Chancellorsville and Gettysburg | Page 4

made a pretence of crossing in pontoons,
and built fires in every direction at night, to give the impression of a
large force. On the 24th General Wadsworth went on an expedition to
the same place, and two regiments under Colonel Morrow, 24th
Michigan, crossed over in boats, and returned. Those movements
caused Jackson to strengthen his force in that quarter. On the 27th, the
storm having abated, Meade's corps (the Fifth), Howard's corps (the
Eleventh), and Slocum's corps (the Twelfth), the whole being under the
command of General Slocum, left camp for Kelly's Ford, each
accompanied by three batteries. A detachment was thrown over, in
boats, on the evening of the 28th, which dispersed the picket guard; and
by the next morning the entire force was across the river and on their
way to the Rapidan, the Fifth Corps taking the direction of Elley's Ford
and the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps that of Germania Ford. Stoneman's
cavalry crossed at the same time with the others, and moved to
Culpeper, where he halted for a time to reorganize his force, and get rid
of surplus horses, baggage, etc., which were sent to the rear. The next
day Averell kept on to Rapidan Station with 4,000 sabres, to engage W.
H. F. Lee's rebel brigade, so that it could not interfere with the
operations of the main body, which moved southeast across Morton's
Ford and Raccoon Ford to Louisa Court House, where the work of
destruction was to begin. Stoneman's further movements will be related
hereafter. One small brigade of three regiments with two batteries was

placed under the command of General Pleasonton and directed to report
to General Slocum, to precede the infantry on the different roads.
Stuart, who commanded two brigades of rebel cavalry, under Fitz Hugh
Lee and W. H. F. Lee, and whose duty it was to watch these upper
fords, received news of the crossing at 9 P.M., on the 28th.
The turning column reached Chancellorsville with but little opposition,
as both Lee and Stuart thought it was making for Gordonsville and the
Virginia Central Railroad. In consequence of this miscalculation, Stuart
planted himself at Brandy Station. When he found that he was out of
position and that it was too late to prevent the crossing at Germania
Ford, he made a circuit with Fitz Hugh Lee's brigade to get between
Slocum and Lee, and sent W. H. F. Lee's brigade to impede Stoneman's
operations. The passage of Germania Ford turned Elley's Ford and
United States Ford, and Mahone's and Posey's brigades, who were on
guard there, retreated on Chancellorsville, where Anderson had come
up with Wright's brigade too late to prevent the crossing.
By 6 P.M. on the 30th, Hooker found himself in command of four
corps at Chancellorsville, with another--that of Sickles--near at hand.
Anderson fell back to Tabernacle Church as our troops advanced, and
began to fortify a line there. Stuart sent Fitz Hugh Lee's brigade, which
was very much exhausted, to Todd's Tavern for the night, while he
started with a small escort, to explain the situation to General Lee at
Fredericksburg. On the road, not far from Spottsylvania, he came
unexpectedly upon one of Pleasonton's regiments, the 6th New York
Cavalry, numbering about 200 men, which was returning from a
reconnoissance it had made in that direction. He avoided the encounter
and sent back to Todd's Tavern, at first for a regiment, but subsequently
for the entire brigade. When there reinforcements came up a furious
cavalry contest took place, with charges and counter-charges, and hand
to hand combats. It was not without an element of romance, in that
lonely spot, far from either army, under the resplendent light of the full
moon; recalling, in the words of a Southern chronicler, some scene of
knightly glory. Our troops were surrounded, but cut their way out with
the loss of their gallant commander, Lieutenant-Colonel McVicar, who

led them in the charge.
Meanwhile the other portion of the contemplated movement had also
been going forward. On the 28th, the Sixth Corps, under Sedgwick, and
the First Corps, under Reynolds, were moved down near the river, three
or four miles below Fredericksburg, and bivouacked there in a pouring
rain. As it was possible that the two corps might be attacked when they
reached the other side, the Third Corps, under Sickles, was posted in
the rear as a reserve.
The next day two bridges were laid down at Franklin's old crossing for
the Sixth Corps, and two more a mile below for the First Corps. Men in
rifle-pits on the other side impeded the placing of the pontoons for a
while, but detachments sent over in boats stormed their intrenchments,
and drove them out. Brooks' division of the Sixth Corps and
Wadsworth's division of the First Corps