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[293] daylight to the attack, with the battle-cry, ‘Charge, and remember Jackson!’1 “Swinging round his right so as to bring it perpendicular with the plankroad, he seized the crest which had the day before been occupied by the left of the Eleventh Corps, got thirty pieces of artillery rapidly into position thereon, and opened a heavy fire on the plain around the Chancellor House.” 2 The attitude of Hooker had not now even the pretence of an offensive character. The line he held, however, on Sunday morning, still covered the angle of roads at the Chancellorsville House. Sickles' corps, and Berry's division of Slocum's corps, and French's division of Couch's corps formed the right, and faced westward to meet Stuart's attack, while the rest of Slocum's corps and Hancock's division of Couch's corps formed the centre and left and covered the two roads from Chancellorsville to Fredericksburg to meet any assault from the remainder of Lee's army, while part of Hancock was thrown back, facing eastward, so as to guard the communications with United States Ford. The corpscom-manders saw that it was only a question of saving what they could of the army's honor, for the army was without a head.3 During the night the engineers had traced out a new line three-quarters of a mile to the rear of Chancellorsville,
1 Life of Jackson, by an Ex-Cadet, p. 187.
2 Stuart's Report of the Battle of Chancellorsville, p. 18. ‘In course of the morning, the corps on our right was pushed in, enabling the enemy to concentrate his artillery fire on Chancellorsville with effect.’—Couch's Report. This swinging round of Stuart's right was made under the following circumstances. It will be remembered that Sickles, from the movement he had made on Saturday afternoon to attack the rear of Jackson's corps, reached a position on the right flank of that corps; but a little before daybreak, Sickles was ordered to retire from that position to his place in the new line. It was when the withdrawal had been nearly accomplished that Stuart advanced his right, and in so doing engaged Sickles' rear, consisting of the brigade of Graham, who manoeuvred his command with address and made good his escape.—
3 When Slocum, after fighting long and hard, sent to inquire if other movements were being made that might relieve him, or if he might expect reenforcements and ammunition, Hooker replied, that he could not make soldiers or ammunition. This, too, when two corps lay idle!
1866.
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