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Robert E Lee Strategy At Chancellorsville Essay

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Lee’s Strategy at Chancellorsville The American Civil War was fought between the Union and Confederate states within the United States that prolonged from 1861 to 1865. The entire war consisted of around fifty significant major battles in addition to minor battles during the five year time span; one of the major battles in the Civil War was the Battle of Chancellorsville. The Confederate strategy, developed by Confederate General and West Point graduate Robert E. Lee, was considered a risky, but successful scheme. Robert E. Lee’s initiative and superior leadership qualities as General of the Confederate states led his army to the greatest victory during the American Civil War (“Battle of Chancellorsville”, History.com). The Battle of Chancellorsville, …show more content…

Lee composed one of the greatest, boldest strategies of the entire Civil War against the Union army that eventually claimed victory. This plan was a make or break moment for the entirety of the Confederate army. “They split the 40,000 man force at Chancellorsville, with Jackson taking his 28,000 men around to attack the Union right flank. Lee, on the other hand, would exercise personal command of the other 12,000 facing Hooker’s entire 70,000 man force at Chancellorsville (“Battle of Chancellorsville”, New World Encyclopedia). The plan may sound simple, but there were a number of precautions that had to occur for the plan to reach success. The following had to take place: an undetected twelve mile roundabout march from Jackson, tameness of General Hooker, and lastly, the hope of the Union forces being unprepared for the surprise …show more content…

On May 7, the Union lines were withdrawn from Richmond, ending the battle. Even though the Confederate states were victorious, General Robert E. Lee and his army lost a lot of men. With only 52,000 infantry engaged, he suffered more than 13,000 casualties, losing several top generals, most notably Jackson, his most aggressive field commander (“Battle of Chancellorsville”, New World Encyclopedia). Robert E. Lee was in dire need of more men to fill up his army before they could attack more Union territory.
Robert E. Lee’s initiative and superior leadership qualities as Confederate general led his army to victory. Lee’s actions demonstrated a great example of command partnership and the misuse of strategic initiatives. General Lee’s conduct at the Battle of Chancellorsville enabled Southerners to hold their heads up with pride in the face of the North’s final victory (“Battle of Chancellorsville”, New World Encyclopedia). Even when Lee has some rough times in his role as general, he persevered through the adversity and possessed a strong, strategic initiative that led the Confederates north to

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