The Confederates Greatest Victory: 1863 Historical Battle of Chancellorsville | Total War Battle

Chancellorsville is known as Confederate general Robert E. Lee's "perfect battle" because his risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a much larger enemy force resulted in a significant Confederate victory. The victory, a product of Lee's audacity and Union general Joseph Hooker's timid decision-making, was tempered by heavy casualties, including Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Jackson was hit by friendly fire, requiring his left arm to be amputated. He died of pneumonia eight days later, a loss that Lee likened to losing his right arm.
00:00 The Union plan
01:01 The Confederate plan
01:33 The Armies involved
01:59 The Union arrives at Chancellorsville
02:53 The Confederate movements
03:44 The Armies engage at the Turnpike
04:22 The Union defences
05:22 The Confederates move to the Union right
06:45 Battle breaks out at the railroad
07:27 Jacksons men approach the Union
08:18 The Confederates charge the Union troops
09:40 Jacksons death
10:07 Confederates move to Hazel Grove
10:46 Artillery duel
11:12 Combat continues
12:07 The Confederates press forward
12:37 Lee and his men advance
13:06 Confederates deal with the Union flank attack
14:18 The Union withdraws
14:33 Aftermath

[@ArmyVet82ndAbn]

The Souths greatest victory but also its greatest loss: Stonewall Jackson.

[@Davemurray2880isaindian]

He was probably fragged

[@randyboisa6367]

1/504th P.I.R. Red Devils "Strike Hold"

[@andystarkiller7492]

" He has lost his left arm but I've lost my right arm "

[@thefrontline1]

I don’t know how well Jackson would do in the trench fighting of the overland campaign. His actions early war are legendary, but I just couldn’t see him as effective during battles like spotsylvania/Petersburg

[@johnkaluzny9649]

@@thefrontline1I’m sure he would’ve adapted just fine. Most great generals do.

[@tonyhill1264]

Joe Biden was a young, 20 year old LT when this was fought in 1863....So Brave!👍

[@mohamhead9701]

LMFAO 😂😂

[@Snowboarder16]

@@mohamhead9701😂😂😂😂😂

[@richardphillips4367]

Lol

[@rd9793]

He wasn't a general?

[@richarddavenport7811]

Where was Trump? Oh that’s right, bone spurs.

[@emilpavlov6656]

outnumbered more than two to one and still you divide your forces and WIN that's called a military masterpiece

[@rockbottom8502]

Yet when Custer did it an Little Big Horn he was forever labeled an idiot

[@nanouli6511]

@@rockbottom8502 those were US troops, not Confederate and Custer was someone his own men hated because of the risks he took

[@rockbottom8502]

@nanouli6511 I didn't think we were making distinctions about WHO the troops were. Custer beat those Confederates repeatedly during the Civil War.

[@ZairokPhoen]

@@rockbottom8502 There's a bit to unpack here. Custer's main thing was his arrogance. He and his cav rode way far ahead of reinforcements at Little Big Horn. He charged an enemy who he could clearly see extremely outnumbered him. He got way in over his head, and that time it cost him, and his men's lives. From what I've researched he was VERY lucky to have lived as long as he did with how reckless he was. In my opinion his successes in the Civil War gave him a huge head, and at some point it was going to blow up on him. Little Big Horn was too much for him. He could have waited and had better odds, but for some reason decided the best course of action was to Leeroy Jenkins in to Death's embrace.

[@rockbottom8502]

@@ZairokPhoen I agree, but the same thing _could_ have happened to Stonewall Jackson's force at Chancellorsville. The Federals there showed great incompetence in letting that flank attack happen and then catch them off guard. If fact Daniel Sickles of Gettysburg famed spotted Jacksons troops on the march, and reported it to Hooker, who foolishly assumed they were retreating southward.

[@PxThucydides]

I always thought General Sedgwick's last words were the greatest of all time. "Why are you men hiding like that? They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist-"

[@paulwoolerton664]

Good, but Alabama’s Gen William Barksdales “Tell my wife I died, but we fought like Hell” is up there.

[@frankmiller95]

l had the good fortune to meet General Sedgewick's direct descendant who shared his name. Upon being introduced, my first question to him was whether he was related to the general. He replied in the affirmative and that the general was his 3rd or 4th great grandfather. He then asked if l knew the general's last words, which l did. l regret not having pursued the acquaintance, but l was in midst of a passionate romance with his wife's former college roommate and even meeting the direct descendant of General John Sedgewick was of secondary interest.

[@freddexta3363]

@@frankmiller95 Lol, priorities yep.

[@SlumberBear2k]

lol one of the Glorious Sons of Connecticut. Up there with Benedict Arnold and PT Barnum.

[@frankmiller95]

@@SlumberBear2k Yours is a stupid, meaningless, comment that could only have come from a Southern apologist who believes the South deserved to have won Civil War.

