Sickles. The troops had made
but a short march, and were comparatively fresh. Four miles further
on lay the great prize for which Hooker was contending. He had
only to put out his hand to reach it, but he delayed action all
that long night and until eleven o'clock of the next morning. When
he did make the effort the line he was about to occupy was well
fortified and held by all but one division and one brigade of Lee's
army.

CHAPTER II.
FRIDAY, THE FIRST OF MAY.

There are two excellent roads leading from Chancellorsville to
Fredericksburg--one a plank road, which keeps up near the sources
of the streams along the dividing line between Mott Run on the
north and Lewis Creek and Massaponax Creek on the South, and the
other called the old turnpike, which was more direct but more
broken, as it passed over several ravines. There was still a third
road, a very poor one, which ran near the river and came out at
Banks' Ford.

On May 1st, at 11 A.M., Hooker moved out to attack Lee in four
columns.

Slocum's corps, followed by that of Howard, took the plank road on
the right.

Sykes' division of Meade's corps, followed by Hancock's division
of Couch's corps, went by the turnpike in the centre.

The remainder of Meade's corps--Griffin's division, followed by
that of Humphreys--took the river road.

Lastly, French's division of Couch's corps was under orders to turn
off and march to Todd's Tavern.

Each column was preceded by a detachment of Pleasonton's cavalry,
which, in fact, had been close to Anderson's pickets all the
morning.

Before these troops started, Sickles' corps arrived, after a short
march, from Hartwood Church, and were posted in rear of the
Chancellorsville House as a reserve, with one brigade thrown out
to Dowdall's Tavern, otherwise known as Melzi Chancellor's house.
Another brigade was left at the Ford to guard the passage against
Fitz Hugh Lee's cavalry.

Hooker, who was a very sanguine man, expected to be able to form
line of battle by 2 P.M., with his right resting near Tabernacle
Church, and his left covering Banks' Ford. It did not seem to
occur to him that the enemy might be there before him and prevent
the formation, or that he would have any difficulty in moving and
deploying his troops; but he soon found himself hampered in every
direction by dense and almost impenetrable thickets, which had a
tendency to break up every organization that tried to pass through
them into mere