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Battle of Salem Church, May 3-4, 1863

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Salem Church, Part VI: Robert E. Lee intended for Jubal Early and Lafayette McLaws to coordinate a morning attack on Sedgwick’s corps on May 4. While McLaws did not move as planned, Jubal Early’s division moved north up the Telegraph Road and reclaimed Lee’s Hill and Marye’s Heights. This cut Sedgwick off from Fredericksburg and the Union troops still in the city. 


Jubal Early began Lee's planned offensive on May 4 by advancing up the Telegraph Road towards Fredericksburg (map by Kathleen Thompson)

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By 8:00am, Early's division had retaken Marye's Heights. This cut Sedgwick off from Fredericksburg and Gibbon's Union division. (map by Kathleen Thompson)

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Major General Jubal Early (Confederate)

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Colonel John B. Gordon (Confederate)

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Brigadier General Albion P. Howe (Union)

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Brigadier General William Barksdale (Confederate)

Suit trousers, Black, Flash photography, Black-and-white

Report of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, page 1 (Confederate)

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Report of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, page 2

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Report of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, page 3

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At dawn on May 4th Early advanced his division from their position by the Cox house on the Telegraph Road north towards Lee’s Hill. Lee intended for Early and McLaws to coordinate their movements in order to join their lines and move against Sedgwick simultaneously. However, the timing was off from the start. Colonel John B. Gordon started his brigade up the Telegraph Road too early, forcing Early to advance the rest of his division to catch up. Fortunately for the Confederates, the Federal force had not held Lee’s Hill and Marye’s Heights after their victory on May 3 and Gordon’s brigade faced very little resistance in taking a position on the high ground and then continuing towards the Orange Plank Road.

Howe’s Second Division was positioned on the Orange Plank Road and they were completely surprised when Gordon’s artillery began firing on them from Lee’s Hill and Confederate skirmishers crossed Hazel Run on the attack. Howe sent forward a line of skirmishers to engage with the oncoming Confederate as the rest of his men pulled into defensive positions on the Plank Road. The ravine of Hazel Run slowed the Confederate momentum slightly, allowing Howe to reform his line. However, by around 8:00am, Early had successfully retaken Marye’s Heights and cut Sedgwick off from Fredericksburg. While Early’s division moved into positions on the Heights, Brig. Gen. William Barksdale’s brigade retook their previous position behind the stone wall on the Sunken Road. Gibbon’s Union Division prevented Early from retaking the city of Fredericksburg, but now Gibbon was cut off from Sedgwick. 

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.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Map by Kathleen Thompson

Map by Kathleen Thompson

"Jubal Early." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubal_Early.

"John Brown Gordon." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_Gordon.

"Albion P. Howe." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion_P._Howe.

"William Barksdale." Wikipedia. Accessed June 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barksdale.

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 1000. 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 1001. 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 1002. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730244&view=1up&seq=3.