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Military Campaigns of the Civil War
Chancellorsville: The Battle and Its Aftermath
A variety of important but lesser-known dimensions of the Chancellorsville campaign of spring 1863 are explored in this collection of eight original essays. Departing from the traditional focus on generalship and tactics, the contributors address the campaign's broad context and implications and revisit specific battlefield episodes that have in the past been poorly understood.
Chancellorsville was a remarkable victory for Robert E. Lee's troops, a fact that had enormous psychological importance for both sides, which had met recently at Fredericksburg and would meet again at Gettysburg in just two months. But the achievement, while stunning, came at an enormous cost: more than 13,000 Confederates became casualties, including Stonewall Jackson, who was wounded by friendly fire and died several days later.
The topics covered in this volume include the influence of politics on the Union army, the importance of courage among officers, the impact of the war on children, and the state of battlefield medical care. Other essays illuminate the important but overlooked role of Confederate commander Jubal Early, reassess the professionalism of the Union cavalry, investigate the incident of friendly fire that took Stonewall Jackson's life, and analyze the military and political background of Confederate colonel Emory Best's court-martial on charges of abandoning his men.
Contributors
Keith S. Bohannon, Pennsylvania State University and Greenville, South Carolina
Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia
A. Wilson Greene, Petersburg, Virginia
John J. Hennessy, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Robert K. Krick, Fredericksburg, Virginia
James Marten, Marquette University
Carol Reardon, Pennsylvania State University
James I. Robertson Jr., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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Chancellorsville was a remarkable victory for Robert E. Lee's troops, a fact that had significant psychological importance for both sides, which had met recently at Fredericksburg and would meet again at Gettysburg in just two months. But the achievement, while stunning, came at the enormous cost of more than 13,000 Confederate casualties, including Stonewall Jackson, who was wounded by friendly fire and died several days later.
A variety of important but lesser-known dimensions of the Chancellorsville campaign are explored in this collection of eight original essays. Departing from the traditional focus on generalship and tactics, the contributors address the campaign's broad context and implications and revisit specific battlefield episodes that have in the past been poorly understood.
Contributors include Keith S. Bohannon, Gary W. Gallagher, A. Wilson Greene, John J. Hennessy, Robert K. Krick, James Marten, Carol Reardon, and James I. Robertson Jr.
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Chancellorsville was a remarkable victory for Robert E. Lee's troops, a fact that had enormous psychological importance for both sides, which had met recently at Fredericksburg and would meet again at Gettysburg in just two months. But the achievement, while stunning, came at an enormous cost: more than 13,000 Confederates became casualties, including Stonewall Jackson, who was wounded by friendly fire and died several days later.
The topics covered in this volume include the influence of politics on the Union army, the importance of courage among officers, the impact of the war on children, and the state of battlefield medical care. Other essays illuminate the important but overlooked role of Confederate commander Jubal Early, reassess the professionalism of the Union cavalry, investigate the incident of friendly fire that took Stonewall Jackson's life, and analyze the military and political background of Confederate colonel Emory Best's court-martial on charges of abandoning his men.
Contributors
Keith S. Bohannon, Pennsylvania State University and Greenville, South Carolina
Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia
A. Wilson Greene, Petersburg, Virginia
John J. Hennessy, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Robert K. Krick, Fredericksburg, Virginia
James Marten, Marquette University
Carol Reardon, Pennsylvania State University
James I. Robertson Jr., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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Chancellorsville was a remarkable victory for Robert E. Lee's troops, a fact that had significant psychological importance for both sides, which had met recently at Fredericksburg and would meet again at Gettysburg in just two months. But the achievement, while stunning, came at the enormous cost of more than 13,000 Confederate casualties, including Stonewall Jackson, who was wounded by friendly fire and died several days later.
A variety of important but lesser-known dimensions of the Chancellorsville campaign are explored in this collection of eight original essays. Departing from the traditional focus on generalship and tactics, the contributors address the campaign's broad context and implications and revisit specific battlefield episodes that have in the past been poorly understood.
Contributors include Keith S. Bohannon, Gary W. Gallagher, A. Wilson Greene, John J. Hennessy, Robert K. Krick, James Marten, Carol Reardon, and James I. Robertson Jr.
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288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
6 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Gary W. Gallagher
107 books98 followersGary W. Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia, is the author or editor of many books in the field of Civil War history, including The Confederate War; Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War; and The Union War.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 18, 2024
My Amazon review on March 3, 2018: Buy it for the Jackson essay!
An interesting and very diverse set of essays, though somewhat uneven in quality and relevance to the battle itself. For a person wanting to know about the entirety of the campaign and battle of Chancellorsville the book is basically useless. It is best read after a more complete overview such as Ernest B. Furgurson or Stephen Sears accounts. The essays cover a wide range of topics from 'medical' care to wars effects on children, in addition to focusing on pieces of the battle. But I would concur with several other reviewers that the 'Smoothbore Volley that Doomed the Confederacy' stands out among them and is almost alone worth the price. If you have any interest in exactly how Jackson met that volley then this is a worthwhile purchase.
An interesting and very diverse set of essays, though somewhat uneven in quality and relevance to the battle itself. For a person wanting to know about the entirety of the campaign and battle of Chancellorsville the book is basically useless. It is best read after a more complete overview such as Ernest B. Furgurson or Stephen Sears accounts. The essays cover a wide range of topics from 'medical' care to wars effects on children, in addition to focusing on pieces of the battle. But I would concur with several other reviewers that the 'Smoothbore Volley that Doomed the Confederacy' stands out among them and is almost alone worth the price. If you have any interest in exactly how Jackson met that volley then this is a worthwhile purchase.
October 23, 2023
Great Civil War History!!