[@randallbates9020]

At 60 years old I can say I have dwelt deeply through the years on this awful conflict. My Choctaw/Cherokee side of the family fought for the South, my Fathers side were New England Yankees, much to ponder through the years. I have often openly stated the "what if" of Jacksons death, The South may very well have won Gettysburg or at least achieved a tactical draw, I have read that Jackson just showing up spooked many Northern Generals...... But history is nothing but brutally honest when viewed in truth.... Jackson died and no what ifs will ever change that. Lee stumbled at Gettysburg in my humble opinion and without his trusted right hand named Jackson he and the Southern army were never the same. The North had the numbers, the industry and the infrastructure and could afford the longest of wars. The loss of Jackson and defeat at Gettysburg ended the Confederate cause, honestly they should have sued for peace and saved countless lives and a drawn out reconstruction of their homes and cities. God Bless the bravery of the soldiers on both sides and God Bless The United States of America.

[@rockbottom8502]

Not to mention losing Vicksburg the same day.

[@etorawa9367]

Jackson was the master of maneuvering and kept his enemies on their toes.

[@coreyshupp7578]

The fact that 200,000 colored troops were thrown into the fight , definitely helped the the North. The blockade of baton rouge so early in the war sealed the Souths fate.

[@dvrmte]

I read the diary of Jackson's map maker, Jedediah Hotchkiss. In the late Winter prior to Chancellorsville, Jackson ordered Hotchkiss to make him a map extending all the way to Harrisburg, PA. Jackson also instructed Hotchkiss not to speak of it to anyone, that it must be kept "a profound secret." Lee used that map during his invasion that led to the Battle of Gettysburg. The importance is that Harrisburg was the major rail junction where food and soldiers from the West were brought to the Northeast and Washington DC. The idea is that if the Confederate army destroyed the rails and junction there would be no reinforcements arriving from the West anytime soon. Populations centers would be hit with serious food shortages within a week or two and there would be rioting and chaos. That makes the "what if" more interesting in regards to Jackson's intentions and plans. However, the best chance Lee had to successfully invade the North including DC was just prior to Second Manassas and just after Jackson's victory at Cedar Mountain. Jackson's attack caused Pope to concentrate his forces. Amazingly, Pope took up a position in a natural trap and Jackson knew it. He immediately sent word to Lee, who left a small force watching McClellan on the Peninsula, and hurried towards Jackson with the rest of the army. Pope had positioned himself in the fork of the Rapidan and Rappahannock rivers with only one bridge as a means of retreat. Lee called for Stuart and his cavalry to ride immediately to Jackson. The plan was to send the cavalry around Pope to the bridge and destroy it. While that was happening Lee and Jackson would cross the river and outflank Pope and crush him with superior numbers, before any reinforcements from McClellan could arrive. Afterwards, Lee and Jackson would invade the North and capture Washington faster than McClellan could possibly bring his troops by ship to its defense. However, as Longstreet said later, the South lost the fruits of its labors and thus a Southern Confederacy because of Fitzhugh Lee's untimely route to the rendezvous. So the cavalry was a day late. Longstreet disagreed with the plan from the start. He complained that his wagons hadn't arrived with rations to feed his men. Jackson had independent command at the time so he offered his relatively small cavalry force to destroy the bridge. He offered Longstreet rations from his wagons to feed his men with the promise of good eating after Pope was destroyed. Lee decided to wait on the cavalry and for Longstreet's wagons to arrive. Meanwhile part of Longstreet's men left a ford unguarded and a Union cavalry patrol got across and almost captured Stuart. They did capture his hat and dispatches that showed Lee's troop dispositions. So Pope immediately pulled out of the trap and set up in a stronger position. Imagine had Jackson been in charge instead of Lee. The soldier in my avatar is one of my Confederate ancestors. He was a private in the 60th Georgia Regiment, Lawton's Georgia Brigade under Jackson's command. He was killed at the First Battle of Bristoe Station/Kettle Run. That battle was a rearguard action just prior to the Battle of Second Manassas. His photo is on a battlefield marker near where he fell.

[@christophercorbett5074]

As a Brit I have always admired the fighting spirit of the Confederacy and much of its leadership In many ways you can draw comparisons between Rome and Carthage Like Hannibal Lee constant had to contend with the fact that he had fewer troops to operate with Criticisms of him taking the offensive and thus losing men are u generous in the extreme Caught between the two stools of sitting tight and being destroyed or attacking and being destroyed he did remarkably well And to those of my nation who say the States have never suffered invasion or deprivation to test their resolve I always answer not in the South during their civil war The courage and heroism shown by BOTH sides in this sad conflict is something for all citizens of the States to be very proud of

[@clamchowder622]

Thank you. You're one of the few people I've ever seen comment that Lee's offensive minded approach wasn't borne of ignorance or stupidity, but the fact that the South was starving, and by the time the war had begun, the only realistic path toward Southern independence was to force the Union to heel. Marylanders and Pennsylvanians were shaken by the invasion, and had some monumental victory been won on Northern soil, the end probably would have been the same, but it was their only chance, and Lee understood that. Even he was loathe to attack at Gettysburg, but his army was undersupplied and hungry, and he didn't have the luxury to roam hostile territory until the situation favored him. Longstreet plan was no more realistic than Lee's.

