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Chancellorsville and
Fredericksburg, where strong intrenchments were thrown up. There a plank road and a turnpike diverged, and met again at
Chancellorsville, Along these
Jackson ordered a general advance,
Owen's cavalry leading.
Jackson commanded in person the column on the plank road, and that on the turnpike was led by
General L. McLaws.
Hooker had also disposed his army for battle.
He was aware of the peril of fighting with the
Wilderness at his back, and had directed his army to move out along the two roads just mentioned, and another leading to Banks's Ford, to give battle in the open country toward
Fredericksburg.
In a circular issued that morning,
he said Headquarters would be at the
Tabernacle Church after the movement should commence; but
Jackson was there before him, for
Hooker's columns did not move until eleven o'clock. At that hour the divisions of
Griffin and
Humphreys, of
Meade's (Fifth) corps pushed out on the left toward Banks's Ford, while
Sykes's, of the same corps, supported by
Hancock's division, and forming the center column, moved along the turnpike.
Slocum's entire corps (Twelfth), with
Howard's (Eleventh) and its batteries, massed in its rear, composing the right column, marched along the plank road.
The left column reached a point in sight of Banks's Ford without opposition, and the right column penetrated an equal distance eastward, without serious resistance.
The center was not so fortunate.
A little more than a mile in advance of the
National works at
Chancellorsville its cavalry met the vanguard of the
Confederates, and a spirited contest ensued, in which the former vere driven back.
Then
Sykes brought up his entire column, with artillery, and after a severe struggle with
McLaws, whose force was deployed in line of battle across the turnpike, with
Jordan's battery on the
Mine road, he pushed his foe back.
At about noon, he gained the advantageous position of one of the ridges, back of
Fredericksburg, which are nearly parallel with the
Rappahannock, and which commanded
Chancellorsville and the surrounding country.
Banks's Ford, which
Lee had strenuously endeavored to cover, was now virtually in possession of the Nationals, and the distance between
Sedgwick, opposite
Fredericksburg, and the main army at
Chancellorsville, was thereby shortened at least twelve miles. It now seemed as if a vigorous and general forward movement would give the Nationals a speedy and decisive victory,
and possibly annihilate
Lee's army.
This movement some of the commanders were anxious to make, but circumstances compelled the chief to withhold his sanction.
Slocum and
Jackson had met on the plank road, and struggled fearfully, until at length the latter was making a serious movement on the flank of his antagonist, and strong columns were overlapping
Sykes's flanks.
Informed of this, and fearing his army might be beaten in detail