crowds of men without order or alignment. Under
these circumstances concert of action became exceedingly difficult,
and when attempts were made to communicate orders off the roads,
aids wandered hopelessly through the woods, struggling in the thick
undergrowth, without being able to find any one. It was worse then
fighting in a dense fog.* The enemy, of course, were also impeded
in their movements, but they had the advantage of being better
acquainted with the country, and in case they were beaten they had
a line at Tabernacle Church already intrenched to fall back upon.
The ravines also, which crossed the upper roads at right angles,
offered excellent defensive positions for them.

[* One brigade of Griffin's division was out all night trying to
find its way through the thickets, and did not reach the main army
until 4 A.M. Wilcox's brigade, which came the next day from Banks'
Ford to reinforce the enemy, had a similar experience.]

McLaws, who had advanced on the turnpike, managed to form line of
battle with his division on each side of the pike, against Sykes,
who had now come forward to sustain his cavalry detachment, which,
in spite of their gallantry--for they rode up and fired in the
faces of the enemy--were driven in by the 11th Virginia Infantry
of Mahone's brigade. Jackson on his arrival, had stopped the
fortifying which Anderson had commenced, and according to his
invariable custom to find and fight his enemy as soon as possible,
had moved forward; so that the two armies encountered each other
about two and half miles from Chancellorsville. Sykes indeed, met
the advance of McLaws' division only a mile out, and drove it back
steadily a mile farther, when it was reinforced by Anderson's
division, and Ramseur's brigade of Rodes' division. Anderson gave
Sykes a lively fight and succeeded in getting in on his flanks;
for, owing to the divergence of the roads, neither Slocum on the
right nor Meade's two divisions on the left were abreast with him.
He tried to connect with Slocum by throwing out a regiment deployed
as skirmishers, but did not succeed. As the enemy were gaining
the advantage he fell back behind Hancock, who came to the front
and took his place. Slocum now formed on the right, with his left
resting on the plank road, and his right on high ground which
commanded the country around. Altogether the general line was a
good one; for there were large open spaces where the artillery
could move