[@christophercorbett5074]

You are more than welcome We may debate about generals and so forth But the horrors of all wars are at least partly offset by courage loyalty and the capacity to appreciate what soldiers have left behind at home often to fight for

[@sweetdickwilly]

Unfortunately the South lost the war if Northern Aggression.

[@user-it1cc3pp4x]

As a Brit you are a confederate!!

[@sweetdickwilly]

Unfortunately the South lost the war of northern Aggression

[@franksullivan1873]

People can say what want and take down every Statue of Confederate soldiers but no one cannot deny their bravery against superior numbers of men and weapons.They didn’t all fight for slavery,they fought for their State and their families too.General Lee was an honorable man.

[@Experiencelif3]

They lost

[@karencarter8292]

@@Experiencelif3 Ah, the country lost, and we were never the same and have continuously deteriorated ever since.

[@PrismRisen]

"no one cannot deny their bravery," not sure what that means. Also, no one can, accurately, or legitimately, deny that the first offensive act of the Civil War was the Confederate attack on Federal Fort Sumter, or that nine of the Confederate states' secession ordinances clearly stated that their purpose was to keep slavery legal. For this, they were willing to destroy the Union. Further, the former Confederacy in essence "won" the peace with post-Reconstruction White supremacy, denying voting rights, public education, and fair employment opportunities to African American former slaves and free persons; then there were over 4,000 lynchings, 1882-1968. The legal end to this "servitude in peace" did not commence until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (House 289-126; Senate 73-27) and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (House 333-85); Senate 77-19), and even after that, there has been extensive racism against Blacks. Statues on public land and public school names for Confederate leaders? Absolutely not!

[@karencarter8292]

@@PrismRisen Fort Sumter was being resupplied by many US ships enroute. Do you think the Confederates were going to allow that ? Was the Union to be forced down the throats of those who wanted a separate and legal nation ? And initially, the North had no problem with slavery. There were many slaveowners in the northern states. Also, more importantly, the North wanted to force upon the South and ensuing western states a huge tariff that would be increased with time -- the real reason for the southern secession.

[@clamchowder622]

​@karencarter8292 they should have sent out boats of their own to block the resupply ships. Hindsight is 20/20, but the bombardment of Fort Sumter is what galvanized disinterested northerners to support war. Had we blockaded Fort Sumter, supplied the Union troops with food but nothing else, and forced the Union to attack, there would have been less northern support, and more foreign recognition of the Confederacy. Problem is the South was a culture of gentlemen and chivalry. It was considered dishonorable to allow Fort Sumter to remain occupied by foreign soldiers without fighting them for it.

[@jwiles545]

Was it the greatest. I mean they won against a significantly larger army, but they lost a higher percentage of their soldiers than the Union did. Confederate casualties were 21% of their Army, while the Union only lost 13%. It was a victory, no doubt. But imo, their greatest victory was at Fredericksburg.

[@brianboyer6012]

Plus they lost Jackson,a general who could never be replaced.

[@WestTNConfed]

Using percentages like that is stupid. Any larger army is going to lose a smaller percentage of their men, which was the case of almost every major battle in the Civil War. If 10 elite soldiers hold out against 500 enemies, the elite soldiers, if they pulled off a victory, will almost certainly lose a higher percentage of men. 5 casualties of SF= 50%, 50 casualties of enemies=10%. By your logic, we should demean the extraordinary feat of the elite soldiers because of "higher percentage of soldiers" lost. Give me a break.

[@jwiles545]

@@WestTNConfed No, its not stupid, its logical. The cold hard reality of the war was that the South either needed an astounding victory in which the Army of the Potomac was utterly defeated and the Confederate army could take Washington. Which was highly unlikely. Or they needed to bleed the Union while conserving their own men (ie like Fredericksburg). A battle where they stop the enemy Army, but in the process, lose a higher percentage of their own men, may look great in the papers of the time, but it does little regarding actually winning the war. The reality is that due to the heavy losses at Chancellorsville and then later at Gettysburg, the offensive power of the ANV was nearly gone by August of 1863. They could only play defense against the Yankee armies.

[@WestTNConfed]

@@jwiles545 You're talking about two different things. Chancellorsville was Lee's greatest tactical victory. You can make the argument that it wasn't the Confederacy's greatest strategic victory, which it was not. It would have been, if Jackson's corps was able to cut off the army's route of retreat, which would destroyed the entire Union army. The point you're bringing up is macro-warfare, but this video and the "greatest" title is referring to micro-warfare and Lee/Jackson's tactical genius.

