78,000.

Night put an end to the luckless carnage. Burnside's generals dissuaded
him from renewing the attack next day, and the army re-crossed the
river. They had lost 12,300 men; the Confederates 5,000. A writer to the
London Times from Lee's headquarters called this December 13th a day
"memorable to the historian of the Decline and Fall of the American
Republic."

Burnside resigned in January, and Hooker took the command, but he did
not assume the offensive till the last of April. Then, leaving three
corps under Sedgwick to deceive Lee by a demonstration in front, he
marched up-stream with the other four of his corps, crossed the
Rappahannock and the Rapidan, partially turned Lee's left, and took up a
position near Chancellorsville. It was a perfect plan, and thus far
triumphantly executed. But here Hooker waited, and the pause was fatal.
On the night of April 30th Lee perceived that Sedgwick's movement was
only a feint, and gathered all his forces, 62,000 strong, to fight at
Chancellorsville. He fortified himself so firmly that Hooker with
64,000, or, including Sedgwick's two corps and the cavalry, 113,000,
made not a single step of further advance.

[Illustration: Portrait.]
General Oliver O. Howard.

[Illustration: Portrait.]
General John Sedgwick.

[Illustration: Map.]
R.D. Servoss, N.Y.
Jackson's Attack on Howard, May 1st, 1863.

Nor was this the worst. Hooker's right wing, under Howard, was weakly
posted. On the 2d of May Stonewall Jackson, who cherished the theory
that one man in an enemy's rear is worth ten in his front, making a
detour of fifteen miles, got upon Howard's right unobserved, and rolled
it up. The surprise was as complete as it was inexcusable. Arms were
stacked and the men getting supper. Suddenly some startled deer came
bounding into camp, gray-coats swarming from the woods hard behind.
Almost at the first charge the whole corps broke and flee! But the
victory cost the Confederates dear; Jackson was fatally wounded,
probably by his own men.

All the next day the Union army fought on the defensive. Hooker was
stunned in the course of it by a cannon-ball stroke upon the
house-pillar against which he was leaning, and the army was left without
a commanding mind. Sedgwick, who was to come up from below
Fredericksburg and take Lee in the rear, found it impossible to do this
in time, having to fight his way forward with great loss. When he drew
near, Lee was enough at leisure to a