September 24, 2026 at 6:30 pm
Join the Little Round Table Discussion Group on September 24 for an in-depth examination of the Chancellorsville Campaign, fought April 27–May 6, 1863, and remembered as both a Union debacle and a Confederate deliverance. Emil Posey will lead us in the first half of our two-month study on the battle as we explore how Joseph Hooker rebuilt the Army of the Potomac after Fredericksburg, devised a bold turning movement against Robert E. Lee, and came remarkably close to placing the Army of Northern Virginia in a perilous position. Discussion will follow the campaign through the Rappahannock fords, the tangled Wilderness, Jackson’s dramatic May 2 flank march, the crisis at Hazel Grove, and Sedgwick’s separate struggle at Fredericksburg and Salem Church. Participants will weigh the leadership and battlefield performance of Hooker, Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Sickles, Sedgwick, the Union corps commanders, and artillery chief Edward Porter Alexander. We will also consider whether Chancellorsville truly deserves its reputation as Lee’s “perfect battle,” its consequences in both Eastern and Western theaters, and the ways its lessons shaped decisions at Gettysburg. Come prepared to examine the campaign’s commanding questions, challenge familiar interpretations, and share your own assessment of why an army of 130,000 men failed to defeat an opponent of roughly 60,000.
To get prepared for our Little Round Table take a look at this month’s study questions:
Battle of Chancellorsville Part 1 Study Questions
