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Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave
For 130 years historians and military strategists have been obsessed by the battle of Chancellorsville. It began with an audaciously planned stroke by Union general Joe Hooker as he sent his army across the Rappahannock River and around Robert E. Lee's lines. It ended with that same army fleeing back in near total disarray -- and Hooker's reputation in ruins.
This splendid account of Chancellorsville -- the first in more than 35 years -- explains Lee's most brilliant victory even as it places the battle within the larger canvas of the Civil War. Drawing on a wealth of first-hand sources, it creates a novelistic chronicle of tactics and characters while it retraces every thrust and parry of the two armies and the fateful decisions of their commanders, from Hooker's glaring display of moral weakness to the inspired risk-taking of Lee and Stonewall Jackson, who was mortally wounded by friendly fire. At once impassioned and gracefully balanced, Chancellorsville 1863 is a grand achievement in Civil War history.
This splendid account of Chancellorsville -- the first in more than 35 years -- explains Lee's most brilliant victory even as it places the battle within the larger canvas of the Civil War. Drawing on a wealth of first-hand sources, it creates a novelistic chronicle of tactics and characters while it retraces every thrust and parry of the two armies and the fateful decisions of their commanders, from Hooker's glaring display of moral weakness to the inspired risk-taking of Lee and Stonewall Jackson, who was mortally wounded by friendly fire. At once impassioned and gracefully balanced, Chancellorsville 1863 is a grand achievement in Civil War history.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 14, 2021
The battle of Chancellorsville came at the mid-point of the American Civil War and was fought from April 30 to May 6 1863, in Spotsylvania, Virginia. It pitted the braggart and self-promoting Major General Joseph Hooker’s Army of the Potomac against Robert E. Lee’s much smaller (about half the size) Army of Northern Virginia. This battle is often cited as being the high point of the Confederate’s campaign as they delivered a significant victory over the Union troops. It was a bloody battle with both sides suffering huge losses including, on the Confederate side, that of Lt. General Thomas L ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, through friendly fire.
This account provides a background on the key figures, details the build-up to the conflict and paints a graphic picture of the war itself. There are plenty of first-hand accounts – written mainly after the events but sometimes during the course of the battle - by participants. There is also an analysis of how the most important military figures performed and what this war meant in the larger context. It’s a well-researched and atmospheric telling of events which I found both horrifying and totally engrossing.
The book is probably one for those that have a general interest in and at least some knowledge of the broader picture. Understanding the breakdown of troop movements – complex and often confusing, both at the time and to digest here – was helped for me by undertaking some additional online research (there are some great short videos that can be easy accessed that show how Lee and Stonewall managed to bemuse and surprise Hooker). But even without this background knowledge or additional research I feel that there’s enough here to paint a comprehensible portrayal of events.
The death of Jackson was without doubt an important loss for the Confederacy and the author makes the point that the knock on impact might well have cost Lee dear when it came to another huge battle just a few months later, at Gettysburg. He points out that in Lee’s rejigged structure Jackson was replaced with experienced but less independently able Generals who failed to act with the speed and foresight he might have expected from his former right hand man.
An excellent and informative book that I recommend highly.
This account provides a background on the key figures, details the build-up to the conflict and paints a graphic picture of the war itself. There are plenty of first-hand accounts – written mainly after the events but sometimes during the course of the battle - by participants. There is also an analysis of how the most important military figures performed and what this war meant in the larger context. It’s a well-researched and atmospheric telling of events which I found both horrifying and totally engrossing.
The book is probably one for those that have a general interest in and at least some knowledge of the broader picture. Understanding the breakdown of troop movements – complex and often confusing, both at the time and to digest here – was helped for me by undertaking some additional online research (there are some great short videos that can be easy accessed that show how Lee and Stonewall managed to bemuse and surprise Hooker). But even without this background knowledge or additional research I feel that there’s enough here to paint a comprehensible portrayal of events.
The death of Jackson was without doubt an important loss for the Confederacy and the author makes the point that the knock on impact might well have cost Lee dear when it came to another huge battle just a few months later, at Gettysburg. He points out that in Lee’s rejigged structure Jackson was replaced with experienced but less independently able Generals who failed to act with the speed and foresight he might have expected from his former right hand man.
An excellent and informative book that I recommend highly.
November 19, 2015
Good, thorough examination of the Battle of Chancellorsville in the American Civil War. Furgurson mixes in some first-hand accounts from regular soldiers and lower-level officers, somewhat like what Lyn MacDonald did in her excellent books about the British forces in World War I. Particularly entertaining are the Union officers' remarks about General Hooker and his drinking habits.
