That Furious Struggle: Chancellorsville and the High Tide of the Confederacy, May 1-4, 1863 by Christopher Mackowski Kristopher White

Author:Christopher Mackowski, Kristopher White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877)
ISBN: 9781611212204
Publisher: Savas Beatie
Published: 2014-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

Because of their inglorious flight, the German immigrants of the XI Corps earned the ignoble nickname “The Flying Dutchmen.” (FSNMP)

As you head back east on Route 3, you’ll follow the same route the Confederates followed as they drove the Federal army back on its heels. One of the myths of Chancellorsville is that the XI Corps completely broke and ran, but that’s not entirely true. That perception came about because, as one historian noted, for each story of resistance and controlled withdrawal, “there was another story—or two or three stories—of utter demoralization and uncontrollable panic.”

Another reason the XI Corps was so maligned had much to do with xenophobia within the Union army itself. Many of the units in the XI Corps were composed of recently emigrated Germans—many so new to America that they spoke only a smattering of English. Even on their best days, the Germans of the XI Corps faced discrimination and derision from soldiers in other parts of the army. On May 2, when the corps collapsed under the pressure of Jackson’s onslaught, many non-German soldiers assumed the “flying Dutchmen” had turned tail and run simply because they were German.

Howard, for his part, later admitted, “I wanted to die,” because of the disaster that had befallen his corps. He lost some 2,400 men out of his total force of about 11,000—just under a quarter of his forces. One thousand of them, caught off-guard by the suddenness of the attack, had been taken prisoner. In comparison, Jackson lost about 800 men.

As you travel to the next stop, 0.9 miles on the left, you’ll pass the Wilderness Church. Originally built circa 1853 under the supervision of the Reverend Melzi S. Chancellor for his Baptist congregation, the wooden church stood two-and-a-half stories tall. “Little Wilderness Church… looks deserted and out of place,” said a Union soldier who camped nearby on May 2. “Little did its worshippers on last sabbath day imagine what a conflict would rage about its walls before they again could meet within its peaceful precincts.” The current church dates from 1899.

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