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Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Pressing the Attack

The Battle of Chancellorsville

— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —

 
 
Pressing the Attack Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
1. Pressing the Attack Marker
Inscription.
That evening, as the fighting subsided, Confederate officers reassembled their commands in the clearing surrounding Wilderness Church, one-half mile in front of you. The attack had taken a heavy toll on the army's organization. Units had become mixed. Some men wandered off in search of food or water; others plundered abandoned Union camps.

It would take time to get his corps back into fighting trim, but Jackson could not wait. The Confederate army was divided. Decisive action by Hooker might yet turn the Confederate victory into a defeat. Jackson had to strike before the enemy could regain his balance.

As darkness descended on the battlefield, Jackson ordered General A.P. Hill to slice behind the Union forces at Chancellorsville and sever their supply line across Rappahannock River. "Press them, Hill!" he snapped, "Cut them off from United States Ford! Press them!" From Wilderness Church, the Confederates moved forward again into the gathering night.
 
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
 
Location. 38° 19.019′ N, 77° 41.134′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania
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County. Marker can be reached from Plank Road (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west. Located at driving tour stop eight of the Battle of Chancellorsville. The site is west of the visitors center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10127 Plank Rd, Spotsylvania VA 22553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Flying Dutchmen (here, next to this marker); Jackson Attacks (here, next to this marker); 154th New York State Volunteer Infantry (approx. 1.1 miles away); Here Fell General Alexander Hays (approx. 1.6 miles away); No Turning Back (approx. 1.7 miles away); On to Richmond! (approx. 1.7 miles away); 12th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 1862 - 1865 (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Climax (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
 
More about this marker. The lower left of the marker displays a map of the tactical situation in the later afternoon of May 2, 1863. On the right side is a photo of "Wilderness Church as it appeared after the war. Jackson's troops reorganized in the church clearing following their attack on the Eleventh Corps.
 
Regarding Pressing the Attack. This is one of several markers for the Battle of Chancellorsville along the Jackson's Flank March and Attack trail. See the Jackson's
Flank Attack Map image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
2. Flank Attack Map
Flank March and Attack Virtual Tour by Markers
in the links section for a listing of related markers on the tour.
 
Also see . . .
1. Battle of Chancellorsville. National Park Service site. (Submitted on December 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

2. Jackson's Flank March and Attack Virtual Tour by Markers. This virtual tour covers the optional Jackson Flank Trail route of the driving tour and concludes at Jackson's Flank Attack (stop 8) of the driving tour, tracing the route of Jackson's march to deliver the decisive attack of the battle. (Submitted on December 8, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 
 
Three Markers at the Jackson's Flank Attack Tour Stop image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
3. Three Markers at the Jackson's Flank Attack Tour Stop
From the Marker Looking East image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
4. From the Marker Looking East
As indicated on the marker, to the east is the Wilderness Church. Jackson's forces had pressed through this clearing during the initial phases of the flank attack.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,417 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

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Mar. 19, 2024