Those habits are key, because as the book makes clear (spoiler alert if you don't know much about the ACW), Hooker started the battle with an excellent plan, and executed its opening stages masterfully. Then he completely goes to pieces, missing chance after chance after chance to destroy Lee's army (or damage it severely, at least). It certainly shows you just how risky Lee's position was, and how things could have turned out quite differently at many junctures. Except, you know, Hooker was probably drunk most of the time.
Anyway, it's well written and researched, though occasionally the first-hand reports are a bit forced into the text (not always as enlightening or connected as Furgurson would have you believe) but again, it's a worthy effort and very readable. He dances around slavery as much as you'd expect for a Virginian (ah, the old state's rights tale) but at least acknowledges that after the Emancipation Proclamation, there's no way anyone could argue the war was about anything but slavery. He's also appropriately tough on Lee where he comes up short--the larger picture of the war (not wanting to send troops west) and for getting overconfident in his troops and officers after Chancellorsville, which of course leads to disaster at Gettysburg. Ewell in particular incurs Furgurson's wrath.
Occasionally Furgurson veers near hagiography, showing a bit too much love for Jackson, Lee, and most especially Jeb Stuart, whom Furgurson calls the most celebrated (or some such adjective) American cavalry officer of all time, a claim that I'm sure George Armstrong Custer would take issue with.
My only other gripe is the one I have for many military histories--the maps frequently neglect to lablel the units you are reading about on the connected pages. It'd sure help to make sure the units mentioned are on the dang maps. Maybe the map-makers didn't know where they were; I have no idea.
Overall this is an excellent history, and I wish I'd read it right after my trip to Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg; there's nothing like seeing the stone wall and Marye's Heights, and thinking about running across that horrible field, but such is life. It's a great book.
One other important factoid that Furgurson notes but doesn't make much of is the comparative losses in the battle. Though Chancellorsville is generally seen as a great victory for the Confederacy and disaster for the Union, Furgurson correctly notes that Lee lost about 20% of his forces in the battle and Hooker about 12%. The Union could afford those losses, terrible as they were, and Lee could not. Technically speaking, in the war of attrition the Civil War would eventually become, Chancellorsville was pretty much a Union victory.
Those habits are key, because as the book makes clear (spoiler alert if you don't know much about the ACW), Hooker started the battle with an excellent plan, and executed its opening stages masterfully. Then he completely goes to pieces, missing chance after chance after chance to destroy Lee's army (or damage it severely, at least). It certainly shows you just how risky Lee's position was, and how things could have turned out quite differently at many junctures. Except, you know, Hooker was probably drunk most of the time.
Anyway, it's well written and researched, though occasionally the first-hand reports are a bit forced into the text (not always as enlightening or connected as Furgurson would have you believe) but again, it's a worthy effort and very readable. He dances around slavery as much as you'd expect for a Virginian (ah, the old state's rights tale) but at least acknowledges that after the Emancipation Proclamation, there's no way anyone could argue the war was about anything but slavery. He's also appropriately tough on Lee where he comes up short--the larger picture of the war (not wanting to send troops west) and for getting overconfident in his troops and officers after Chancellorsville, which of course leads to disaster at Gettysburg. Ewell in particular incurs Furgurson's wrath.
Occasionally Furgurson veers near hagiography, showing a bit too much love for Jackson, Lee, and most especially Jeb Stuart, whom Furgurson calls the most celebrated (or some such adjective) American cavalry officer of all time, a claim that I'm sure George Armstrong Custer would take issue with.
My only other gripe is the one I have for many military histories--the maps frequently neglect to lablel the units you are reading about on the connected pages. It'd sure help to make sure the units mentioned are on the dang maps. Maybe the map-makers didn't know where they were; I have no idea.
Overall this is an excellent history, and I wish I'd read it right after my trip to Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg; there's nothing like seeing the stone wall and Marye's Heights, and thinking about running across that horrible field, but such is life. It's a great book.
One other important factoid that Furgurson notes but doesn't make much of is the comparative losses in the battle. Though Chancellorsville is generally seen as a great victory for the Confederacy and disaster for the Union, Furgurson correctly notes that Lee lost about 20% of his forces in the battle and Hooker about 12%. The Union could afford those losses, terrible as they were, and Lee could not. Technically speaking, in the war of attrition the Civil War would eventually become, Chancellorsville was pretty much a Union victory.
