Today in History:

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

Page 877 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.

one standard was captured by my command at the last charge at Chancellorsville. It was given by my assistant adjutant-general (Captain McCaslan) to a member of the ambulance corps, to be taken to the rear, for at that time, being in the thickest of the charge, Captain McCaslan did not stop to take the name of the party to whom he gave it, or the command to which he belonged; nor did he give him as definite instructions as he should have done, and the standard cannot be found.

I have the honor to report that no colors were lost by any of the regiments of my command.

I have the honor, major, to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. A. PERRY,

Brigadier-General, Provisional Army Confederate States.

Major THOMAS S. MILLS.

Assistant Adjutant-General.


Numbers 332. Report of Major Robert A. Hardaway, First Virginia Artillery, Acting Chief of Artillery.

NEAR HAMILTON'S CROSSING, VA.,

May 14, 1863.

SIR: About 10 a.m., Saturday, May 2, the First Virginia Artillery, commanded by Colonel John T. Brown, was ordered to the intersection of the Plank and Mine roads, nearly midway between Todd's Tavern and Chancellorsville. The artillery of Jackson's corps followed the movements of his infantry to the left and by the furnace. I was left in command of the artillery from the Plank road to Mine Creek, consisting at first of one Napoleon and three howitzers. In consequence of a large break in our line of infantry to the front, at my suggestion General Lee ordered up Captain [Tyler C.] Jordan's four rifles (Alexander's battalion) from the turnpike, thus giving a command of eight guns. The pieces were immediately protected by earthworks, one rifle and one Napoleon commanding the Plank road, two howitzers being placed at 120 yards to the left, and commanding and old road from the Mine road to Chancellorsville. The other pieces were distributed along the Mine road at intervals of about 400 yards, commanding the hollows leading into Mine Creek. The timber in front of the three rifled pieces had been cut away for fuel for the furnace, showing an open field, with occasional stacks of cord-wood, of about 1 mile to the front. To the left of the rifled pieces a skirt of old field pines growing on the slope of the hill, parallel with and about 250 yards distant from Mine Creek, shut out all all view of the valley of Mine Creek, except at a point where the main hollows, collecting from this open land (where the timber had been cut away), debouched into Mine Creek, where the right of General Wright's brigade rested. The position of the last rifle on the left I estimated at about half a mile from Mine Creek.

In the afternoon (probably 2.30 p.m.) orders were given by General Lee to hurry up a howitzers to position at the furnace, across Mine Creek, it being stated by Major [C. S.] Venable (who was charged with conducting the piece) that a regiment of infantry would be in position ready to support us. The movement was intended to relievee the ordnance train, reported by vedettes to be endangered by the enemy's sharpshooters.


Page 877 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.