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McLaw's Wedge, 99.826 acre tract, Battle of Chancellorsville Also called the "Ashley Tract", the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust purchased this key portion of land on March 16, 1998, to prevent it from being lost to development. It includes extensive frontage on heavily traveled Virginia State Route 3.
General Lafayette McLaws' Confederates skirmished across these fields, then covered by forests, on May 2, 1863, during the Battle of Chancellorsville. McLaws' men pinned Major General Winfield Hancock's division to its works, giving "Stonewall" Jackson time to turn the Union army's right flank. For two days, McLaws' skirmishers sparred with Union troops. On day 3, McLaws' entire line swept forward in a general assault, helping to drive Hooker away from Chancellorsville and seal the Confederate victory.
A new walking trail across the field allows the public to explore this often overlooked phase of the battle.
In these tangled thickets east of Chancellorsville, Georgia troops led by William Wofford fought against Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire men led by John C. Caldwell. Colonel Nelson A Miles was wounded nearby while directing the Union skirmish line. Colonel Miles earned the Medal of Honor for his actions and later went on to become general-in-chief of the United States Army. |
