Chancellorsville 1863: Jackson's Lightning Strike (Campaign) [Paperback]

Carl Smith (Author), Adam Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1998 | Series: Campaign (Book 55)

Osprey's examination of the Battle of Chancellorsville (1863) of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Following the debacle of the battle of Fredricksburg in December 1862, Burnside was replaced as commander of the Army of the Potomac by General Joseph Hooker. Having reorganised the army and improved morale, he planned an attack that would take his army to Richmond and end the war. Although faced by an army twice his size, the Confederate commander Robert E. Lee split his forces: Jubal Early was left to hold off Sedgwick's Fredericksburg attack, and 'Stonewall' Jackson was sent with 26,000 men in a wide envelopment around Hooker's right flank. This title details how at dusk on May 2, Jackson's men crashed into the Federal right flank, and how stiffening Federal resistance slowed the Confederate advance the next day.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

Carl Smith has had a life long fascination with many aspects of the military history of the United States. A specialist writer of many years experience, Carl has worked for several popular military magazines, and has written several volumes on the key battles of the Civil War in the Osprey Campaign series. Carl lives and works in Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185532721X
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327214
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,611,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Errors Abound, January 11, 2001

By 

Duncan Lang (Fredericksburg, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chancellorsville 1863: Jackson's Lightning Strike (Campaign) (Paperback)

I hate to nit-pick, but I found Fredericksburg 1862 and Chancellorsville 1863 to be replete with errors, at least the versions I read, both Military Book Club editions. The lists of errors I sent to Osprey went on for a three and six pages respectively. Many of them were relatively minor, but there were enough of them, and some not so minor, to cause me to consider the books greatly flawed. Let me note here that I live near Fredericksburg and volunteer once a month at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center, so I am fairly familiar with the battles in question. I also want to point out up front that Osprey was very receptive to my comments and implied that future editions may incorporate some changes. I own more than 75 Osprey titles and that this is certainly not the norm for their products, many of which are excellent.

Some types of problems I noted with the books included:

- spelling errors such as Sedgewick for Sedgwick (not always, but several times), Siegel for Sigel and Hero Van Borke for Heros von Borcke. - geographic errors such as inaccurate descriptions of the road net, an incorrect locations for geographic features, and faulty relative positions. - graphical errors such as inaccurate troop dispositions (multiple instances), incorrect unit symbology and faulty depiction of vegetation on maps. - factual errors such as placing events on the wrong date, incorrectly identifying unit commanders and referring to Chancellorsville as a farmhouse rather than an inn.

I recommend waiting for a revised edition.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Graphics, Sloppy History, June 5, 2001

By 

Allan W. Goodall (Monroe, LA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chancellorsville 1863: Jackson's Lightning Strike (Campaign) (Paperback)

The book has a number of errors in it, some from bad editing, others from sloppy research. I used it to try and piece together what happened when during the battle, and found it very confusing. I'm a fan of the Osprey series, but unless you like the maps in this book, you'd be best to look elsewhere for information on the battle.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written account of the battle with lots of detail., June 1, 1999

By 

Melvin Williams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chancellorsville 1863: Jackson's Lightning Strike (Campaign) (Paperback)

This title delivers on it's promise of explaining the battle and events leading up to it and after it. It is well illustrated and covers the situation objectively. The author manages to balance good writing with dry statistics. The Osprey Campaign Series format of 96 pages is put to good use with every major detail explained without having to skimp on certain areas or draw out others. I would recommend this as a single definitive source on the battle of Chancellorsville.