February 12, 2017
This one goes on my top ten Civil War list. Yes, it is a battle study, but it is a narrative history, not just a tactical study of the battle of Chancellorsville. Not only is Furgurson an engaging writer himself, but this book is peppered with first hand quotations that seamlessly pull the reader into the time and place. The leaders, the foot soldiers, the local citizens, the countryside, and even the battlefield itself all come alive in his telling.
Written twenty-five years ago, Furgurson's broad historical interpretations have not all held up quite as well as his writing. His take on Hooker in particular has been challenged in the intervening years. Today, Hooker is broadly accepted as being concussed after the cannon ball shattered the pillar upon which he was leaning rather than the implication that he had relapsed into drinking during the battle. That the battle was won through the moral superiority of Lee and Jackson against the moral inferiority of Hooker that was believed at the time, while not his major thesis was certainly not challenged by Furgurson. In his celebration of Lee's celerity and audacity, he follows the Nineteenth Century's laudatory view of Southern leadership, yet he also proposes in the epilogue that Lee's faith in the Southern soldier's superior ability ultimately led to later defeat.
Written twenty-five years ago, Furgurson's broad historical interpretations have not all held up quite as well as his writing. His take on Hooker in particular has been challenged in the intervening years. Today, Hooker is broadly accepted as being concussed after the cannon ball shattered the pillar upon which he was leaning rather than the implication that he had relapsed into drinking during the battle. That the battle was won through the moral superiority of Lee and Jackson against the moral inferiority of Hooker that was believed at the time, while not his major thesis was certainly not challenged by Furgurson. In his celebration of Lee's celerity and audacity, he follows the Nineteenth Century's laudatory view of Southern leadership, yet he also proposes in the epilogue that Lee's faith in the Southern soldier's superior ability ultimately led to later defeat.
February 23, 2023
I enjoyed Chancellorsville by Ernest Ferguson. He does not get into deep detail like Stephen Sears. I think he describes the battle very well and the lead up to it. However, I disagree with his conclusion and that is why it is 3 stars, not 4. Ferguson concludes this is Lee's greatest victory. He is not alone in that thought. I do not understand how this is Lee's greatest victory when the Confederacy lost just about as many men as the Union and did not have the capability to replace the man power unlike the North, nothing of strategic importance was captured, the Union army escaped, and Stonewall Jackson, arguably Lee's best corps commander, was killed. Lee himself even stated this was not a great victory. It was just simply the South could fight another day. Despite my disagreement with Ferguson's conclusion, I still enjoyed his book a lot and found it to be informative. Chancellorsville was a brutal battle and the men on both sides saw absolute carnage. It still sticks with me the Confederate soldier writing he could see his friend's heart after being shot. If you are looking for a basic read about Chancellorsville this is a good read. Sears book is good, too, but he spends a lot of time on reshaping the Army of Potomac by Joe Hooker and you get the point.
March 18, 2013
Next to Stephen Sears' "Chancellorsville" this is the best account of the campaign that I have read. Ferguson provides enough background material on the major commanders and armies based on the previous Fredericksburg Campaign to give a smooth transition into this first major contest of 1863 in the Eastern Theater. The author also liberally cites from letters, memoirs and on-field communication reports.The common foot soldier as well as commanders get their due in this crisply written read. The horrors of Civil war combat and its aftermath are keenly described while attention is paid to the topographical features which played such an important role. Ferguson also weighs in with what I think is a fair assessment of Lee's and Hooker's performance as commanders. Enough maps are included at the critical points to keep the reader grounded in what was an incredibly complicated and fluid engagement lasting almost a full week. 28 reproductions of period drawings and photographs are also included.
December 3, 2015
Alas, "Chancellorsville 1863," I enjoyed your company greatly but left you for another. I read Ernest B. Furgurson's excellent account of possibly the most interesting Civil War battle well before Stephen Sears' absolutely great "Chancellorsville," written later. Considering Sears' book among the best Civil War battle/campaign books ever written, I foolishly decided I needed only one Chancellorsville book and said goodbye to Furgurson's years ago, consigning it to a used bookstore and into other arms. Sears' book IS better, but that's more a reflection of my Sears worship than a knock on Furgurson. Someday I'll probably pick up this baby somewhere and read both again; love, even for a side-piece, never dies.
August 6, 2017
I truly enjoyed this book! I read this because it was already in my Civil War library and I was about to embark on a tour of the Chancellorsville battlefield. This was also my "prep research" for a conference on the generalship of Robert E. Lee that I attended, which also included a detailed tour of the field.
