My time there was limited because I wanted to get to Brandy with plenty of sunlight, but I managed to grab some shots of the most famous areas.
The descriptions are below each photo. Click for larger view.
This is the area of the May 1st action looking east--the opening shots of the battle. One can easily make out the ridge in the distance which is where Mahone's brigade deployed to attack the Union cavalry and soon Sedgwick's Division. Many say the battle was lost for the Union here when Hooker "lost his nerve" and retreated back to Chancellorsville.
Another interesting thing about this photo is that one cannot see what is beyond the ridge. To Hooker, the whole Confederate Army could have been just over it..
This is moving further west to the area of the Chancellors house. The foundation is all that remains. One thing that struck me was the size of the house, which was a lot smaller than I had imagined. The front porch is where Hooker was famously knocked silly by a Rebel artillery shell that struck the column he was standing by.
This is from the area of the Chancellors house looking west to Fairview.
I have now moved west to the area of Fairview. This was a key Union artillery position until it was captured by the Rebels on the 3rd day. I was amazed at how well preserved the artillery lunettes were. They look like they could have been made last week.
Another view of the lunettes.
Close-up of one of the lunettes.
This is a well known view of the Fairview-Hazel Grove corridor. The corridor was much wider at the time of the battle (as depicted in the SOW maps). You can see Alexader's Confederate artillery positions in the distance.
View from a Union gun. Every civil war battlefield photographer in the world has taken a shot like this..
A cool painting/wayside near the Union guns depicting the scene on the morning of May 3rd.
This is looking further to the west from the Fairview corridor. Ramseur's bold North Carolinian's would have charged out of those woods as they captured Fairview.
We have now moved to the western portion of the field--the sight of Jacksons flank attack. The "you are here" on the wayside is where the next shots were taken.
This is looking west towards the area of the Flank attack. Howard's Corps was spread thinly along a low ridge facing west and south. The confederates would have burst through the woods to the front and over the ridge.. and over the federals..
Imagine thousands of screaming Rebels charging over that hill towards you..
Looking back towards the east and south towards the site of the Wilderness Church. The Plank Road is on the right. You can see how the ground was raised making it a good place to post troops. But not good enough for Jackson's 2 mile wide line of attacking Rebels.
As Jackson's men pressed the fleeing Federals all the way back to Chancellorsville, at around 9 PM, Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own men while surveying the Union positions. This is the area he was shot.
This stone was placed to mark the spot where Jackson was wounded.
