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Charles River Editors
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: General Lafayette McLaws' Account of the Battle of Chancellorsville (Illustrated)
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: General Lafayette McLaws' Account of the Battle of Chancellorsville (Illustrated)
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Lafayette McLaws (January 15, 1821 – July 24, 1897) was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War, best known for commanding a division in General James Longstreet’s I Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia.
At Chancellorsville, while the rest of Longstreet's corps was detached for duty near Suffolk, Virginia, McLaws fought directly under Lee's command. On May 3, 1863, Lee sent McLaws's division to stop the Union VI Corps under John Sedgwick marching toward Lee's rear. He did accomplish this, but Lee was disappointed that McLaws had not attacked more aggressively and caused more harm to Sedgwick's corps, instead of letting him escape across the Rappahannock River. When Lee reorganized his army to compensate for Jackson's mortal wounding at Chancellorsville, Longstreet recommended McLaws for one of the two new corps commands, but both men were disappointed when Lee chose Richard S. Ewell and A.P. Hill instead. McLaws requested a transfer, but it was denied.
McLaws played a crucial role at Gettysburg as well. On Day 2, McLaws commanded the second division to step off in Longstreet's massive assault on the Union left flank. He achieved great success (at a high cost in lives) in the areas known as the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard, but the army as a whole was unable to dislodge the Union forces from their positions on Cemetery Ridge. His division did not participate in Pickett's Charge the next day, despite Longstreet's command of that assault.
As a Major General, McLaws had to write official accounts of his campaigns, and they were preserved in The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. On May 10, 1863, McLaws wrote an official report on the Battle of Chancellorsville just days after the battle, the very day Stonewall Jackson died of wounds sustained during the fighting after his famous flank march routed the Union’s right. This edition of McLaws’ official account includes illustrations and maps of the campaign, as well as pictures of the important commanders of the battle.
At Chancellorsville, while the rest of Longstreet's corps was detached for duty near Suffolk, Virginia, McLaws fought directly under Lee's command. On May 3, 1863, Lee sent McLaws's division to stop the Union VI Corps under John Sedgwick marching toward Lee's rear. He did accomplish this, but Lee was disappointed that McLaws had not attacked more aggressively and caused more harm to Sedgwick's corps, instead of letting him escape across the Rappahannock River. When Lee reorganized his army to compensate for Jackson's mortal wounding at Chancellorsville, Longstreet recommended McLaws for one of the two new corps commands, but both men were disappointed when Lee chose Richard S. Ewell and A.P. Hill instead. McLaws requested a transfer, but it was denied.
McLaws played a crucial role at Gettysburg as well. On Day 2, McLaws commanded the second division to step off in Longstreet's massive assault on the Union left flank. He achieved great success (at a high cost in lives) in the areas known as the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard, but the army as a whole was unable to dislodge the Union forces from their positions on Cemetery Ridge. His division did not participate in Pickett's Charge the next day, despite Longstreet's command of that assault.
As a Major General, McLaws had to write official accounts of his campaigns, and they were preserved in The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. On May 10, 1863, McLaws wrote an official report on the Battle of Chancellorsville just days after the battle, the very day Stonewall Jackson died of wounds sustained during the fighting after his famous flank march routed the Union’s right. This edition of McLaws’ official account includes illustrations and maps of the campaign, as well as pictures of the important commanders of the battle.
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