[@jwiles545]

@@WestTNConfed the thread is titled greatest victory, not greatest tactical victory. I suppose the move around the flank was tactically successful, but the reality is that the greatest tactical victory was Fredericksburg or Cold Harbor, maybe second Bull Run. Because sitting behind fortifications and shooting the bloody hell out of them is a fantastic tactic. But it's not glamorous.

[@user-ko5bk9xe3r]

Lee even admitted that he could never overcome the loss of Stonewall Jackson 🤷🤔⁉️

[@nickhansford4446]

Can only wonder if Jackson would have handled gettysburg differently

[@michaelstein7510]

@@nickhansford4446Based on his personality and prior tactical decisions, I think it’s likely Jackson would have pursued a much more aggressive approach on the first day of the battle and not allowed the Union forces to take all the best high ground. Who knows how that might have changed things? Or maybe he even convinces Lee to withdraw after the first day to seek out a more favorable battle site to the Confederates than Gettysburg.

[@nickhansford4446]

@michaelstein7510 yeah I reckon he would have been more aggressive the first day, he would have persuaded Lee to attack attack attack

[@michaelrichardson6051]

​@michaelstei7510 what would have happened if Reynolds , the Union's best General had not been killed on the first day at Gettysburg,?

[@DavidBroadley-tw7ks]

Shot by mistake by a Johnny reb🤭🫡

[@etorawa9367]

In this battle I'd like to assume that Lee and Jackson drew inspiration from the "Battle of Austerlitz" in which Napoleon did something similar by making his enemies think he was withdrawing.

[@user-hg5sg6hp8m]

It pains me greatly when the statues of Lee and Jackson are being taken down. The battle of Chancellorsville was the epitome of Lee's generalship. There is a military axiom 'never divide your forces in the face of the enemy. In the Chancellorsville battle Lee divided his forces not once, but 5 times. His moves befuddled Hooker with such daring undertakings.

[@mrbaab5932]

Lee owned slaves and both men fought to keep slavery. This war killed 750,000 Americans to keep 150,000 rich slave owners rich.

[@equine2020]

It's a disgrace how some dems, & certain groups have destroyed our history. Eliminating the heritage of the south. It's said, only fools destroy their past It's true. History tells how a country advances. The good, & the bad. Robert E Lee was a great general. Confederate troops outstanding.

[@michaelrichardson6051]

That is the main reason it worked. He was going up against a grossly incompetent general. Fighting Joe Hooker. 😆

[@ninjacats1647]

Dividing forces is not a new concept. Napoleon is also well known for dividing his forces to defeat the enemy "in detail", something I believe is brought up in Robert Greene's 33 Laws of War.

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

I wonder why Hooker thought Lee was just going to come right at him. Odd stuff.

[@BlueAnalogGaming]

Thank you for these amazing educational videos!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks man glad you enjoy them 😁

[@kevinmoore9875]

Very nice video. General Lee gave the war his best shot for sure. The union generals had great respect for him.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks a lot😊

[@user-mn8un4dx9l]

The surprise attack on Hookers right flank is minimized by this video.

[@davidmurray5399]

A little detail is that when columns of troops were marching, the colors, both State and National, were cased. The order to un-case the colors would be issued when a regiment was preparing to advance, into line of battle or in a review column.

[@Ihavpickle]

It was a victory for the confederacy, but i wouldn't call it the cleanest victory, Lee's army took heavy casualties while also losing one of his best commanders. Though its still impressive how Lee managed to push back the massive army of the Potomac.

[@redemptivepete]

Hooker's strategic plan was brilliant and forced Lee to react as he did. Goes to show strategy without delivery gets you nowhere Politicians everywhere take note!!

[@frankmiller95]

Had Hooker not lost his nerve and failed to complete his plan, the ANV would have been utterly destroyed and Lee's "brilliant maneuver" revealed for what it was, a foolish, risky gamble that succeeded almost entirely through good luck.

[@feudinggreeks3316]

@@frankmiller95 People like you are unbearably unreasonable. When Lee loses - "Haha see, Lee is a terrible commander the Union is the best!" When Lee wins - "Oh lee sucks, he was just lucky!" Coping by trying to make excuses like "luck" for Lee's success and not granting he was a skilled Commander is plain stupid. You appear ingenuine in the least sense, and abysmally moronic in the most sense. To decline a general's brilliance by attributing his success to "luck" is lazy.

[@JamesTheCivilWarGuy]

They call him audacious...Lee and Jackson so bold in this battle. All the men are brave, on both sides.

[@213thAIB]

Hooker’s order to Sickles to retire from the high ground at Hazel Grove was probably the final blunder that decided the battle. It may also have led Sickles to advance his III Corps (without permission) to the high ground at the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg two months later, creating a salient where none had existed, leading to the destruction of the III Corps in that battle.

[@stephenclay7499]

My statue of Robert E Lee ( mounted) stands in my garden alongside Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling. They will only be removed over my dead body.

