At midnight on May 1, Lafayette McLaws headed west with his division,
followed by Jackson and his entire 2nd Corps. They arrived soon after
sunlight; Stonewall lining up on Anderson's left and McLaw's on his
right. "Old Blue Light" (Jackson) had instructions directly from Lee
ordering him to repulse the enemy. There was only one way Jackson knew
how to do that, and that was to attack. He then told McLaws and
Anderson to prepare their divisions for an assault.
Hooker, too, had ordered an advance. But between Chancellorsville
and Tabernacle Church on the Orange Turnpike, Sykes Division of Meade's
Corps met opposition. At 11:20 a.m., the Battle of Chancellorsville
began. He unexpectedly ran into the skirmish line of Richard
Anderson's Division.
After brushing them aside, he struck the main body. Since his
division was out-flanked on either side, Sykes slowly gave ground to
the surging Confederates. One of Couch's divisional commanders, under
Winfield Scott Hancock, was preparing the reinforce the wavering line
when he received orders from Hooker instructing him to retreat back to
Chancellorsville.
Slocum had already fallen back under similar orders, and was closely
followed by McLaws' division on the Orange Plank Road. The four
Federal Corps commanders were stunned at the sudden loss of confidence
by Hooker. At 2 a.m. on May 2, Howard, Couch, Meade, and Slocum
reported that their sectors could be held against assault.
Howard held the right flank of the army with a division on the
turnpike and two others more eastward at Wilderness Church. Sickles
was held in reserve with his 3 divisions behind 2 divisions of Slocum
and one of Couch's. Couch's other division laid on the right flank of
Meade, who's Corps was the left flank of the army at Mineral Spring Run.
Hooker was now hoping for an all-out attack by the Confederates, and
even went so far to say, "The rebel army is now the legitimate property
of The Army of the Potomac." The fact that Stoneman was away with
basically all the cavalry and J.E.B. Stuart was in his immediate
prescence didn't worry him.