I found this book very readable; many battle histories get bogged down in crazy minutia and confusing "militarese" - but not so with this history. It is well written and researched and the text flows well.
It is a good, and lesser known, companion to Sear's book on Chancellorsville!
I found this book very readable; many battle histories get bogged down in crazy minutia and confusing "militarese" - but not so with this history. It is well written and researched and the text flows well.
It is a good, and lesser known, companion to Sear's book on Chancellorsville!
January 15, 2011
This battle account is ranked No. 5 on a list of all-time best Civil War non-fiction books and rightly so. It is extremely detailed but that aids in allowing the reader to perceive the battle as it took place over a period of three days. Alan and I found it of interest because we both had great-grandfathers who were killed in this battle; his on the Union side and mine on the Confederate. The characters of Lee and Jackson are well-drawn as is that of Hooker who ended up being castigated for his reluctance to attack and was blamed for the Union defeat.
June 7, 2016
This is a fresh, lucid and enjoyable treatment of the epic battle. His ancestral ties to the battle brought out the best of his writing and reporter's talent. Talents which seem to have been wasted combating the progressive atrophy of reason so often seen in the print of his one time employer, the Baltimore Sun.
April 1, 2020
I had known some of the details of this battle before reading it, but did not realize the intricacy of the fighting and how many confrontations there were. This was an excellent overall review of the multi-day action here, the boldness of Lee, the failure of Hooker and everything in between. I really enjoyed it.
May 11, 2021
Fantastic. The battle is brought to life with repeated quotes from boots on the ground. A damning (but, I feel, appropriate) condemnation on Joe Hooker for one of the worst performances in the war, the author takes a chaotic battle and makes it accessible. Probably best for those at least familiar with the Civil War and have already read some about it.
May 7, 2013
Furgurson's retelling of the familiar Chancellorsville story is an homage to the enlisted men who suffered through the epic campaign. His best writing is a description of the titanic struggle for the Union breastworks on May 3, complete with vivid illustrations of combat that will follow the reader for days. If his conclusion smacks of some trite and overly simplistic Gettysburg analysis, it nonetheless serves to tie together a tremendous story brilliantly told.
June 27, 2013
Currently, one of only two complete battle studies of the Chancellorsville campaign (Sears' book being the other). Both are excellent books and provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the battle.
January 12, 2019
Great book on the subject.
It fascinates me how the military leaders were able to see the terrain, develop battle plans and then maintain command and control during these battles. The battle lines covered miles and maps were really made up on the fly by locals.
It fascinates me how the military leaders were able to see the terrain, develop battle plans and then maintain command and control during these battles. The battle lines covered miles and maps were really made up on the fly by locals.
October 25, 2013
One of the best battle summaries I have ever read.
January 23, 2018
A nicely told version of the campaign with ample references to soldiers’ journals and letters. While containing details, the analysis was not as deep as in Sears’ Chancellorsville.
February 15, 2021
This was the one book that convinced me to dive back into the Civil War head first ... I’ve given many copies of this book as gifts.
January 18, 2024
My Amazon review on February 14, 2018: Great book and an awesome subtitle!
The generation that even bothers to read stuff like this is passing into the grey mists of time I suppose and I include myself among them. I was fascinated with the Civil War since childhood and I actually read this book years ago (before the internet likely existed!) and after a rare reread decided to write a quick review. This is an excellent account of this pivotal moment in American history with little apparent bias despite the fact that the author is the descendant of a bunch of southern veterans (a distinguished list of units on the dedication page indeed). Yet, I think the younger generations would benefit from a better understanding of the how the Civil War was fought and the price that was paid on both sides. The idea that 'reparations' are owed for the historical mistake of slavery in this country is to me insulting. This war was WAS the reparation. It was paid with utter horror, death and maiming on a scale that almost defies belief. 17,000 Union and 13,000 Confederate casualties at this one brutal battle alone of which death and severe wounding made up a good percentage. Almost unimaginable today. And the way in which they were incurred, actually is unimaginable. There is barely a person alive in this country today who would obey the orders routinely given and obeyed in 1863 and all the Civil War years. 'Men, advance across that long, open field to receive almost certain death or maiming from massed rifle and cannon fire and if you survive that, you get double-shot canister at the end'! Yet it happened, ALL the time! Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, 3rd Day at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, to name but a few. At Chancellorsville, the account in the book of Stuart's repeated attacks on May 3rd make really difficult reading. What possible motivation could there have been? On either side? Preserve the Union? Maintain slavery? I so doubt it was much of either. Not sure this book answers that question, nor was it trying to but there is a an awed respect throughout for the courage of the men on both sides, hence the awesome subtitle. This is a well written history and a very thoroughly documented book with superb appendices (with unit casualties figures that are sobering) and an excellent list of sources. I would give it 4.5 stars were it possible. Best book on Chancellorsville? No idea, but very, very good.
