Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
A Bold Plan
The Battle of Chancellorsville
| | Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
1. A Bold Plan Marker
Here, on the evening of May 1, 1863, Generals Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson hatched one of the boldest schemes in military history. Hunched over maps beside a small fire, the two generals plotted how to destroy the Union army, now entrenched around Chancellorsville, a mile to your left. The solution came when Confederate cavalryman General J.E.B. Stuart reported that the Union right flank (three miles behind you) lay unprotected.
During the night, with the help of local residents, Lee and Jackson mapped a secure route across the front of the Union army to the Federal right flank. Jackson proposed taking 30,000 men to assail the Union army from the west. That would leave Lee with just 15,000 men to distract and hold in place the 75,000-man Union army in front of Chancellorsville. Dividing his outnumbered army invited destruction, but success promised dramatic victory. Lee gave his assent.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1745.
Location. 38° 17.698′ N, 77° 37.53′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is at the intersection of McLaws Drive and Old
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Final Meeting, Fateful March (here, next to this marker); These Cedars (here, next to this marker); Chancellorsville Campaign (a few steps from this marker); Bivouac (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Chancellorsville Campaign (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); McLaws Trail (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Chancellorsville Campaign (approx. 0.7 miles away); Wounding of Jackson (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
More about this marker. The right side of the marker has a painting of the meeting of the generals around the campfire, described in the text. On the lower left is a photograph from the 1880s showing "this intersection much as it appeared when Lee and Jackson met here on the night of May 1, 1863. The view was taken from a point about 100 yards" in front of the marker.
Regarding A Bold Plan. This is one of several markers for the Battle of Chancellorsville along McLaws Drive, Furnace Road, Sickles
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
2. Driving Tour Stop Five for the Battle of Chancellorsville Tour
Also see . . . McLaws's Line to Catharine Furnace Virtual Tour by Markers. Spread across a two mile segment on the east side of the battlefield, this virtual tour by markers covers action from May 1-3, 1863. (Submitted on November 16, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
3. View of the Intersection as it Appears Today
Photographed by Brandon Fletcher, July 18, 2008
4. A Bold Plan Marker
Lee- Jackson Bivouac, Stop #5 on the Chancellorsville driving tour. This marker is located here to the right
Photographed by Brandon Fletcher, July 18, 2008
5. Chancellorsville Visitor Center Display
Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,587 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 16, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4, 5. submitted on July 25, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
