CHANCELLORSVILLE BATTLE!
LEE VICTORIOUS!
"STONEWALL" JACKSON MORTALLY WOUNDED
Camp near Falmouth, Virginia- The news from the Army of the Potomac is not good. The terrible Battle of Chancellorsville in the wilderness of Virginia ended with a forced retreat by our forces in the face of overwhelming Rebel attacks led personally by General "Stonewall" Jackson, the most famous Confederate officer serving under Gen. Lee. It was Jackson's troops who smashed the Union right and almost collapsed our army's position around the Chancellor House. Only due to the bravery and fighting spirit of the Union soldiers was the day saved from a complete disaster.
Reports from the Confederate capital state that Jackson was wounded by some of his own men while attempting to continue the charge into our lines. The general died several days later with Mrs. Jackson at his side. An official day of mourning will be observed in the Rebel capital to honor their Rebel chieftan who admittedly has been a thorn in the side of our army commanders since Bull Run.
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
"FIGHTING JOE" REPORTS!
Major General "Fighting Joe" Hooker has reported on the recent Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia and blamed the Union defeat on a number of factors. General Hooker, the latest commander since the resignation of General Burnside, had a terrible time in the Wilderness area west of Fredericksburg and was completely surprised by "Stonewall" Jackson's troops on May 2. The fighting lasted well into the evening when Gen. Jackson was mortally wounded by own troops. Though this was thought to be disastrous for Lee's attempts to crush the Union forces, Hooker's men fought back on the second day of the battle and thwarted every attempt to break the line that was centered around the crossroads of Chancellorsville. General Hooker was struck by falling masonry from the Chancellor House, but came away with only a minor injury. "I'm a lucky man," he said, "that the masonry hit me in the head and not in a vital area." Despite teh tenacious fighting by our army, Hooker was forced to withdraw to the river to protect his crossing sites, giving the field back to Lee.
Since the battle, the Army has stayed in camp along the Rappahannock River with the Rebel pickets on the other side. There have been many rumors passing amongst the pickets. Confederate scouts have been spotted at river crossings, evidently surveying the Union opposition at these crossings where they may make an attempt to ford and attack the Union lines. The army is on a constant vigil night and day, to thwart any attempt by Lee to cross the Rappahannock in force.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN RESPONDS
GREATLY CONCERNED OVER THREAT OF INVASION
Washington- President Lincoln spoke to congressional leaders on the current military situation, given the failures in the eastern theater and the recent campaign against Lee in Virginia. The western theater appears more promising as General U.S. Grant's Union forces close the vise on Vicksburg. If captured, the Mississippi River will be completely under Union control. Confederate authorities, no doubt, understand this and have put all of their efforts into the city's defense. But the president is more concerned that Lee may use his recent victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville to move his army north and again cross the Potomac River as he did last year, which resulted in the Battle of Antietam.
Officials in the War Department have expressed the same concern over the direction that the war will take in Virginia, believing that Lee will take the opportunity to move northward toward Washington and the outer defenses of the city. At least one source has stated that Gen. Hooker believes Lee will not move as rapidly as many in congress fear, and that Lee has no intentions of moving without the return of a large portion of the Confederate Army from Suffolk, Virginia. But the general did not rule out the possibility that Lee would again undertake another invasion of Maryland.
REBEL PRESIDENT ELATED
PRAISES REBEL COMMANDER
Richmond- President Jeff Davis has spoken to a gathering of Confederates near his home and highly praised General Lee for the great victory at Chancellorsville. The president also announced that conscription has been undertaken in Southern states and young men who have escaped military service are now being called up by their respective state governments to fill the ranks of regiments that have seen heavy losses. This is a sad necessity for the armies have been depleted by losses in the recent battles in Virginia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Mr. Davis also expressed hope that the recent victories will persuade the European powers to recognize the Confederacy as more than "states in rebellion", but as an independent sovereignty. Confederate agents are currently working in Europe to improve relations between his government and the foreign nations, especially in trade. The Union blockade has been very effective and only a handful of goods can be run out of southern ports by the blockade runners. "We are very interested in trade," said one French official, "but this war is an internal matter of which we want no part." Thus far, the Federal government has persuaded the European powers to remain neutral in the war.
SIEGE AT VICKSBURG
GEN. GRANT CLOSES THE GAP!
CIVILIANS TRAPPED IN CITY
Near Vicksburg - Word has been received that Union forces under General Grant have captured the outer works of the city and taken a large number of prisoners and fifty-seven artillery pieces. The battle is still raging with every prospect of capturing the entire force in Vicksburg. The Navy Department has received information that Admiral Porter has been cooperating with General Grant in the siege of Vicksburg. His fleet was cannonading the city and its works by night, while Grant's army assailed it by day, thus giving the rebels within the town and fortifications not a moment's relaxation from the perils of their situation.
One of our correspondents reports that residents of Vicksburg who were unable to escape the city have taken to living in caves and bombproofs near the river while their army occuppies the forts and houses on the edge of the city. Many others are trapped in cellars, unable to venture out because of the danger.
"STONEWALL" JACKSON MOURNED
GREAT SADNESS IN SOUTHERN LOSS
GENERAL LEE ISSUES ORDER TO ARMY
From The Charleston Mercury- "Seldom has a people manifested so deep and universal a sorrow as that which has spread over the land with the announcement of the loss of the loved and trusted leader 'Stonewall' Jackson. General Lee's sublime tribute to his services in the late battles is manifest in his letter to the wounded general. Though Stonewall Jackson is dead, his fiery and unequaling spirit still survives in his men. He has infused into them that which cannot die. The leader who succeeds him will be impelled as by a supernatural impulse, to emulate his matchless deeds. Jackson's corps will be led forever by the memory of its great chieftain."
General Lee issued a message of mourning to his army on May 11, announcing the death of General Jackson. It is rumored that there has been a great sense of loss felt throughout Lee's army. The general was laid to rest in Lexington, Virginia, near the Military Institute where he taught for many years.
HOW THIS CONFLICT BEGAN
WHAT BROUGHT US INTO THIS WAR
After two grim years of war, some have come to ask how this conflict began. We must remember that some issues began at the end of the American Revolution over tariffs on imported goods and the taxes levied on Southern exports. The increase in Northern populations and the steady pace of Southern population has caused more than one debate over equal representation in Congress. Southern states have lost political power because their populations have not increased significantly. Sectionalism and the debate over state's rights under the laws of the Constitution widened the breach that grew between the North and South, especially in determining the laws of the western territories, the civil unrest in Kansas and Missouri, and the slavery issue. The rise of the abolitionists and their movement that caused further erosion between Southern planters and Northern industrialists, finally bled over in Kansas and the border states. Despite the Compromise of 1850 and the debates over government representation at the Federal level, the line was drawn with the election of a Republican president and the articles of secession. Cooler heads could not prevent the coming conflict that opened with the first cannon shot against Fort Sumter, South Carolina on April 16, 1861.
LETTERS FROM THE ARMY
The YANKEE GAZETTE is pleased to announce that it will begin publishing letters sent into our offices from soldiers at the front. We have been in contact with many former employees and citizens turned soldiers who have sent letters to us, reminding us that the war is not only fought by generals. It is the soldiers in the ranks who bear much of the burden and we will be pleased to print what they send us in the future.
Joke of the Day
"What kind of mule does the army need to get out of the wilderness?"
"One with enough horse sense not to lie down in front of a stonewall!"