"The Perfect Charge": Honor Under Fire at Chancellorsville
Life on the Civil War Research Trail
•
8m 47s
At the Battle of Chancellorsville, there came a moment when Col. William J. Sewell and his New Jersey Brigade, including Michael Clancy, faced overwhelming odds with no orders to retire and no reinforcements on the way. There was no honorable option but to charge—and they did.
Up Next in Life on the Civil War Research Trail
-
Rebel Cavalry, Running Pell Mell Thro...
Franklin F. Pratt, who served in the ranks of the 76th New York Infantry, and the rest of Maj. Gen. John Reynolds 1st Corps faced the Confederate juggernaut during the first day of fighting at Gettysburg. Pratt wrote a letter to his parents to explain what happened—and how he fared.
-
General Basil Duke Remembers Champ Fe...
During the Civil War, Kentucky's Basil W. Duke, a respected Confederate brigadier general, met fellow Kentuckian and guerrilla fighter Champ Ferguson, a man he described as "the most celebrated and successful exponent of this irregular warfare." Here's his recollection.
-
1865: Hancock Visits Gettysburg for t...
For three days in October 1865, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, staff, and friends, toured the battlefield of Gettysburg. For Hancock, walking and riding the grounds in company with historian John Batchelder made the visit a memorable and newsworthy event.