May 17, 2013
Another entry in the Gallagher-edited essay series. This has 8 essays about the Chancellorsville campaign of April-May 1863. It came out shortly before one of the last major works on this subject, Stephen Sears' excellent Chancellorsville and a few years after Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave.
I think the best and most important essay was Robert Krick writing about the famous wounding of Stonewall Jackson. Krick accepts the David Kyle account, which contrasts with Sears and many others. However, based on a visit to Chancellorsville in 2012, the Kyle version (which places Jackson's wounding on the Mountain Road, not the Orange Plank Road) seems to have been accepted by the NPS. Krick provides an excellent rendition of events that often differ from classic accounts and makes this a must read.
Will Greene covers Stoneman's Raid, an underappreciated aspect of the campaign. Greene seems to have a more positive appraisal of Stoneman's performance than Sears does and this essay is definitely worth reading to compare and contrast how the two authors view the raid. (I hope Eric Wittenberg will write on this subject in the future.)
As usual, Gary Gallagher contributes an essay. He examines Jubal Early's role in a semi-independent command around Fredericksburg and at Salem Church while the main battle was fought farther west at Chancellorsville. Gallagher gives Early a positive appraisal; it would be performances like this that lead to Early's temporary corps command during the Overland Campaign and his independent command later in 1864 in the Shenandoah. (I would argue that it should have been Early and not Ewell that replaced Jackson as Corps commander, although Gallagher doesn't directly address this.)
John Hennessy writes about the morale, condition, and organization of the Army of the Potomac leading up to the campaign. It is fine writing, but does not seem to add anything particularly notable.
Keith Bohannon examines the court martial of Col. Emory Best (CSA), which is a decent examination of what seems to be an obscure incident. The main weakness of this essay seems to be a scarcity of information on the subject.
Carol Reardon writes about Hancock's division at Chancellorsville. The division is perhaps most notable for including Nelson Miles winning the Medal of Honor. Battle-specific unit histories rarely interest me and this one was no exception.
The last two essays are James Robertson writing on medical treatment and James Marten writing about the Chancellor children. I skipped both as their subject matter did not particularly interest me.
My biggest criticism of this book is probably not what the essays cover, but what isn't covered. JEB Stuart's handling of Jackson's corps on May 3rd would have been a good topic. So would the experience of Longstreet, Hood, and Pickett at Suffolk (the reason they missed the battle). But most importantly, a close examination of Joe Hooker seems a must for any writing on Chancellorsville. Other than a light treatment in Hennessy's essay (and dealing solely with pre-battle events), perhaps the most significant (and probably the most often criticized) person in the entire campaign is ignored.
I think the best and most important essay was Robert Krick writing about the famous wounding of Stonewall Jackson. Krick accepts the David Kyle account, which contrasts with Sears and many others. However, based on a visit to Chancellorsville in 2012, the Kyle version (which places Jackson's wounding on the Mountain Road, not the Orange Plank Road) seems to have been accepted by the NPS. Krick provides an excellent rendition of events that often differ from classic accounts and makes this a must read.
Will Greene covers Stoneman's Raid, an underappreciated aspect of the campaign. Greene seems to have a more positive appraisal of Stoneman's performance than Sears does and this essay is definitely worth reading to compare and contrast how the two authors view the raid. (I hope Eric Wittenberg will write on this subject in the future.)
As usual, Gary Gallagher contributes an essay. He examines Jubal Early's role in a semi-independent command around Fredericksburg and at Salem Church while the main battle was fought farther west at Chancellorsville. Gallagher gives Early a positive appraisal; it would be performances like this that lead to Early's temporary corps command during the Overland Campaign and his independent command later in 1864 in the Shenandoah. (I would argue that it should have been Early and not Ewell that replaced Jackson as Corps commander, although Gallagher doesn't directly address this.)
John Hennessy writes about the morale, condition, and organization of the Army of the Potomac leading up to the campaign. It is fine writing, but does not seem to add anything particularly notable.
Keith Bohannon examines the court martial of Col. Emory Best (CSA), which is a decent examination of what seems to be an obscure incident. The main weakness of this essay seems to be a scarcity of information on the subject.
Carol Reardon writes about Hancock's division at Chancellorsville. The division is perhaps most notable for including Nelson Miles winning the Medal of Honor. Battle-specific unit histories rarely interest me and this one was no exception.
The last two essays are James Robertson writing on medical treatment and James Marten writing about the Chancellor children. I skipped both as their subject matter did not particularly interest me.
My biggest criticism of this book is probably not what the essays cover, but what isn't covered. JEB Stuart's handling of Jackson's corps on May 3rd would have been a good topic. So would the experience of Longstreet, Hood, and Pickett at Suffolk (the reason they missed the battle). But most importantly, a close examination of Joe Hooker seems a must for any writing on Chancellorsville. Other than a light treatment in Hennessy's essay (and dealing solely with pre-battle events), perhaps the most significant (and probably the most often criticized) person in the entire campaign is ignored.
October 6, 2020
A good, typical Gary Gallagher collection of essays on the Chancellorsville campaign, of varying interest and value, but worthwhile if you have an interest in the battle. I thought the most valuable ones were on Stoneman's cavalry raid and on the care of the wounded. Again, be warned, this is not a narrative of the campaign, so it shouldn't be the first book one reads on it. But maybe the second.
June 20, 2016
This book was a series of essays about the Civil War battle of Chancellorsville and its impact. Several of them were top-notch historical essays, well written and insightful. On the other hand, I found several of them to be redundant as well as without much real historical depth. So, I was only able to go three star for the collection despite several essays in the five star range.
December 30, 2020
Chancellorsville is the weakest book in this Gallagher's battle series that I've read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews