Chancellorsville, where Anderson had come up with Wright's
brigade too late to prevent the crossing.

By 6 P.M. on the 30th, Hooker found himself in command of four
corps at Chancellorsville, with another--that of Sickles--near at
hand. Anderson fell back to Tabernacle Church as our troops
advanced, and began to fortify a line there. Stuart sent Fitz Hugh
Lee's brigade, which was very much exhausted, to Todd's Tavern for
the night, while he started with a small escort, to explain the
situation to General Lee at Fredericksburg. On the road, not far
from Spottsylvania, he came unexpectedly upon one of Pleasonton's
regiments, the 6th New York Cavalry, numbering about 200 men, which
was returning from a reconnoissance it had made in that direction.
He avoided the encounter and sent back to Todd's Tavern, at first
for a regiment, but subsequently for the entire brigade. When
there reinforcements came up a furious cavalry contest took place,
with charges and counter-charges, and hand to hand combats. It
was not without an element of romance, in that lonely spot, far
from either army, under the resplendent light of the full moon;
recalling, in the words of a Southern chronicler, some scene of
knightly glory. Our troops were surrounded, but cut their way out
with the loss of their gallant commander, Lieutenant-Colonel McVicar,
who led them in the charge.

Meanwhile the other portion of the contemplated movement had also
been going forward. On the 28th, the Sixth Corps, under Sedgwick,
and the First Corps, under Reynolds, were moved down near the river,
three or four miles below Fredericksburg, and bivouacked there in
a pouring rain. As it was possible that the two corps might be
attacked when they reached the other side, the Third Corps, under
Sickles, was posted in the rear as a reserve.

The next day two bridges were laid down at Franklin's old crossing
for the Sixth Corps, and two more a mile below for the First Corps.
Men in rifle-pits on the other side impeded the placing of the
pontoons for a while, but detachments sent over in boats stormed
their intrenchments, and drove them out. Brooks' division of the
Sixth Corps and Wadsworth's division of the First Corps then crossed
and threw up _tete du ponts_. The enemy made no other opposition
than a vigorous shelling by their guns on the heights, which did
but little damage. A considerable number of these missiles were
aimed at my division and at that of General