The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-04-29
CHANCELLORSVlLLE.

T
day who will remember next Sunday as
the forty sixth anniversary OF the Battle
of Charlottesville, being the beginning OF
the three days. battle at that place. 1t
was fought in Spottsylvania County. Va,
May 2, 3 and 4, 1868, fifteen miles distant
from Fredericksburg, between the Army
of Northern Virginia, under Gen. Lee, and
the Army Of the Potomac, under Major
General Joseph Hooker. The records vary
somewhat as to the number of men engaged
on each side, but the Federal Army has
generally been accredited with $4,000 men
(of whom $4,000 we're cavalry, divided
into seven corps, under Major-Generals
Reynolds, Couch, Sickles. Meade, Howard,
Sedgwick and Slocum, the cavaly being
under Stoneman. The Confederate Army
is placed at about SO 900 men in two corps,
and about 5000 cavalry under Major
General James E. B. Stuart. Lieutenant
General "Stonewall" Jackson was in
command of the Second Corps until he
was MORALLY wounded late in the evening
of the first day of the battle. Lieutenant
General James Longstreet, commander OF
the First Corps, with two divisions OF his
corps, was detached for service south OF
James River in February, and did not re-
join Lees Army until after the Battle OF
Charlottesville. After the Battle OF
fredericksburg, on December Is, 1862,
and the defeat of the Federal Army under
Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, the
two armies had been facing each other,
separated by the Rappahannock, the Fed
erals being encamped.upon the left bank of
the river, while the Confederates were on
the heights opposite. The battle was
brought on by Hooker moving his army
with the exception of Sedgwick's Corps,
which was left to attack the Confederates
at Fredericksburg and threaten the rear of
Lees Army toward Charlottesville with
view of turning Lees left. Chancellors-
vile was solitary brick mansion with a
few outbuildings. 1t stood on the verge of
the wild region known as the Wilderness,
which in the following year was the scene
of the Battles of the Wilderness. In a
series of man9uvres and desperate actions
that followed the opening hours of the
the battle, and after long and fatiguing
march, General Jackson's divisions reach
ed the old turnpike, about three miles in
rear of Charlottesville and on the flank
and rear of Hooker's Army. At 6p. m.
the advance was ordered. The enemy
were taken by surprise, and fled after a
brief resistance. Jackson's men pushed
forward with great vigor and enthusiasm.
Position after position was carried, the
guns captured, and every effort of the
enemy to rally defeated by the impetuous
rush of our troops, which was only arrested
by the abatis in front of the line of works
near the central position of the enemy at
Charlottesville. 1t was now dark. Gen.
Jackson, with his staff and escort, return
ing from the extreme front, met his skir-
mishers advancing, and in the obscurity of
the night were mistaken for the enemy and
fired upon. Several were killed and a
|
received a mortal wound, and was borne
from the field. The Confederates were
victorious at every point. The Federal
Army, in spite of it's overwhelming num-
bers, was in critical condition, and would
have been annihilated had jackson been
spared to complete his brilliant victory.
In this bloody battle the Federals had
Il, 900 killed or wounded and 5000 missing.
Their dead, and large number of wound
ed, were left on the field. About 5000
prisoners, exclusive of the wounded, were
taken, and thirteen pieces of artillery,
1880 stand of arms, seventeen colors,
and large quantity of ammunition fell into
our hands.
The Confederates had 1851 killed and
ZOO wounded. Total, 1O,281.
There were two Louisiana Brigades in
the Battle of Charlottesville and the de-
fences of the position between Chancel-
louisville and Fredericksburg, namely,
Harry T. Hays Brigade, composed of the
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth
Louisiana Regiments; and Francis T.
Nichols Brigade, composed of the First,
Second, Tenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Louisiana Regiments. Also, Battalion
of the Washington Artillery of New Or
leans, commanded by Col. J. B. Walton.
The s'Bossier Volunteers the first
company mustered into the Confederate
service from this narish was one IF the