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Robert E. Lee's Confederate army routed the much larger Union Army of the Potoma
1863 Event

May 6

Chancellorsville Ends: Lee Wins but Loses Stonewall Jackson

Robert E. Lee's Confederate army routed the much larger Union Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville in what military historians consider Lee's tactical masterpiece, achieved by dividing his outnumbered force in the face of the enemy. The victory came at a devastating cost when Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire during his flanking march. Lee would never find a replacement for Jackson's aggressive battlefield instincts, and the loss haunted the Confederate war effort at Gettysburg two months later.

May 6, 1863

163 years ago

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