The commanders of Chancellorsville

Did two more perfectly matched enemies ever confront one another on the field of battle? The reserved and gentlemanly Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the brash, arrogant, and brilliant Union Gen. Joseph Hooker squared off in the pivotal battle at Chancellorsville, the only time they were in combat. Although Lee and Hooker were equals in ability, these two were opposites in personality. The magic and mystery of the story of these two generals is even greater than the battle they fought. Colorful and controversial, "Fighting Joe" Hooker had a fondness for cards, booze, and loose women. His army was so undisciplined that the dalliance of his troops with camp "followers" is frequently said to have spawned the modern word hooker. In the strategies of war he had a gambler's mentality -- a unique combination of nerve, braggadocio, and bluff that made him a formidable foe. Robert E. Lee, born and bred a gentleman, was in many ways Hooker's opposite. With his impeccable social and military pedigree, Lee exuded rectitude, respectability, and erudition. He carried the mantle of authority with the ease and grace of a genuine aristocrat. Chancellorsville was a pivotal battle of the Civil War. The disaster that befell the U.S. Army of the Potomac there was the latest in a series of catastrophes for the North and eventually led Lincoln to remove Hooker from command. For the South, Chancellorsville was a monumental victory -- and an equal disaster, for it was at Chancellorsville that Stonewall Jackson suffered a mortal would. At Chancellorsville, "Fighting Joe" Hooker came close to matching Robert E. Lee's masterful maneuvering. Although he retreated, Hooker's brilliant strategy could just as easily have destroyed Lee's plans and ended the war in May of 1863. - Jacket flap.