Anderson's Attack, May 4, 5:30pm
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Salem Church, Part XI: As Early’s division attacked the east side of Sedgwick’s line and engaged with Union troops of Howe’s division, the newly positioned reinforcements under Anderson also attacked. Terrain and exhausted troops resulted in the three brigades becoming tangled and barely engaging with the Union line of Brooks’ division.
Images
Major General Richard H. Anderson (Confederate)
When the three brigades of Anderson's reinforcements attacked at 5:30pm they became entangled and barely engaged with the Union line in front of them (Map by Kathleen Thompson)
Brigadier General Ambrose R. Wright (Confederate)
Brigadier General Edward Perry (Confederate)
Brigadier General Carnot Posey (Confederate)
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 1 (Confederate)
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 2
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 3
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 4
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 5
Report of Brig. Gen. A. R. Wright, page 6
Report of Brig. Gen. E. A. Perry, page 1 (Confederate)
Report of Brig. Gen. E. A. Perry, page 2
Report of Brig. Gen. E. A. Perry, page 3
Report of Brig. Gen. E. A. Perry, page 4
Report of Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey, page 1 (Confederate)
Report of Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey, page 2
Report of Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey, page 3
Report of Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey, page 4
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
As planned, Anderson’s three brigades to the south of the Plank Road (the brigades of Wright, Perry, and Posey) attacked alongside Early’s Division, but they made almost no impact. Exhausted after Chancellorsville, the march to Salem Church, and then the trek through the terrain of the railroad cut to their new position, Anderson’s men were not able to fight effectively on the evening of May 4. Advancing through the tangled thickets and ravines towards the Union line by the Plank Road, the three brigades became disoriented. Fault largely fell to Wright’s Georgia Brigade who drifted left of the course they were supposed to take. They barely engaged with the skirmishers stationed ahead of Brooks’ Union line and instead ended up in the path of the other two Confederate brigades. Wright’s Georgians cut off Posey’s Mississippi brigade and got tangled with Perry’s Florida brigade. Union artillery stationed along Brooks’ line were easily able to direct their fire into the Confederates and halt any attempt to advance toward the Federal line as darkness fell.
Anderson’s portion of the Confederate attack failed, and McLaws never moved forward in his part of the assault. McLaws claimed that darkness limited his ability to attack and Sedgwick had a strong artillery presence opposite to McLaws’ line. His hesitation to attack thoroughly disappointed Lee and dashed the hope of a decisive assault to push Sedgwick from the field. As Sedgwick repositioned his lines into a stronger defensive position, Lee feared that the Union force would retreat and end the chance of defeating a section of the Army of the Potomac. He needed to take care of Sedgwick’s Corps so that he could turn the full force of his army back on Hooker at Chancellorsville. In an unusual move for Lee, he ordered McLaws to attack in the dark. The brigades of Kershaw and Wofford, along with part of Wilcox’s Alabamians, advanced towards the Federal line. Through the next several hours there would be skirmishing and artillery fire between the two lines, but darkness, tangled terrain, and confusion hampered both sides.
Sources
Furgurson, Ernest B. Chancellorsville, 1863: The Souls of the Brave. New York: Vintage Books, 1992.
Gallagher, Gary W. The Battle of Chancellorsville. National Park Civil War Series. Eastern National, 2007.
Parsons, Philip W. The Union Sixth Army Corps in the Chancellorsville Campaign: A Study of the Engagements of Second Fredericksburg, Salem Church and Banks’s Ford, May 3-4, 1863. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2006.
Sutherland, Daniel E. Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville: The Dare Mark Campaign. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998.
"Richard H. Anderson." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_H._Anderson.
Map by Kathleen Thompson
"Ambrose R. Wright." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_R._Wright.
"Edward A. Perry." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_A._Perry.
"Carnot Posey." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_Posey.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 865. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 866. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 867. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 868. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 869. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 870. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 874. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 875. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 876. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 877. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 870. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 871. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 872. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I-Volume XXV-Part I-Reports, page 873. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.