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Because of the mistakes committed by Hooker. They were:

1 - He ordered to the VI and I Corps successful landed at Fredericksburg after crossing the River Rapahannock on April 29, 1862, to form a strong bridgehead limiting themselves to defend it. Therefore they remained idles on the place.

2 - In the evening of the same day he sent the whole Stonemans's Cavalry Corps, out of 1,250 men, to carry a raid behind the Confederate lines, thus depriving his army of the indispensable support of scouting and covering.

3 - After brilliantly managing to seize the pivotal position of Chancellorsville, with 54,000 men, after a while increased up to 75,000, Hooker claimed " to wait for Lee's attack to come". Instead to carry hastily on the outflanking movement towards Fredericksburg, he advanced in a very slowly and hesitant way as he were being caught by "the fog of war". Evidently the fatal effects of the absence of his cavalry began to be felt.

Lee took advantage of those mistakes and decided to split his army into two part.

He left 10,000 men at Fredericksburg to guard and keep at bay the inactive Union Corps standing there.

He sent four divisions (McLaws of I Corps, A.P. Hill, Rodes and Colton of II Corps and Stuart's Cavalry Corp., to join the division Anderson (for a total of about 52,000 men) and form a defensive line at Tabernacle's Church to face and check Hooker's 75,000.

When his divisions clashed against the Confederate entrenchments, finding a sturdy resistance, Hooker, ignoring how strong the opponent were and lest of being outflanked, ordered to withdraw back to Chancellorsville, where the army had to stand on the defensive.

At that point, Lee received intelligence from his cavalry, that informed that the extreme Union wing near Wilderness Church was based "on the nought" and therefore susceptible to be outflanked and attacked from the back.

He then decided to further split his army in front of the enemy and ordered his II Corps and Fitzhugh's cavalry division (30,000 men) under Stonewall Jackson to put in motion the relevant displacement and carry out the assault, , which was successful and turned over the battle in favor of Confederate army.

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Was the Battle of Chancellorsville won by the Confederates?

The Union won the Battle of Vicksburg, led by General Ulysses S. Grant


What happened in the battle of chancellorsville?

The South won in the battle of Chancellorsville.


Why did the Battle of Chancellorsville occur?

Joe Hooker moved the Union Army of the Potomac to bring Lee to battle, and threaten Richmond. But Lee out foxed him, won the battle, and Hooker retreated.


Who fought in the battle of chancellorsville?

At Chancellorsville the Army of Northern Virginia(Confederate) commanded by General Robert E. Lee engaged and defeated the Army of the Potomac(Union) commanded by General Joseph Hooker.


Which battle was considered the union's worst defeat the civil war?

The answer to this question depends on how worst is defined. If worst is based on number of Union casualties and long term impact, it would be the Battle of Chancellorsville, which took place in Virginia between May 1 and May 4, 1863. The Union's casualties at the Battle of Chancellorsville exceeded those of the Confederacy by more than 4,000, 17,278 to 12,821. Union casualties during the four-day battle were the most of all other battles of the Civil War with the exception of Gettysburg and Spotsylvania. It was second only to the Seven Days battle for the most combatants of all Civil War battles with 195,000 total combatants. Considered General Robert E. Lee's greatest victory of the war, the Battle of Chancellorsville was a decisive victory for the Confederacy and a bitter and unexpected failure for the Union army resulting in the removal of General Joe Hooker of command of the Union Army by President Lincoln.