[@manuelacosta9463]

The Union sure was out generaled in this battle. Lee's boldness and willingness to take extreme risks really had the Union on edge. Then it imbued Lee with victory disease and we all know what comes next at Gettysburg.

[@danielkitchens4512]

Gettysburg is overrated, Meade only survived at Gettysburg and let Lee reteart in good order back to Virginia. The loss of Vicksburg had more impact on Lee's army in the long term.

[@ardshielcomplex8917]

The loss of Jackson contributed heavily to Lee's defeat at Gettysburg, if he'd been there I believe that both and Longstreet would counselled Lee not to bog down fighting a well positioned enemy. Jackson was a Manoeuvre Commander, far ahead of his time, and Mead left Washington wide open for an opportunistic General like Jackson was. Imagine if Lee had withdrawn to a good defensive position on the second day and pinned Meads forces long enough for a composite force under Jackson to threaten Washington. That's what's so fascinating about the ACW, so many what-if scenarios.

[@ardshielcomplex8917]

​@@danielkitchens4512 True, but it can be argued that after Gettysburg the ANV had lost any future ability for offensive operations, the Confederacy had been bled beyond recovery.

[@manilajohn0182]

@@ardshielcomplex8917 Which Jackson would that be? The Jackson of the Valley who mystified his opponents, or the Jackson of the Seven Days' Battles, who completely failed Lee because of his religious zealotry?

[@chadrowe8452]

​@@manilajohn0182when you have a good man you still have his flaws

[@jonathanbaum3499]

The terrain depicted in your video was much more wooded and with very limited visibility, rather than open as portrayed above.

[@joe-ednew2824]

That was a really great video and explanation of the battle. It's funny to see the soldiers looking like they're churning butter with their rifles though!😂

[@coastalkev3776]

No maps were harmed in the making of this video.

[@joesmoak7647]

Thank you. This video really brings the battle to life. Fantastic job.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks a lot I’m glad you enjoyed

[@tigvi3429]

Very good. The animation provides a great view of the scale of this battle. The Union just couldn't find competent commanders for the Army of The Potomac. I sincerely believe McLellan was a Southern sympathizer too. Grant had the audacity and the leadership skills to save our bacon.

[@malgusvitiate7002]

Excellent video👍! As a suggestion for future videos, you should do the Battle of Kadesh (1274 B.C.E.) and Irsu vs. Kurunta (non-historical) for Pharaoh, the Battle of Watling Street (61 C.E.) and Egypt vs. Armenia (non-historical) for Rome II, and the Siege of Milan (452 C.E.) and Ostrogoths vs. Himyar (non-historical) for Attila. Keep up the amazing work churning out more spectacular cinematic videos😁!

[@Wildcat_Shenanigans]

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dis---" -John Sedgwick's Last Words

[@paultrim1995]

What a visual and mental misrepresentation of Jacksons flank movement and attack. and the chaos it brought on the field

[@donnix1192]

This is an amazing video on Chancellorsville!! I would love to see one about the horrors of The Wilderness or the failure of the Peninsula Campaign at some point.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks a lot ! Yes these are definitely things I wish to cover in the future

[@Nellis202]

Gettysburg, and …….. DESTINY !

[@d.r.martin6301]

Ironic, wasn't it, that the victory at Chancellorsville doomed Lee at Gettysburg not just once, but twice. First, he lost his best battlefield commander to friendly fire. Then, he brought with himself overweening self-confidence that he couldn't be beaten. If he'd only knocked down his ego and listened to Longstreet, he might have won.

[@Snowboarder16]

You are right plus Jackson would have taken Little Round To where Ewell hesitated

[@heathclark318]

@@Snowboarder16 I think Jackson would have sided with Longstreet and not fought at Gettysburg. Instead maneuvering into a better position in which the Union was forced to attack. Just my thoughts. Believe if Jackson had been there, things may not have played out this way at all.

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

Nah. The South really never had a chance....llorsvile. lol. No but for real. The only way the north could have won is if the Senior Leadership wanted to stop fighting, or the people stopped showing up for war. In NYC there actually were draft riots (9 weeks after this battle), which took 4,000 military personnel to put down. Imagine if that happened in every state in the north? The South would have won.

[@thomasbaagaard]

Jackson was in no way a good battlefield commander. He was very good at the operational level, but a rather poor tactician. Even his flank attack was poorly done and ended up in a mess... even if it did drive back the federals. Longstreet way far far superior and conducted 3 of the most effective corps attacks of the war.

[@Snowboarder16]

Longstreet was their best commander and Lee should have listened

[@haroldk3913]

The Confederates greatest large-scale victory was Chickamauga. This was a powerful penetration on a narrow front resulting in the collapse of the entire right wing of the Union army, and the withdrawal of the entire Union army into a defensive pocket in Chattanooga. Chancellorsville was a route of the elements of the Union army at the area of the Confederate flank attack, but the threat to their rear at Mary's Heights ended any attempt of further pressing Hooker's Army.

