The
campaign that unfolded in the thickets west of Fredericksburg at the beginning
of May 1863 presented the greatest challenge to the legendary collaboration of Robert
E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The two Confederate leaders took on the
heaviest odds that their army ever encountered, and also faced a tremendous
disadvantage of ground as a result of skillful opening moves by their opponent,
General Joseph Hooker. The dazzling triumph that Lee and Jackson won at Chancellorsville aptly has been called “Lee’s Greatest Victory.”
We will spend two days following the troops of both sides in their operations
during this pivotal campaign, walking on the historic ground and reliving the
dramatic experiences of 1863.
After an overview on
Friday evening, we will begin on Saturday morning by following the
route of Lee’s main column as it headed toward Chancellorsville to block the
Federal threat posed by Hooker’s turning movement. Our first stop will be the Zoan Church ridge where the Federal advance toward Lee’s rear ran into the newly arrived
Stonewall Jackson and came to a halt. We will retrace the advance by Jackson westward, as he pushed the Federals back toward the Chancellorsville intersection. Then, for the first time with a CWEA group, we will stop in the
midst of the May 1, 1863 battlefield, on land recently saved by the joint
preservation efforts of all of us. Our next stop will be at the point where the
Confederate pursuit on May 1 halted on a commanding ridge line perpendicular to
the Plank Road. There Lee spent most of the next day, feinting
against Hooker to keep his attention riveted while Stonewall Jackson went
around the enemy on his famous flank march. We will walk across the 100-acre
field where Lee’s skirmishers spent May 2 bewildering Joe Hooker.
We will proceed to Ely’s
Ford, where much of the Federal army crossed the Rapidan River at the
opening of the campaign, and where Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart was operating late on May 2 when word reached him that he was needed far to the
south to take command of Jackson’s corps. We will continue on to the country
crossroads where Lee and Jackson met for the last time, and hatched
their phenomenal plan for marching across the front of Hooker’s army and into
its rear.
Lunch will be at the
battlefield visitor center, built almost atop the spot where Jackson fell
mortally wounded on the evening of May 2, 1863. We
will then drive back to the launching point of Jackson’s famous flank march,
and ride the first two miles of that route, stopping near the birthplace of the
great scientist and naval officer, Matthew Fontaine Maury, where Jackson’s
column first came under view of the enemy. Another mile beyond the Maury site stand
the ruins of Catharine Furnace, an 1830’s iron manufactory and a
landmark on Jackson’s route. We will then hike the first three miles of Jackson’s
route, pausing at three historic points along the way. (You are welcome to
hitch a ride in our support vehicle at any point during this trek). By day’s
end, we will have carried Jackson to the launching point of his attack.
On Saturday evening,
tour participants will have the opportunity to attend the annual meeting and
barbecue dinner of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust (CVBT), of
which Bob Krick is a founder and board member. The event will be held on the
top of historic Marye’s Heights. The CVBT’s first major success was in
saving that ground more than a decade ago. The charge for the dinner (barbecued pork & chicken, side dishes, dessert and beverage) is $25.00 per person. We will contact you prior to the beginning of our event to ask
if you will be attending this annual meeting and barbecue dinner.
On Sunday morning we
will pick up Jackson’s story at the point where he launched his greatest
attack. Because three sizable farms in the midst of the flank attack have
recently been preserved, we will be able to walk over the ground to a far
greater extent than any tour group ever has in the past, and we will visit
a site from which a 360-degree view spreads across the entire action. Bob Krick,
whose research on this attack is projected toward a major book, will tell us
this dramatic story in considerable detail, and lead us onto private property
not usually accessible to tour groups.
We will then visit the site
of Jackson’s mortal wounding at the high point of the May 2,
1863 attack, and discuss what happened
on that dark and smoky night in the Wilderness.
The critical position on
the Chancellorsville battlefield on May 3, 1863 was Hazel Grove, an open hilltop ideally suited for artillery. We will visit
Hazel Grove and then walk through the pasture that separates it from the
Federal artillery strong point at Fairview, in the process covering the ground above which raged
one of the most notable artillery duels of the war.
After lunch on the grounds
of Ellwood (built 1790), where Jackson’s arm is buried, we will hike through the woods west of Chancellorsville to the site of
the Chancellorsville Inn and the climax of the battle. A mile north, we
will walk into the woods at the point where Hooker constructed tremendous
earthworks to protect his army, a complex known as “Hooker’s Apex.”
Just as Lee completed his
monumental victory at Chancellorsville, word came that a Federal force had broken through
the small Southern rearguard at Fredericksburg. Lee hurried troops eastward to forestall trouble in
that direction, and the Battle of Salem Church resulted. The battlefield
has been overwhelmed by modern commercial development, but Salem Church still
stands, scarred by 1863 bullets, as a landmark of the action. We will stop at
the old church to wrap up the tour.
Join Bob Krick
for this exiting tour of Lee’s Greatest Victory. Space is limited so we advise you to reserve a place now. We hope to
see you at Chancellorsville!
ABOUT OUR TOUR LEADER
Robert
K. Krick recently retired as Chief
Historian at Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania National Military Park after a long
career with the National Park Service. For four years after his retirement, Bob
worked for the USMC, writing the exhibit texts for the new National Museum of the
Marine Corps. He is widely regarded as the leading authority on the Army
of Northern Virginia and is the author of many books including Stonewall
Jackson at Cedar Mountain, Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at
Port Republic; The Smoothbore Volley That Doomed the Confederacy: The Death of
Stonewall Jackson and Other Chapters on the Army of Northern Virginia and,
most recently, Civil War Weather in Virginia.
Program
Schedule:
Friday, May 2
8:00 PM-8:45 PM Overview - at our base hotel in Fredericksburg, VA soon TBA
Saturday, May 3
8:15 AM Depart by Bus from base hotel
in Fredericksburg
12:00 N Picnic
Lunch
4:30 PM Arrive
Back at base hotel in Fredericksburg
For those who elect to attend the annual
meeting/barbecue dinner of the CVBT:
6:00 PM Depart
for Marye’s Heights
8:15 PM Arrive
back at base hotel
Sunday, May 4
8:15 AM Depart
from base hotel in Fredericksburg
12:00 N Picnic Lunch
4:30 PM Arrive
back at base hotel in Fredericksburg
Registration Fees (Lodging not Included): $ 325 Under Age 23: $ 95
You can reserve a space on this tour by making a $50 Deposit per Person.
If You Must Cancel we will
refund 100% of your fees paid. However, to receive a 100% refund, you must allow
30 days from the date of our receipt of your notice of cancellation
What is Included in your Registration Fee:
* the services of an expert
historian chosen for his knowledge and experience
* transportation to sites as
indicated
* Saturday & Sunday
lunches
* refreshments and snacks
during the tour
* map package
Lodging: Our program will be based at a
hotel In Fredericksburg, Virginia. Information including hotel location, room
rates and instructions on how to reserve a room under our block will be sent to
all registrants and posted on this website by November 30, 2007.
