The definitive account of Robert E. Lee's Chancellorsville, one of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War.Stephen W. Sears describes the series of controversial events that define this crucial battle, including General Lee's radical decision to divide his small army––a violation of basic military rules––sending Stonewall Jackson on his famous twelve-mile march around the Union army flank. Charging out of the Wilderness with Rebel yells, Jackson's troops destroyed one entire corps of the Union army. Lee's great victory came at great cost, however: Jackson was accidentally shot by his own troops and died eight days later. And ironically, the momentum of Lee's greatest triumph pushed him to launch an aggressive campaign that led to his greatest defeat, at Gettysburg. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, including personal accounts by soldiers on both sides, Sears has written the authoritative book on Chancellorsville.

The definitive account of Robert E. Lee's Chancellorsville, one of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War.Stephen W. Sears describes the series of controversial events that define this crucial battle, including General Lee's radical decision to divide his small army––a violation of basic military rules––sending Stonewall Jackson on his famous twelve-mile march around the Union army flank. Charging out of the Wilderness with Rebel yells, Jackson's troops destroyed one entire corps of the Union army. Lee's great victory came at great cost, however: Jackson was accidentally shot by his own troops and died eight days later. And ironically, the momentum of Lee's greatest triumph pushed him to launch an aggressive campaign that led to his greatest defeat, at Gettysburg. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, including personal accounts by soldiers on both sides, Sears has written the authoritative book on Chancellorsville.