Hooker's army that Lee, finding the position too impregnable, was retiring. Sickles and Howard thought differently.

"Lee has divided his army, and now is the time to strike," said General Sickles to Hooker.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL T. J. (STONEWALL) JACKSON.

General Hooker hesitated. His plan was to stand wholly on the defensive. Still the column filed by.

"The enemy is on my flank," was the message from Howard. can hear the sound of their axes in the woods."

"We

"You may go out and feel the enemy, but don't go too fast, nor too far," said Hooker, at last yielding.

Sickles soon came upon the rear of Jackson's passing troops and there was a sharp contest.

The Eleventh Corps was formed in the following order: General Devens's division on the right, between the Stevensburg road and the old sawmill, facing northwest; General Schurz's division south of the plank road, facing southwest; General Schimmelfennig's brigade of Steinwehr's division also south of the road, reaching to Dowdal's Tavern; Barlow's brigade north of the road, in rear of the centre.

There was a gap from Dowdal's Tavern almost to Chancellorsville, from which Sickles had moved. Slocum had advanced beyond Chancellorsville southeast. The sending out of Sickles and Barlow, the advance of Slocum, and the position of the Second Corps, so far away to the rear, left Howard without any supports.

Howard's skirmishers, who attention of the men along. Occasional shots had been alarm till the skirmishers.

Jackson came through the woods upon fired and fell back. The firing attracted the the lines, who were cooking their suppers. fired during the afternoon, and there was no came out of the woods upon the run, followed by the rebels. The men seized their arms; but, before Devens could get his regiments into position, the rebels were approaching his right flank, firing quick volleys and yelling like savages. Some of Devens's command fled, throwing away their guns and equipments. Others fought bravely. Devens, while endeavouring to rally his men, was wounded; several of his officers. fell; yet he held his ground till the rebels gained his rear and began firing into the backs of the men who stood behind the breastwork. Then the line gave way, abandoning five guns.

It is manifest that, while a portion of the Eleventh Corps became panic - stricken, a large number of Howard's troops fought with great bravery. The corps numbered about thirteen thousand five hundred on the morning of May 1st.

The force under Howard at the time of the attack did not exceed eleven thousand, mainly raw German troops. Howard's total loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners was two thousand five hundred and twenty-eight. Twenty-five officers and one hundred and fifty-three men were killed, seventy-eight officers and eight hundred and forty-two wounded, a total loss of one thousand and ninety-eight killed and wounded, which shows the severity of this brief conflict.

A

was two miles and a half from its position in the line; that Barlow's tion, that Howard had no supports to call upon; that the Third Corps duct in this battle; but when all of the facts are taken into consideraThe Eleventh Corps has been severely censured for pusillanimous con

REBEL POSITIONS.

A. Stonewall Jackson's Corps.
Front line Rodes's Division.
Middle line Colston's Division.
Third line A. P. Hill's 64

B. Archer's and Wright's Brigades.

C. Anderson's Division.

D. McLaw's

T. Tavern.

99

brigade had been sent away; that the attack was a surprise; that Jackson's force exceeded thirty thousand; that, notwithstanding these disadvantages, a "stubborn resistance" was offered, praise instead of censure is due to those of the Eleventh who thus held their ground, till one-fourth of their number were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners.

Almost at the beginning of the attack Devens was wounded. In the confusion and panic, there was no one to take his place till Howard arrived. Hooker was at once in his saddle.

"The enemy have attacked Howard and driven him in," was his word to Sickles.

"That can't be," said Sickles, incredulous.

"Return at once," was the order from Hooker, by a second

messenger.

The heavy firing, constantly growing nearer, gave force to the instruction.

It was now quite dark. Sickles set out to return with all possible haste, but soon found that he had got to fight his way back. Jackson's left wing had swept round, till it rested upon the road, over which he had marched on his way out to the Furnace. Berry's division came first upon the enemy. A severe contest ensued, lasting till nine o'clock, when he succeeded in re-establishing his connection with Howard, who had thus far fought the battles almost alone. Lee, with Anderson's command, all the while was making a demonstration against the Twelfth and Fifth Corps east of Chancellorsville, and the Second was too far in rear to be of any service to Howard before the return of Sickles and Barlow.

Jackson gained no advantage after his first attack, but on the other hand came near experiencing a panic in his own lines. General Colston says:

"We continued to drive the enemy until darkness prevented our farther advance. The firing now ceased, owing to the difficult and tangled nature of the ground over which the troops had advanced, and the mingling of my first and second lines of battle. The formation of the troops became very much confused, and different regiments, brigades, and divisions were mixed up together. . . . The troops were hardly reformed and placed in position when the enemy opened, about ten o'clock, a furious fire of shot, shell, and canister, sweeping down the plank road and the woods on each side. A number of artillery horses, some of them without drivers, and a great many infantry soldiers,