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where the reunited forces, about thirty-six thousand in number, exclusive of the artillery, and some detachments which had not arrived, bivouacked that night.
General Pleasanton accompanied the infantry with one brigade of cavalry, and the remainder of the horsemen, under
General Stoneman, pushed on toward Rapid Anna Station and Louisa Court-House.
From his Headquarters, near
Falmouth,
Hooker issued an exultant order,
such as the circumstances seemed to justify,
1 and, crossing the
Rappahannock, he pushed on to
Chancellorsville, where, in the spacious brick mansion of
Mr. Chancellor, he made his Headquarters that night.
Pleasanton's cavalry was thrown out upon the roads leading to
Fredericksburg and Spottsylvania Court-House.
A part of these that night had an encounter with some of
Stuart's cavalry, near
Todd's tavern, on the road between
Chancellorsville and Spottsylvania Court β House.
From that old inn, around
which he had bivouacked
Fitzhugh Lee's brigade to watch the Nationals,
Stuart set out with his staff for
General Lee's Headquarters, when he encountered a regiment of
Pleasanton's cavalry.
He sent back to
Todd's tavern for a regiment, and at the head of his staff gallantly attacked his foe. Ample assistance came, and after a sharp encounter in the bright moonlight the
National force was broken and scattered.
While the movements on
Hooker's right were so successfully performed, his left wing, under
Sedgwick, composed of his own corps (Sixth), and those of
Reynolds (First), and
Sickles (Third), had as successfully masked
the movement, for
Lee, while watching the visible enemy in front of him, was not aware of the passage of the
Rappahannock by the turning column, until the three corps were on their way toward the
Rapid Anna.
Taking position a little below
Fredericksburg,