Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/23

 General Lee's Strategy at Chancellor smile. 15

properly ordered, and every one who knows General Jackson must know that he was too good a soldier to violate this funda- mental military principle. In the operations around Chancellors- ville, I overtook General Jackson, who had been placed in com- mand of the advance, as the skirmishers of the approaching- armies met, advanced with the troops to the Federal line of defenses, and was on the field until their whole army recrossed the Rap- pahannock. There is no question as to who was responsible for the operations of the Confederates, or to whom any failure would have been charged.

"What I have said is for your own information. With my best wishes for the success of the Southern Rei'iciv, and for your own welfare, in both of which I take a lively interest,

"I am, with great respect, your friend and servant,

"R. E. LEE."

General A. L. Long, of General Lee's staff, in his "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee," published in 1886, says:

"It was obvious that the Federal position was too formid- able to be attacked in front with any hope of success ; therefore. Lee proceeded to devise a plan by which the position of Hooker might be turned and a point of attack gained from which no danger was apprehended by the Federal commander.

"General Lee was informed that the Rev. Mr. Lacy, a chaplain in Jackson's corps, was familiar with the country about Chancellorsville. Mr. Lacy informed the General that he had been pastor of a church near Chancellorsville, and was well ac- quainted with all the roads in that neighborhood, and that troops could be conducted to a designated point beyond Chancellors- ville by a road sufficiently remote from the Federal position to prevent discovery. With this information Lee determined to turn the Federal position and assail it from a point where an attack was unexpected. The execution of a movement so much in accordance with his genius and inclination, was assigned to General Jackson, Captain Carter acting as guide.

"The above statement is made from personal knowledge of the writer, gained on the ground at the time ; still, since some of Jackson's biographers have allowed their partiality for him to so far outstrip their knowledge of facts as to claim for him