CHANCELLORSVILLE, BATTLE OF, in Spottsylvania co., Va., between the union army under Gen. Hooker and the confederate forces under Gen. Lee, May 2, 1863. Hooker had succeeded Burnside in command of the army of the Potomac, and after nearly three months' work brought it into a state of efficiency. He had 132,000 men, 13,000 of whom were cavalry. 'This army, in seven corps, lay on the Rappahannock opposite to Fredericksburg. On the heights on the other (right) bank the confederate army was strongly intrenched; it numbered 62,000 men, of whom about 3,000 were cav alry. Hooker resolved to turn the confederate left flank, first sending nearly all his cavalry to destroy communication with Richmond. April 27th, Hooker sent 36,000 men up the left bank of the river beyond the confederate line, and they crossed safely. The objective point was C. a solitary brick dwelling-house in a wide and bar ren region. Before sunset, on the 30th, 48,000 union soldiers had reached the place. Another considerable union force had crossed the Rappahannock below Fredericksburg, and were making demonstrations in the confederate front. Lee appears to have been unaware of these movements until the evening of the 30th. At midnight his men were in motion, and before noon of May 1st he was in line of battle in Hooker's front. At daybreak " Stonewall" Jackson, with 30,000 confederates. moved behind the shelter of a dense forest (the " Wilderness"), and at 3 P.M., after a march of 15 m., fell upon the union army while the men were preparing their dinner, with arms stacked and their entrenchments unguarded. The union forces fled without making a stand, and pushed towards C. There they were with difficulty brought to a stand. Jackson,
who had pursued them closely, rode out to reconnoiter, when he was fired on by his own nien who mistook his escort for a union company. Ile died the next day. Thus far the greatest damage suffered by the federals was the temporary disorganization of Howard's corps, which was the weakest corps in the field; and this was more than supplied by the arrival during the night of a large corps from Washington. On the morning of May 3d (Sunday), Hooker was still on the defensive. The confederates began the attack, rind it was hotly confining]. until 10 o'clock, both sides suffering severely. While Sickles -Was bearing the brunt of Stuart's attack, the ammunition failed, and Sickles sent for aid. At the moment the message came to Hooker, he was struck by a spent ball and fell insensible to the ground; so there was no one to send aid to Sickles, and he was obliged to fall back. The weight of some half-dozen assaults fell upon his division, until he was overpowered and his lines destroyed. The day passed in desultory fighting and strategic movements, in which, on the union side, there was much indecision and loss of opportunity. Monday night Hooker resolved to abandon his position, and threw up intrenchmentss to cover his bridges. A storm came on Tuesday afternoon, but the night the union forces crossed the river, and the battle was over. The losses, as set forth in official reports, were : on the union side, 17,000, of whom 12,000 were killed and wounded and 500 missing; on the side of the confederates about 13,000, of whom 10,300 were killed and wounded and 2,700 missing.