LIVE from Chancellorsville on Day 3
What a day in the field we had today!
Emerging Civil War once again partnered with Civil War Trust for a second day of Facebook LIVE broadcasts to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the battle of Chancellorsville. (You can still see them archived at the Civil War Trust’s Facebook page.)
Kris White took the helm today. We were joined by ECW historians Dan Davis, Steward Henderson, and Edward Alexander; National Park Service historians Pete Maugle and Beth Parnicza; and Central Virginia Battlefields Trust President Tom Van Winkle. The Trust’s social media guru, Connor Townsend, kept us all looking good.
We hit up Hazel Grove, Fairview, the Chancellorsville ruins, and Salem Church. Temps soared into the 90s, but we were so pumped up, it was easy to push through the day!
I know I’m in the minority and people get really upset because they feel this was the crowning moment of Stonewall Jackson and I couldn’t agree more. What I have to say should take nothing away from the amazing flanking movement Stonewall Jackson dead. As someone who has suffered head trauma was thankfully flown to a hospital realized it’s more serious than it sounds. My point is although the flanking movement still would have rolled up XI Corps and Etc., I honestly believe General hooker suffered a concussion from the column that fell on his head from The Cannonball. In no way am I implying that is the reason for General Lee and General Stonewall Jackson’s success, but I feel with the amount of troops General hooker had in the amount of artillery station on The High Ground I feel a competent General could have perhaps stop throwing up of the flank. I know I’ll get nailed on this but that’s just how I truly feel and I never have seen it written anywhere but a column cannot fall on your head from a cannonball without causing some serious temporary loss of faculties.
I completely agree. With what we know about head trauma today, I would love to see/read/hear a medical analysis of Hooker’s injury. I love it when medical historians backtrack from what we know today to figure out what probably happened back in the day. One thing that has always struck me (poor choice of words . . . sorry) is that the Union army had nothing in place to deal with the situation of a concussed commander. One would think the chain of command would have kicked in immediately, but apparently not. Anyone volunteer to look into this?
I think you just did. 😉