Battle of Chancellorsville

In early May, 1863, General Joseph Hooker attempted to move the Army of the Potomac, which included Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath’s regiment, between troops under the command of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia. To distract Lee, Hooker sent forces to threaten the Confederates at Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Lee, though threatened from two sides, surprised and unnerved Hooker by staying on the offensive. He divided his army to defend Fredericksburg and sent with 26,000 men on a stealthy swing around to hit General Hooker’s vulnerable right wing at dusk. General Hooker retreated back across the Rappahannock River, handing a stunning victory to the Confederates.