oceeding so audacious. It was anticipated, indeed, that,
somewhere on the road to Richmond, Lee would make a stand and fight,
in a carefully-selected position which would enable him to risk
collision with his great adversary; but that Lee himself would bring
on this collision by making an open attack, unassisted by position
of any sort, was the last thing which seems to have occurred to his
adversary.

Such, however, as has been said, was the design, from the first, of
the Southern commander, and he moved with his accustomed celerity
and energy. As soon as General Grant broke up his camps north of the
Rapidan, Lee was apprised of the fact, and ordered his three corps
to concentrate in the direction of Chancellorsville. Those who were
present in the Southern army at this time will bear record to the
soldierly promptness of officers and men. On the evening of the 3d of
May the camps were the scenes of noise, merriment, and parade: the
bands played; the woods were alive; nothing disturbed the scene of
general enjoyment of winter-quarters. On the morning of the 4th all
this was changed. The camps were deserted; no sound was anywhere
heard; the troops were twenty miles away, fully armed and ready for
battle. General Lee was in the saddle, and his presence seemed to push
forward his column. Ewell, marching with celerity, bivouacked
that night directly in face of the enemy; and it was the
suddenly-discovered presence of the troops of this commander which
arrested General Grant, advancing steadily in the direction of
Spottsylvania Court-House.

He must have inwardly chafed at a circumstance so unexpected and
embarrassing. It had been no part of his plan to fight in the thickets
of the Wilderness, and yet an adversary of but one-third his own
strength was about to reverse his whole programme, and dictate the
terms of the first battles of the campaign. There was nothing to do,
however, but to fight, and General Grant hastened to form order of
battle for that purpose, with General Sedgwick commanding his right,
Generals Warren and Burnside his centre, and General Hancock his left,
near the Brock Road. The line thus formed extended from northwest to
southeast, and, as the right wing was in advance with respect to Lee,
that circumstance occasioned the first collision.

This occurred about mid-day on the 5th of May, and was brought on by
General Warren, who attacked the head of Swell's column, on the Old
Turnpike. An obstinate en