The generation that even bothers to read stuff like this is passing into the grey mists of time I suppose and I include myself among them. I was fascinated with the Civil War since childhood and I actually read this book years ago (before the internet likely existed!) and after a rare reread decided to write a quick review. This is an excellent account of this pivotal moment in American history with little apparent bias despite the fact that the author is the descendant of a bunch of southern veterans (a distinguished list of units on the dedication page indeed). Yet, I think the younger generations would benefit from a better understanding of the how the Civil War was fought and the price that was paid on both sides. The idea that 'reparations' are owed for the historical mistake of slavery in this country is to me insulting. This war was WAS the reparation. It was paid with utter horror, death and maiming on a scale that almost defies belief. 17,000 Union and 13,000 Confederate casualties at this one brutal battle alone of which death and severe wounding made up a good percentage. Almost unimaginable today. And the way in which they were incurred, actually is unimaginable. There is barely a person alive in this country today who would obey the orders routinely given and obeyed in 1863 and all the Civil War years. 'Men, advance across that long, open field to receive almost certain death or maiming from massed rifle and cannon fire and if you survive that, you get double-shot canister at the end'! Yet it happened, ALL the time! Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, 3rd Day at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, to name but a few. At Chancellorsville, the account in the book of Stuart's repeated attacks on May 3rd make really difficult reading. What possible motivation could there have been? On either side? Preserve the Union? Maintain slavery? I so doubt it was much of either. Not sure this book answers that question, nor was it trying to but there is a an awed respect throughout for the courage of the men on both sides, hence the awesome subtitle. This is a well written history and a very thoroughly documented book with superb appendices (with unit casualties figures that are sobering) and an excellent list of sources. I would give it 4.5 stars were it possible. Best book on Chancellorsville? No idea, but very, very good.
December 26, 2022
A fascinating account 0f the most audacious military campaign of the American Civil War. Full of fascinating detail, such as the "Comedy Nurse", one of the Union camp followers. Just about every important commander of the war, bar Sherman and Grant, was there. Lee's finest hour marred by the death of his "Stonewall", General Thomas Jackson. Well written, full of action and a splendid appendix detailing all the protagonists on each side.
August 7, 2025
Thought this was a great book!
The author seemed to get the balance just right regarding the details of the battle, the strategic implications, and how the personalities of the leaders affected the outcome. Really got a nuanced sense of how the campaign history in Northern Virginia imprinted on the armies themselves and led to missed opportunities on the Union side, and the ultimate risk-taking for the Confederates.
The author seemed to get the balance just right regarding the details of the battle, the strategic implications, and how the personalities of the leaders affected the outcome. Really got a nuanced sense of how the campaign history in Northern Virginia imprinted on the armies themselves and led to missed opportunities on the Union side, and the ultimate risk-taking for the Confederates.
December 31, 2025
Much like any work on this great battle, it is dated. What still makes this an excellent resource for any historian is approachability. Furgurson’s writing style allows any reader to approach this battle and just get engrossed into the narrative. Newer works are needed as research becomes more accessible, but this will always be a required read for any Chancellorsville historian.
February 25, 2023
Perhaps the definitive history of the battle of Chancellorsville, the Confederacy's last and greatest victory in the Eastern Theater. Easy read, not getting too bogged down in minutia. Almost a journalistic perspective, with a nice amount of playing the battle in a broader context.
September 10, 2021
Very in-depth read about a pivotal battle of the Civil War.
October 18, 2022
A little disappointed with the ending and trying to elevate General Jackson even more. Well written.
September 5, 2023
I enjoyed getting to know these Civil War generals, how they thought and lived, and how the soldiers thought and lived. But it went on longer than I could appreciate.
April 16, 2025
I thought this was a really solid, interesting account of the Battle of Chancellorsville. Found the short biographical looks at each of the principal commanders to be especially interesting to me.
June 16, 2012
Furgurson did an excellent job describing the action and what went on.
December 28, 2012
Best account of a major Civil War campaign i have read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews