Essay On General Lee

The Civil War was a time of great change and strife for America. The Union was making an effort to stomp out the last of the rebellion the Confederates had created. In one of the first major battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Chancellorsville, a surprising outcome occurred and allowed for a change in the morale of the Confederates. Major General Joseph Hooker of the Union and General Robert E. Lee of the Confederates were both fighting to gain initiative and morale for their soldiers. The leader of the Confederates; General Robert E. Lee, fought for rights for the Southern States. The Battle of Chancellorsville turned the Civil War in a new direction and gave the Confederates a huge boost in morale.

To begin, General Lee was able to defeat

General “Stonewall” Jackson aided greatly in the outcome of the Battle of Chancellorsville, and although General Lee’s army was small, they had much military experience and fought with considerable aggression. However, General Lee’s ability to overcome a much larger army was not enough power to save his right hand man. According the History.com, a website providing information on all events that occurred in US history, “Lee’s victory came at a high cost . . . Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, one of his most trusted generals, was mortally wounded by friendly fire during the battle” (Battle of Chancellorsville). The army’s ability to overcome General Hooker’s Union army was a great feat that will be admired endlessly throughout the course of history. General Lee had an army half the size of General Hooker’s, however he was able to use military tactics such as the element of surprise to surround them and push the entire might of the army towards a smaller, more open area where General Lee’s army could attack more easily. According to Sylvia Whitman (2016), an article writer for the database Ebscohost, “The surprise attack succeeded. Jackson pushed the Union troops nearly two miles back toward Chancellorsville” (A Win and a Loss at Chancellorsville). This quote proves how efficient General Lee’s army was in overcoming the obstacle of a much larger army. General Lee’s army was another key factor in the surprising outcome of the Battle of Chancellorsville and the effect on the Civil