[@user-wu1ir5fm7g]

Fightin' Joe Hooker, his Headquarters were in his Hindquarters. LOL.

[@sebastianlassalle5312]

These videos are so amazing. I love how cinematic, yet accurate your videos are. I wonder how you make these videos. Such great work.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks a lot for the kind words ! I am using the game Napoleon: Total War with an American Civil War mod installed

[@tedhoward8719]

That's awesome. I thought this had a total war look but had no idea there was a civil war mod for that game.. may have to check it out. Great job on the video. Love these historic videos on KZbin..

[@rockbottom8502]

Hooker always blamed Howard for the defeat at Chancellorsville. It was the ultimate insult when Sherman picked Howard over Hooker to replace the late James McPherson as commander of the Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Atlanta, and he resigned from his post.

[@edgundaker5982]

I can hear the inner thoughts of the confederate commanders...."A few more victories like that and we are done for".

[@mitchharpenau786]

No cell phones, no texting. Just everyone living in the moment.

[@aldosigmann419]

Excellent rendition and animation.

[@michael1714]

Thanks for taking the time to make and post this excellent video! Good form!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thank you 😀

[@zach7193]

Chancellorsville is seen as Lee's greatest victory. But at a cost. 13,000 men lost. Including Stonewall Jackson. Lee, after this battle believed that his army was invincible and couldn't be beaten. It was a Pyrrhic victory nonetheless. He failed to destroy the Union army. The Union army was mauled, but intact. Can't help but think of this battle through Gods and Generals.

[@marknewton6984]

Should have called a truce, Southern victory. But Jeff Davis would not.

[@equine2020]

Some battles are won by large loses. Sad, but military accomplishments. Can win, or lose he war.

[@grimdiannabones4361]

Your work and attention to detail is uncanny

[@mikeburch2998]

Your animation software is amazing! Well done. Greetings from Arizona.

[@cinematicbattles559]

thank you!🙏

[@NZIGNANTI]

@@cinematicbattles559 I thought it was a total war mod? It isn't? Can you put it in description please

[@cinematicbattles559]

Yes the game is Napoleon total war and I have stated that it is total war in the title

[@dougsheldon2154]

Seems that most of the generals and officers of the Civil War both Confederate and Union graduated from West Point in 1854 General Lee was an instructor

[@johngeverett]

The 'punk mist' effects in these battle scenes brings out the brutality of the fighting.

[@gyges5495]

Tough soldiers back then - could march 10 miles or more and fight. Average soldiers were 145 pounds . Now people can’t survive without phones, mostly fat and complain constantly

[@jacklarue7049]

People were smaller due to having very tough laborious lives, and many were not able to eat enough calories to support large frames.

[@jayreid8389]

Thanks for the detailed historical accounts. It's interesting that the CW was so uniquely American, both old world and modern, and perhaps the turning point in American history. As a note to your CGI gaphics (or whoever generated the video game graphics) troops would march into battle either by a column of fours, or collumn of companies. Not massed together as depicted. The collumn of companies would then maneuver into oblique movements, bringing each company into line as regular companies (two ranks deep and in files of two per rank). The chaos of hand-to-hand looks spot on. Keep up the good work.

[@bobbyb.6644]

Quick decisions - Good recon - Fast Movement - Confidence ! Trio of Lee - Jackson - Longstreet hard to Beat ! 😏

[@jamithornburg4571]

I love your video!!

[@crippledcrow2384]

The 11th Corps never checked up, never put up much of a fight. They never quit running.

[@JeddieT]

You need to include an overall map of this battle’s strategy. Without that, it’s just another Hollywood created braw.

[@swampfox1776.]

DEO VINDICE!

[@lonnieclemens8028]

Thank you for sharing this video.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks for watching!

[@edwardgreenhalgh960]

Very good video. I am a great fan of General Lee , but he was a gambler who knew he must force Washington to sign a peace treaty or everything was loss.He had two years . I used to admire bravery and skill etc but getting old know wars are won by attrition . McClellan and company may appear to be fools and incompetents but over all the Union Army never loss the men the South did. The South fought for "The Cause "great and noble . The Union simply bled the South to death. The War was over before Grant took over. The sad state of the human condition even to today is change only comes when enough people are killed and useless ideas are exterminated. Enough Southerners died .More than enough.

[@sirburpsalot3692]

I like the videos, but this is clearly a yankee point of view. To say that Robert. E. Lee was so vain as to consider his army invincible is laughable. Also, first hand accounts, DO NOT credit the 11th corps of a "brave stand." Good video, but biased. This defeat on the heals of Fredicksburg was devastating.

[@thomaswayneward]

Yep

[@manilajohn0182]

The Confederate victory at Chancellorsville had no lasting value. Lee himself said that the AoNV's loss was severe, that they had gained no ground, and that the AotP had not been pursued. Added to that is that they lost a corps commander as well. The only significant impact of Chancellorsville is that Hooker's will was battered- and that led directly to the appointment of Meade. Chancellorsville was in fact one of the costliest victories which the Confederacy experienced during the entire conflict.

[@frankmiller95]

Not strategically, only to those who were killed or maimed for life and their families. But for those very real, tragic personal losses, the Union hardly felt it.

[@sarahscarborough4995]

Like in most yankee narratives about the Southern hero's and patriots of the Confederacy, their point of view is always seen through an unfair monocle about anything Southern. Therefore, they should be ignored. General Lee was the best commander that this country ever produced. President Eisenhower, a true commander, had a portrait of him hung in his office at the White House and extoled the virtues of this great man.

[@jcarby86]

respect to all soldiers

[@ronalddesiderio7625]

The Graphics of the rifles being fired is insane 👍🏾

[@user-zh5lf4vj7w]

They might dismantle these bronze statues of Confederate heroes but their deeds live on and there tactical manoeuvres that outflanked superior Northern Armies by Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson is viewed and studied even know at most Military Colleges in the free world on the same Par as Alexander Conquest. Hero’s never die as long as we mention their names they live on.

[@edgingjogo]

Another amazing video

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks for the support bro 😁

[@rodneydavenport4646]

You can see why President Lincoln tried to get Lee to lead the US Army, but Lee turned him down. He was a Virginian and he would fight for his state.

[@DementiaDon]

Lee was too arrogant. Perfect example of knowing how to win a battle but never the war. Although the Confederates were doomed from the start regardless.

[@josephwolosz2522]

Where's Traveller? Maybe Lee is riding Lucy Long? Maps would be helpful. But love the animation.

[@user-rp1ih2gk3j]

A waste of a good strategy by the Union. Flank your enemy but forget to bring the boats to cross the river. Sit on river bank, without bothering to find the cattle crossing where you could wade across. Lots of ineptitude led to their (almost) catastrophic defeat. Is this bigger than Fredericksburg, Bull Run 1 or 2? Debatable.

[@inyobill]

Those generals knew each other well, Lee never divided his force when faced by Grant.

[@mr.s2005]

Would agree that this was probably one of Lee's greatest victories, but it come about more do to Hooker's incompetence and lack of aggressiveness then Lee's skill.

[@alexdelarge209]

Historians seldom ask: What was a Corps Commander doing at dusk, at guard-change, during re-deployment wandering around 'The Wilderness' in the dark amid cavalry charges & indirect artillery fire "scouting"? Jackson must have been v. frustrated & trying desperately to avoid what happened on the 2nd day. The victorious Confederates were more disorganized than the retreating Union who were falling back on to reserves the way they had come, condensing as they went. Lee had no reserves & Jackson knew it. Early (? I think) was barely able too hold Lee's rear from F'burg. Presumably Jackson was frustrated by the late hour (not started 'til after 3P & was trying to restore order & keep the momentum up) - maybe into the night. It makes an interesting contrast with Longstreet v. early, misty, AM on the 2nd day at G'burg. Longstreet asked for (but was refused) permission to personally reconnoiter - then blamed for being slow when he ran into the same sight-line-of-sight-observation problem that re-directed Jackson's maneuver.

[@paulbarron9745]

Great quality video. I subscribed.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Awesome, thank you!

[@aloneranger3980]

Well done !

[@thomradice8680]

Brilliant artistry to convey the battles!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thank you very much :)

[@ronniecoleman2342]

It was a tactical victory that cost the South the entire war. Jackson's death led to the dissolution of his corps and defeat at Gettysburg.

[@randyscraft]

Did anyone see at 8:56 that a Union Soldier killing another Union Soldier?

[@michaelheiden5450]

What is all of the debris drifting through the clips? Tarnished an otheriwise good presentation.

[@JohannesLG12203]

the only thing this video is missing are some maps for the strategic movement. as good as the presentation and the narrating is, I sometimes find it hard to follow who is outflanking who on which side, and so on.

[@grahamward3504]

excellent presentation

[@ronalddesiderio7625]

Sick Graphics 👍🏾

[@pissedoff-is1mt]

Excellent dude!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks for watching again bro !

[@cfbodman2]

Why they want to cancel history is beyond my understanding. They were great generals on both sides of the war.

[@seanautilis15]

Howard's men did not "fight bravely"...they ran...the were inexperienced and they RAN!

[@williamburroughs9686]

Time after time, history shows us that troops that are better led and with better moral can beat a larger and better equipped force. Especially if the leaders are really bad like in this battle.

[@ferdinandsiegel4470]

Lincoln's war of aggression!

[@ZairokPhoen]

How was it Lincoln's war of aggression? If history recalls correctly once the South seceded each state in the South took hold of federal property. Jefferson Davis raised an army before Lincoln did. Also didn't the South fire the first shots of the war when they attacked Fort Sumter? I'm just curious on what your reasoning is to call it that.

[@eflint1]

This is not "the United States of America in 1863." This is the Confederate State of Virginia in 1863.

[@vinny4411]

There never was a confederate states of America. No country in the world ever recognized them, and they failed to gain independence from the United States of America. Virgina,in 1863,, belonged to the United States of America.🇺🇸

[@christophercorbett5074]

Fair point However she did remarkably well There are several instances in battles and wars where most of the plaudits go to the defeated Eg in Britain the Battle of Culloden

[@Mottleydude1]

Chancellorsville was apropos of the entire Confederate war effort. In particular those battles Generaled by Lee. Though a great tactical victory for the Confederacy it had little to any strategic value and it cost Lee more men than he could afford to lose.

[@user-km6fs3tz2p]

And they even used an acw mod for NTW. I loved this mod!

[@kennethbiebighauser7984]

Stephen Sears ..Chancelorsville ...highly recimmended ....

[@Nerdy_dude]

Great like always! Love the work! ❤️

[@Tronter6000]

Napoleon total war history documentaries are wild

[@manilajohn0182]

Chancellorsville was in no way the Confederacy's greatest victory. Lee himself said that the AoNV's loss was severe, that they had gained no ground, and that the AotP had not been pursued. Added to that is that they lost a corps commander as well. The only significant impact of Chancellorsville is that Hooker's will was battered- and that led directly to the appointment of Meade. Chancellorsville was in fact one of the costliest victories which the Confederacy experienced during the entire conflict.

[@jimhoffmann]

You are correct. No other way to characterize the battle.

[@SolidAvenger1290]

HistoryMarche might disagree on that take. They did a video on this battle 2 months ago on their historical channel.

[@manilajohn0182]

@@SolidAvenger1290 Okay, so HistoryMarche disagrees with Lee.

[@davidsaks1244]

What was Lee's greatest victory, though? Couldn't really say

[@manilajohn0182]

@@davidsaks1244 Fredericksburg. He inflicted three times as many losses on the Union as he suffered. Without an Austerlitz type of battlefield victory, the Confederates needed to do that in every battle just to break even. All of his other victories- no matter how startling- were indecisive.

[@innerdinosaur2898]

Dio Vindice 🦖✊

[@rodneysweeney8767]

Awesome graphics

[@roysimmons3549]

Two wins at Bul Run up there. Always out numbered. Georgia Sharpshooters pretty good.

[@Gazimur]

Отличные реконструкции! Спасибо за труд. И всё очень понятно объясняется. Привет из России! ❤

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thank you 🙏 😊

[@user-wu1ir5fm7g]

Sedgwick was killed at the Wilderness approximately one year later.

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

8:15. Imagine seeing all of those guys coming at your position?

[@fastonitix]

I cannot even grasp the idea of how it could even be like or feel like to command an army of 138k men

[@user-if7yx7ec6y]

At what point in time did the Spencer Repeating rifle start being issued to the Union troops? These illustrations show a lot of time taken by troops reloading the older muzzle loading guns instead of the rifled barreled Spencer.

[@Emdee5632]

I've watched quite a few of these kind of YT simulation videos. Although I never played these games myself, it seems not every kind of soldier, troop movement weapon, equipment etc. is available. Or else the programmer/producer simply forgets a certain detail is available or he cannot design it into the simulation himself.

[@xotl2780]

BRAND NEW VIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY!

[@jpavlvs]

It wasn't a victory unless you think Pyrrhus was a great general. "Another such victory and I am undone." He was undone. At a little town in Adams County Pa.

[@saba6743]

Great ❤❤❤

[@thomaswayneward]

A very kind view of the union army during this battle. They were routed and defeated and the Confederates picked up the rifles thrown down and the supplies left behind. The Confederates were well supplied with arms courtesy of the Union army once again. The South had no navy that counted, with a three to one disadvantage of manpower to the Union, and the north could manufacturer war goods at at a much faster rate, yet it took the Union four years to defeat the Confederates. Sounds like a war going on right now, with Putin playing the part of Lincoln and Ukraine playing the part of the South during Lincolns war. Whole cities being destroyed by the Union, just as Putin is destroying whole cities in Ukraine.

[@frankmiller95]

You could not be more obscenely wrong in your analogy if you tried remove one of your genital warts with a MAPP torch.

[@trickyfoxx6941]

Yea you're all kinds of wrong the donestk and luhansk republics breaking away from Ukraine would be the confederacy Ukraine is the union that shelled them almost daily since 2014 and has tried to force them back into Ukraine aka the union Russia is more like Britain only instead of staying on the sidelines and watching the north and south fight they got involved on the side of the confederacy

[@BSNickel]

Thank you!

[@johnshepherd9676]

Longstreet considered Chancellorsville a Pyric victory at best.