The Battle of Chancellorsville, one of the most famous battles of
the Civil War, took place in Virginia in the spring of 1863. For months,
the two armies had been staked out on opposite banks of a narrow river.
Hooker had used spies, analysts, and even hot air balloons to compile a vast amount of
intelligence about Lee’s army. He had discerned, for example, that Lee had only 61,000 men to Hooker’s
own 134,000. Buoyed by his superior numbers, Hooker covertly moved 70,000 of his men fifteen miles up
and across the river, and then ordered them to sneak back down to position themselves behind Lee’s
army.
offensive were dismissed as cowards. Having become convinced that Lee had no choice but to retreat,
Hooker began to ignore reality. When Lee’s army attacked the Union soldiers at 5:00 p.m., they were
eating supper, completely unprepared for battle. They abandoned their rifles and fled as Lee’s troops
came shrieking out of the brush, bayonets drawn. Against all odds, Lee won the Battle of Chancellorsville,
and Hooker’s forces withdrew in defeat.