Many Civil War buffs have called the battle of
Chancellorsville Robert E. Lee's greatest victory; Stephen W. Sears doesn't necessarily agree, and in this painstakingly researched book, he offers ample evidence that Lee had luck on his side in the battle. Lee was a great general all right, and his men did fight savagely. But the notion that Union General
Joseph Hooker was inept is cast into doubt by Sears, who describes the action of
Chancellorsville as most great battle books do--hour by hour. This book is the finest rendition of the battle yet and an interesting thesis for Civil War discussion. Lee's penchant for aggressiveness and his faith in his troops as unbeatable may have worked at
Chancellorsville, but Sears argues that these alone couldn't win the war. Lee learned this lesson too, a month later at
Gettysburg.
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Background Information
The Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 was a Confederate victory for Robert E. Lee but cost the life of Stonewall Jackson. Robert E. Lee was served in the United States Army in Mexico and led the Confederate Army in the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg represented the high water mark of the Confederacy when it was fought in July 1863.
