The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-22
STORY OF H0oKER'S DEFEAT.
GEN. lTLAWs' LECTURE ON THE
BATTLE or CHANCELLORsVILE

DeceANcd the Enemy IN HIS front.
Defeat of SedgVvick's Corps by Nc
Laws Division at salem Church.
Gen. Lafayette McLaws delivered the
second Of his series OF lectures at the
| Guards hall last night. the subject dis
cUssed being the battle Of Chancellors-
vile. The subject was well handled, and
| the paper was a most interesting one,
Cen McLaws' narrative being confined
largely 20 the doings Of his own COM
mand. and frequent reference being made
10 the work Of the Georgia commands
engaged in this battle. or series of bat
ties owing to the indisposition of Gen.
McLaws the paper was read by Mr.. J.
r. saussy. The delivery was in good
style, being clear and distinct.
The movements Of the two armies in
Northern Virginia from April %, 1853
when Gen. Hooker began moving his
army across the south bank of the Kappa
hammock 10 the battle Of Chancellors-
vile. a few days later. were briefly de-
scribed. Hooker succeeded in moving his
army across the river without attempt
by Gen. Lee to prevent it, but gave Gen.
Lee time in which TO place his army in
position for the battle. The short cam
paign was one of the most brilliant Of
the war on the part of the confederates.
Hooker had a splendidly organized and
equipped army of $4,000 infantry and TO-
900 TO 1900 cavalry, to oppose which Gen.
Lee had an available force of only $4,000
10 1000 men. Longstreet was away with
two of his divisions at Suffolk, Va. Gen.
Lee had only Jackson's corps OF four
divisions. Rhodes Trimble's, A. p. and
d. H. HIS, and McLaws' and Ander-
sons divisions Of Longstreet's corps.
Hooker boosted that he would force Gen.
Lee to come out from behind his in
| trenchments and fight him. When the
! opportunity to fight was offered him,
however, he retired behind his own in
trenchments and awaited the attack Of
1 Lee. Gen. Lee decided 10 take Hooker in
| the flank at Chancellorsville, and assign
ca the execution OF the movement TO Gen.
| jackson. 1t was the splendid manner in
winch this movement was executed by
| Jackson, taking the enemy by surprise
on the plank road on the afternoon of
| May ?, doubling up Hookers line and
| driving II back in confusion, which gave
| the confederates one of the most signal
| victories Of the war, when the Disparity
| OF numbers is considered
1t was in the execution of this move
ment that Gen. Jackson received his fatal
wound In charging through the thick
! woods the lines had become confused and
| m attempting re-arrangment of them
! Gen. jackson was fired upon by party
| OF A. 7. HhPs men, who mistook him and
ms stan in the darkness for party Of
| the enemy.
The victory had already been gained
| when the great leader received the wound
| which resulted in his death, though there
was sharp lighting aterward.
| ten. McLaWs was placed in command of
| the right wing of the army by Gen. Lee
While the flank movement was executed
| by Jackson, with instructions to hold the
enemy III ms 'front.' by continuous feintS,
| whlie avoiding general engagement. The
| latter could not have been afforded as half
| OF McLaWs' force had been detached and
| Wi a
| small force TO hold several times his num-
| Der OF the enemy in check in his front.
| rms work was so successfully done that
! the enemy, as shown by official reports
| after the battle, were convinced that they
| had large force in their front and that
| a desperate attack had really been at
| tempted by the cOnfederates and repulsed
| with great valor by the union troops.
| Col Nelson A. Miles now comnnan der-
| in-chlef of the United States army, COM
| manded a regiment directly in front of
! Gen. McLaws' line, and in his official re-
| port a rev days later announced that his
| regiment had repulsed IN attack by the en-
| envy in two lines, thanked by a line of battle
! ana speaking in the most glowing terms
| of the bravery of his own troops. The at
! tack of the two columns, Gen. McLaws
| SAID, was only one of the feints made by
his skirmish lines and the line of battle
| spoken of by Col. Miles existed only in his
! imagination, while his glowing praise of
! himself and his command was pure bonn
bast, as they fought from behind lines of
! 9battls and We're never seriously attacked,
| Gen. Lee having cautioned particularly
| against bringing on general engagement
| Gen. McLaws' work in holding the enc
| my IN check in his front and preventing
! 1t from going to the assistance of Hooker
| at Charlottesville was highly spoken Of
BY Gen: Lee in his report Of the battle a
The hot work by. McLaws' command
| was done the next day at Salem church
| on his return to Fredericksburg A cou-
! rier brought him word that Sedgwick's
corps had crossed the river at Fredericks-
burg, and was marching to Chancelors-
| H.
| and the courier made the same report 10
| him. Gen. Lee instructed Gen. McIaws
to march on towards Fredericksburg,
| picking up the brigades of Malone and
| wilcox, and oppose the advance of the
enemy. The rest was left to his discre-
ton. The line of battle was formed
| across the road near Salem church
| where the attack of Sedgwick's corps
! was received. The enemy were defeated
| with great loss. Especial mention was
made of the bravery of Gen Semmes and
| his Georgia brigade, and several Georgia
| regiments which distinguished themselves
| by their brave conduct, were also mem
toned
Gen. McLaws criticised the report of the
battle made by Gen. Wilcox in which he
takes the whole credit for the repulse of
the enemy, and barely mentions the pres
ence of Gen. McLaws on the field, saying
nothing about his command. Gen. Nc
Laws said that he was in conversation
with Gen Wilcox when the attack of the
enemy was made, and called the atten-
ton of that commander to the giving away
to rally them. Had it not been for the
presence of Semmes' brigade and the rest
of mis- division. Gen. McLaws said, VII
cox's brigade would have been totally de-
stroyed. He called particular atten-
ton to this because a history, purDorting
to give a fair account OF the war from
a southern standpoint, has been offered
for sale in Savannah in which Gen. VII
cox's report is given as an account of the
! battle.
The enemy in their retreat threw away
muskets and knapsacks in profusion.
Kershaw's brigade alone gathered up 800
muskets the next day and 1900 prisoners
were captured. Mention was several times
made by Gen. McLaws Of the bravery Of
Barksdale's Mississippi brigade part Of
which had been left to guard Marye's
| Nights at fredericksburg. In repeliing
an attack upon the nights the Eighteenth
Mississippi was captured, after a most
desperate resistance. the official report
of the federal loss being over 1000 meu
Sedgwicks official report of the federal
losses during the three days fighting was
1890 men. The southern troops lost
heavily, the thirty-two Georgia regiments
engaged losing 2,243 men in killed and
wounded, In the battle of Salem church
! 70 Y IF ~.