their beliefs and ideals, with the Confederates fighting to preserve their way of life and the Union fighting to bring the Confederacy back into the Union. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a battle in the Civil War that took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia from April 30th to May 6th, 1863 in which the Confederacy won even though they were outnumbered against the Union 3 to 5 . In the Battle of Chancellorsville economic resources available to the Union and the Confederacy, and the geography of the area affected the strategy of the battle fought from both sides,

Hazel Grove, a plateau, was under the control of the Union Army, and was a threat to the Confederate defense of Chancellorsville because the Union could use it to place artillery and cannons which would have the potential to break the outnumbered Confederate defense, since Hazel Grove was a elevated platform and could shoot downwards and had a view of the majority of the battlefield. For this reason, Brig. General James J. Archer of the Confederacy commanded and led the capture of Hazel Grove, and it was used to help turn the battle around in Confederate favor and was used to break the attacking Union lines. There were a few hills in the geography of the Battle of Chancellorsville. The Confederacy made sure to use this to their advantage and blasted their artillery off the crucial hilltops. Around April 27th, a few days before the battle, Robert E. Lee had made the decision to steer the location of the battle into the Wilderness by using his regiments to bait the Union army into following his army into the Wilderness. The woody and rough terrain would diminish the Union advantage of large numbers and suit the Confederates more because they would also have homeground advantage and would be able to navigate the Wilderness. The Orange Turnpike and Plank Roads were used by both armies to transport soldiers by way of the road. General Stonewall Jackson turned on the Orange Turnpike Road while marching on his flank attack on General Howard’s XI Corps because the roads provided an easy way and path to march. The Union army had an initial geographical advantage but it was lost to the Confederate army and it helped the Confederates win the Battle of