ARMY OPERATIONS. 



07 



The next movement of the enemy was to 

 press between the corps of Gens. ^ arren and 

 Hancock on the left centre. Here the contest 

 commenced about 3 p. M. In anticipation of 

 this movement Gen. Hancock's advance had 

 been checked, and his corps was rapidly moving 

 to close the gap between it and the centre. 

 One division of the 6th corps, under Gen. Getty, 

 had been detached and moved to the left, taking 

 position on the right of the Orange Court House 

 plank road. The advance, consisting of the 1st 

 brigade of the 2d division of the 2d corps, had 

 scarcely formed a junction with Gen. Getty, 

 when the enemy, belonging to Lieut. -Gen. 

 Hill's corps, made a powerful attack upon them. 

 The position was held with the utmost obstina- 

 cy. Meanwhile the remainder of Gen. Han- 

 cock's corps arrived and attacked on the ene- 

 my's front and right. The divisions of Gens. 

 Birney, Barlow, and Gibbons, took an active 

 part, and the contest became exceedingly bloody. 

 Such was the nature of the undergrowth that 

 there was little opportunity to use artillery. 

 The furious fire of the enemy's musketry was 

 seldom surpassed. After the contest had stub- 

 bornly continued for two hours, a portion of 

 Gens. Wadsworth's and Robinson's divisions of 

 the 5th, moved out to turn the flanks of Gen. 

 Hill's corps. The contest continued here until 

 late in the night, and closed with a loss of a 

 thousand killed and wounded, among whom 

 was Gen. Alexander Hayes. The effort of the 

 enemy to penetrate the left centre failed. 



On the right the fighting commenced with an 

 attack" by Gen. Sedgwick, who advanced his 

 line. In the afternoon the enemy advanced to 

 drive him back, during which they made a des- 

 perate effort to turn his right. In this extremi- 

 ty he sent a request to Gen. Burnside, who 

 had that day crossed over, to close up and as- 

 sist him. At this time the attack of the enemy 

 was repulsed, but near nightfall it was renewed 

 again with great vigor. A most desperate en- 

 gagement ensued, which continued until two 

 hours after dark, when the indecisive conflict 

 closed. Three hundred of the enemy had been 

 taken prisoners, and they in turn claimed the 

 capture of a thousand during the day. 



The following is Gen. Lee's despatch : 



Ens ARMY Xor.THEcx VIEGLXIA. May o, 1364. 

 Hon. Secretary of War : 



The enemy crossed the Rapidan at Ely's and Ger- 

 mania Fords. Two corps of this army moved to op- 

 pose him, Ewell's by the old turnpike and Hill's by 

 the plank road. They arrived this morning in close 

 proximity to the enemy's line of march. A strong 

 attack was made upon Ewell, who repulsed it, cap- 

 turing many prisoners and four pieces of artillery. 



The enemy subsequently concentrated upon Gen. 

 Hill, who with his and Wilcox's divisions, success- 

 fully resisted the repeated and desperate assaults. 

 A large force of cavalry and artillery on our right 

 were driven back by Rossan's brigade.' By the bless- 

 ings of God, we maintained our position against every 

 erfort until night, when the combat closed. We have 

 to mourn the loss of many brave officers and men. 



Gallant Brig.-Gen. J. if. Jones was killed, and Gen. 

 Stafford, I fear, mortally wounded, while leading his 

 command with conspicuous valor. R. E. LEE. 

 vor r\. 7 A 



!N"o despatch was sent from Lieut.-Gen. Grant. 



During the day the 9th corps, under Gen. 

 Burnside, had come upon the field after a forced 

 march. It was distributed as occasion required 

 on the right, right centre and left centre. The 

 Federal line continued substantially as during 

 the day, stretching northwest and southeast, 

 nearly parallel to a line from Germania Ford to 

 Chancellorsville. Gen. Grant had thus been 

 successful in covering the fords by which all hia 

 teams were yet to pass, and which it was abso- 

 lutely necessary to keep open in order to pre- 

 serve his line of communication, and which 

 were threatened by the rapid and bold move- 

 ment of Gen. Lee from west to east. 



On the next day, Friday, May 6th, the battle 

 consisted of a succession of fierce attacks made 

 by each side. Both had more or less intrench- 

 ed their positions by felling timber and cover- 

 ing it with earth, or with slight earthworks. 

 An advance had been ordered on the right, at 

 5 A. M., by Gen. Grant, but before it took place 

 the firing of the pickets had commenced and 

 increased until six o'clock, when the engage- 

 ment became general. The interval of ground 

 between the opposing lines was fought over in 

 some places as many as four or five times, the 

 combatants driving each other in turn from the 

 opposite lines of rifle-pits. Gen. Seymour with 

 a provisional division on the extreme right, and 

 Gen. Wright's 1st division of the 6th corps, 

 next adjoining, were first engaged, and Gen. 

 Eicketts' was next involved. An effort made 

 on the part of the enemy to flank was repelled, 

 and the line pushed a few hundred yards ahead, 

 but without any decisive advantage. At 8 and 

 half-past 10 o'clock the right was again pressed 

 by the enemy. The firing at each period extend- 

 ed all along the line. The efforts of the enemy 

 appeared to be intended to break through the 

 separate corps. The gaps, however, were closed 

 by the 9th corps. Earthworks were thrown up 

 whenever and wherever practicable, and proved 

 to be of invaluable service. On the left the en- 

 gagement commenced at the same time as on 

 the right. Gen. Hancock pressed the enemy 

 some distance, until being reenforced they held 

 their ground. Soon a severe assault was again 

 made on the left, followed up along the line 

 with such vigor as nearly to involve the whole 

 in confusion. Ret-nforcements from Gen. Burn- 

 side checked the advance of the enemy, and re- 

 lieved the left and centre. Before noon Gen. 

 Wadsworth, commanding the 4th division of 

 the 5th corps was shot in the forehead and 

 instantly killed. 



At noon the contest was comparatively sus- 

 pended, and Gen. Grant concentrated his lines, 

 interposing the greater part of Gen. Burnside's 

 corps between Gens. Warren and Hancock. 

 The left was also brought forward a little tow- 

 ard the centre from the Brock Road, to which 

 it had been driven. These movements had 

 hardly been completed when the forces of Gens. 

 Longstreet and Hill renewed the attack on the 

 left and centre with great fury, and drove them 



