Chancellorsvilles Forgotten Front

Posted on 16 February 2018 by Chris Mackowski

By May of 1863, the Stone Wall at the base of Marye s Heights above Fredericksburg loomed large over the Army of the Potomac, haunting its men with memories of slaughter from their crushing defeat there the previous December They would assault it again with a very different result the following spring when General Joe Hooker, bogged down in bloody battle with the Army of Northern Virginia around the crossroads of Chancellorsville, ordered John Sedgwick s Sixth Corps to assault the heights and move to his assistance This time the Union troops wrested the wall and high ground from the Confederates and drove west into the enemy s rear The inland drive stalled in heavy fighting at Salem Church Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, May 3, 1863 is the first book length study of these overlooked engagements and the central roles they played in the final Southern victory.Once Hooker opened the campaign with a brilliant march around General Lee s left flank, the Confederate commander violated military principles by dividing his under strength army in the face of superior numbers He shuttled most of his men west from around Fredericksburg under Stonewall Jackson to meet Hooker in the tangles of the Wilderness, leaving behind a small portion to watch Sedgwick s Sixth Corps Jackson s devastating attack against Hooker s exposed right flank on May 2, however, convinced the Union army commander to order Sedgwick s large, unused corps to break through and march against Lee s rear From that point on, Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front tightens the lens for a thorough examination of the decision making, movements, and fighting that led to the breakthrough, inland thrust, and ultimate bloody stalemate at Salem Church.Authors Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D White have long appreciated the pivotal roles Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church played in the campaign, and just how close the Southern army came to grief and the Union army to stunning success Together they seamlessly weave their extensive newspaper, archival, and firsthand research into a compelling narrative to better understand these combats, which usually garner little than a footnote to the larger story of Jackson s march and tragic fatal wounding.The success at Second Fredericksburg was one of the Union army s few bright spots in the campaign, while the setback at Salem Church stands as its most devastating lost opportunity Instead of being trapped between the Sixth Corps hammer and Fighting Joe Hooker s anvil, Lee overcame long odds to achieve what is widely recognized as his greatest victory But Lee s triumph played out as it did because of the pivotal events at Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church Chancellorsville s forgotten front where Union soldiers once faced the horror of an indomitable wall of stone, and an undersized Confederate division stood up to a Union juggernaut.REVIEWS Too often historians have treated the battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church as mere footnotes to the greater Chancellorsville campaign In Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front, Mackowski and White bring the story to the forefront where it belongs, and they do so in a style at once entertaining and evocative Donald Pfanz, award winning author of Richard S Ewell A Soldier s Life Mackowski s and White s Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front is not just a micro study of a small portion of a large campaign, but a study of the campaign from the perspective of overlooked battles Anyone who thinks Second Fredericksburg, Salem Church, and Banks Ford were insignificant engagements are about to discover that the Federals who fought and died in these actions were not left behind simply as decoys, and the fighting so wonderfully researched and described had a direct effect on the entire campaign Greg Mertz, supervisory historian, Fredericksburg Spotsylvania National Military Park Most studies of Chancellorsville focus on the fighting around the Chancellor house and on Stonewall Jackson s flank attack and mortal wounding Few remember the campaign s second front at Fredericksburg and the intense deadly combat at Salem Church, where nearly 30,000 Federal troops of Sedgwick s VI Corps battled for their lives against Jubal Early s division and elements of Longstreet s First Corps This stunning oversight has finally been corrected by historians Mackowski and White Their readable, enjoyable, and deeply researched micro tactical study is a must for anyone interested in Civil War battles in general, and Chancellorsville in particular Eric J Wittenberg, award winning Civil War author Chris Mackowski and Kristopher White s Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front focuses on an overlooked and yet complex part of Fighting Joe Hooker s 1863 effort to defeat Robert E Lee Their study is simply first rate, and should not and cannot be overlooked by anyone trying to understand the full importance of the Chancellorsville campaign Lance J Herdegen, award winning author of The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory Chancellorsville s Forgotten Front is sure to be among the best Civil War books published this year Mackowski and White demonstrate the importance of this all too often neglected part of campaign with authenticity and eloquence Their research is exhaustive, and their passion for the subject obvious If you think you know all about Chancellorsville, think again Professional historians and amateurs alike will gain new information and fresh insight by reading this book, and come away with a better appreciation for, and knowledge of, Lee s greatest victory Mike Stevens, President, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust Free Read [ Chancellorsvilles Forgotten Front ] by [ Chris Mackowski ] – kino-fada.fr Just as the title states, both Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D White look into the forgotten area of the Chancellorsville Battle The general idea of the battle tends to be grand scheme of Stonewall Jackson s Flank Attack against the Eleventh Corps while the analysis usually ends with the wounding of the commander This book attempts to fill the void in study of the battle and does so in a phenomenal fashion By analyzing the actions of General Sedgwick and the Sixth Corps, this book gives us Just as the title states, both Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D White look into the forgotten area of the Chancellorsville Battle The general idea of the battle tends to be grand s...After reading this book I now knowabout not only this battle, but the ineptitude of the the leadership of the Army of the Potomac than I ever thought that I would As the title suggests, Second Fredericksburg gets overlooked and forgotten when Chancellorsville is discussed Hooker and his timidness, for lack of a better word, and the death of Jackson are the two things that are remembered about this battle It is good that a well researched and written book about the work of Sedgwick s VI After reading this book I now knowabout not only this battle, but the ineptitude of the the leadership of the Army of the Potomac than I ever thought that I would As the title suggests, Second Fredericksburg gets overlooked and forgotten when Chancellorsville is discussed Hooker and his timidness, for lack of a better word, and the death of Jackson are the two things that are remembered about this battle It is good that a well researched and written book about the work of Sedgwick s VI Corps, and that of the Confederate Army opposing him, has been written and provides us the detailed examination of this important aspect of the battle It shows just how close of a thing it was After reading this, I wonder how different the battle and the war might have been if Grant and Sherman were in the East instead of the West, as a lack of aggression and confusion by Hooker and Sedgwick, even though the VI Corps fought well and achieved the only Union victories on the battlefield, cost th...I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program However, I was sent this book in error I had entered to win a different book I feel this explanation is necessary as I believe I would have thoroughly enjoyed this book if I was a Civil War buff It was full of details about battles, troop movement, tactics, etc that would appeal to a different reader I loved the general story about how the union blew their advantage, but was not very interested in the minute details of the b I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program However, I was sent this book in error I had entered to win a different book I feel this explanation is necessary as I believe I would have thoroughly enjoyed this book if I was a Civil War buff It was full of details about battles, troop movement, tactics, etc that would appeal to a different reader I loved the general story about how the union blew their advantage, but was not very intereste...Generally a good narrative of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church The maps are generally clear and apropos There could have been a few , especially one covering the transition from Second Fredericksburg to Salem Church and thence to Banks Ford And I don t feel that I learned as much about the b...A good accounting of an important part of the Chancellorsville battle that is often overshadowed by the events surrounding Stonewall Jackson s flank movement and wounding.

English
16 February 2018

Chris Mackowski