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continuous column of infantry trains and ambulances passing his front.
His division was on Howard's left, whose corps formed the right of the Union army.
Sickles sent a battery forward to a commanding position on his front and fired at the moving column, and at 12 M. moved with two of his divisions and Barlow's brigade of Howard's corps and gained the road Jackson was moving on, capturing a few hundred of his men. Howard did not fear an attack on his right, for his brigade, in reserve at that point, was selected to assist in Sickles's pursuit.
At 9.30 A. M. Hooker notified Slocum and Howard that the right of their line did not appear to be strong enough.
“We have good reason to suppose the enemy is moving to our right.”
Howard does not admit that he ever received the notification — Slocum says he read it; but at 10.50 A. M. Hooker received a dispatch from Howard that a column of infantry had been observed moving west, and that he had taken measures to resist an attack from the west.
Later he became convinced it was a retreat, not an attack.
At 2 P. M. Couch, next in command, was told by Hooker that Lee was in full retreat toward Gordonsville, and that he had sent out Sickles to capture his artillery; and at 4.10 P. M., the hour Jackson was forming his column of attack behind his right, Hooker sent a dispatch to Sedgwick: “We know the enemy is flying, trying to save his trains.
Two of Sickles's divisions are among them.”
About 3 P. M. Jackson's van reached the plank road, three miles west of Chancellorsville.
The commander of the cavalry accompanying him had made a personal reconnoissance while waiting for Jackson to come up, and had located the exact position of the Union right.
When Jackson arrived, at his request, he accompanied him through a concealed wooded road to a hill overlooking the rear of the Federal right.
Below and but a few hundred yards' distant ran their line of battle, with abatis in front and long lines of stacked arms in the rear.
Cannon in position were visible, and the soldiers were in groups, chatting, smoking, and playing cards, while others in the rear were driving up and butchering beeves.
Stonewall's face bore an expression of intense interest during the five minutes he was on the hill,
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