Today in History:

829 Series I Volume XXV-I Serial 39 - Chancellorsville Part I

Page 829 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.

from my left. I am not informed when they were withdrawn, but I suppose they were immediately after dark.

By the next morning the enemy had retired from this side of the river, and my command was employed in burying the dead, attending to the wounded, and collecting arms and accouterments. I received orders during the morning to assemble my division, send General Anderson's brigade to rejoin him, and to send an intelligent officer to the position of General Heth, at or near the junction of the River and Mine roads, to inform himself of the points to be occupied, and, if General Heth had left, to replace him by the by the brigade of General Mahone and another of my own; but afterward, in conversation with General Lee, he directed me to move one of my brigades (General Kershaw's) to relieve General Heth. The brigade was already in motion, and I joined with in and went to General Heth's position. The march was not delayed for a moment, as the brigade did not halt even once, and it arrived at its destination before the storm. General Heth's main command was posted in rear of the rifle-pits which had been constructed 200 or 300 yards on the Plank road side of the junction of the River and Mine roads, with smaller bodies more to the front. His men and officers had their shelter and other tents pitched, and there were no indications of his moving on my arrival. I think he received orders after my arrival to move when I arrived. General Kershaw had relieved him, and was in position before the storm commenced. General Heth informed me that the strength of the three brigades under his command was about 1,900 aggregate, which was not so numerous as the single brigade of General Kershaw. Colonel [Williams C.] Wickham offered his services to point out the different crossings on the right, and I rode down the River road with him. A terrible storm of wind and rain delayed my return to my headquarters until between 8 and 9 o'clock at night, when I learned that General Semmes had been ordered to join General Kershaw.

The next morning early I rode to the position of Generals Kershaw and Semmes, and, advancing the skirmishers and scouts, discovered that the enemy had gone over the river. Shortly after, I received orders to retire on my former position in front of Fredericksburg, leaving a brigade (Wofford's) at Banks' Ford.

The number of killed, wounded, and missing in my division [is as follows]: Kershaw's brigade, 104, of which 2 are missing; Barksdale's brigade, 592, of which 341 are missing, besides 14 officers; Semmes' brigade, 603, of which 26 are missing; Wofford's brigade, 562, of which 9 are missing; artillery, 28, of which 2 are missing. Total, 1,889.

My inspector-general reports over 1,200 prisoners taken.

Very respectfully,

L. McLAWS,

Major-General.

Major [W. H.] TAYLOR, Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 316 Report of Brigadier General Joseph B. Kershaw, C. S. Army, commanding brigade.

HDQRS. KERSHAW'S Brigadier, Massaponax, Va., May 20, 1863.

MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my command during the recent engagements in this vicinity:

At 7.30 o'clock, April 29, the firing of artillery and small-arms along the river announced an attack, and in a few minutes more my command


Page 829 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.