Today in History:

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

Page 979 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.

some time, we moved forward, and after going some distance it was reported to General Colquitt that we were being flanked on our right. I was ordered by him to detach my command and look after the flanking party. I made a change of front obliquely to the right, and moved forward a few hundred yards, but did not meet the enemy, but could see them fleeing before me, out of range of my guns. I deemed it useless to proceed any farther in that direction, so I turned to my left and followed the brigade. While making to the left, the enemy threw a few shell at my regiment and wounded 2 of my men. Just before dark we rejoined the brigade, and were placed an hour or two afterward on the front line, near the batteries on our line, close to the Plank road.

Here we lay upon our arms during that night, and early on the morning of the 3rd we were marched out and carried some 3 miles toward extreme right. We were formed in line of battle; moved forward over a mile; then brought to a left flank and marched back to the extreme left again; then brought to the about; carried back toward then right again; formed in line again; moved forward some distance; then to a left flank; carried to the extreme left and across the Plank road about 1 1/2 or 2 mile s from Chancellorsville, and finally moved forward here, and ment the enemy and drove them nearly a mile, under their guns.

What few men I had left after the fatiguing and long march acquitted themselves very creditably, and I did not notice any acts of skill or valor worthy of especial mention during the engagement.

My loss was 3 killed on the field and 40 wounded; among the later, one of my best officers. A list of the casualties will be found below*.

After the fighting was over on the 3rd, we were marched in front of Chancellorsville, and took up position and intrenched ourselves, and remained until we were ordered back to camp, without meeting with any other incident of note.

My utter ignorance of the locality and the names of places renders it impossible for me to make the localities referred to above intelligible. I cannot say that my regiment captured any arms. Those that were in the hands of the enemy that we wounded we left lying upon the field.

I am, very respectfully,

A. J. HUTCHINS,

Colonel Nineteenth Georgia.

[Captain G. G. GRATTAN, Assistant Adjutant-General]


Numbers 385. Report of Colonel Emory F. Best, Twenty-third Georgia Infantry.

MAY 8, 1863.

MAJOR: In compliance with orders received form Brigadier-General Rodes, commanding division, Saturday, May 2, I remained with my regiment at the furnace, near Chancellorsville, for the protection of troops, and to give notice of any advance of the enemy at that point, with authority from General Jackson to order any troops to my support it attacked. While the troops were passing, no demonstration was made by the enemy, except the shelling of the woods through which the troops passed from a hill about 200 yards from my vedettes, and about 600 or 700 yards distant from the furnace. On account of the exposure of my flanks, it became necessary to deploy three companies as skirmishers besides the company covering the front on my main body, to give notice

---------------

*Embodied in Addenda to Colquitt's report, p. 977.

---------------


Page 979 Chapter XXXVII. THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN.