The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought in Virginia, between the Union and Confederate armies, April 30-May 6, 1863. The battle was a disaster for the Union and considered General Robert E. Lee's perfect moment. The victory was tarnished, however, when Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire.
The battle was fought in wilderness so dense that soldiers would get lost and turned around, sometimes firing on their own men. The underbrush was thick and made travel slow. In this environment the soldiers put their differences aside for a short while to save those that they could from a foe neither side had predicted.
Sparks from the artillery shells were the culprits. They lit the scrubby underbrush and fires broke out, trapping men of both sides together. The forest pine lit quickly and many were trapped. Those who were hale, both Blue and Gray alike, joined forces to rescue anyone they could. One soldier would later tell of a soul he could not save:
"His eyes were big and blue, and his hair like raw silk surrounded by a wreath of fire. I heard him scream, 'Oh Mother, Oh God.'"
Men, who only minutes before had been trying to kill each other, tried to save him. Sadly they were only able to come back with burned arms. Many died of burns that day. Though many more would die from the fighting.
-Professor Walter
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