April 30, 1863. |
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| Hooker's Headquarters near Falmouth. |
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| Todd's Tavern.2 |
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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,
1 The following is a copy of the order: βIt is with heartfelt satisfaction that the commanding general announces to the army that the operations of the last three days have determined that our enemy must either ingloriously fly, or come out from behind his defenses and give us battle on our own ground, where certain destruction awaits him. The operations of the Fifth, Eleventh, and Twelfth corps, have been a succession of splendid achievements.β
2 this is a view of Todd's Tavern, as it appeared when the writer sketched it, in June, 1866. it was also the Headquarters of General Warren, and other officers, when the army under Grant was in that vicinity, in the spring of 1864.
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