George Right Smith - The Chancellorsville Campaign

The Chancellorsville Campaign

Battle of Fredericksburg – Because of his action at Antietam (also known as The Battle of Sharpsburg), General Hood was given command of his own division. He maintained command of his Texas Brigade as well until November 26, 1862. Now consisting of 160 barefoot men the 18th Georgia Regiment was transferred to Cobb's Brigade, McLaws' Division, remaining in Longstreet's Corps. Cobb's brigade was composed of the 16th, 24th, and 18th Georgia Regiments, Cobb's Legion, and Phillips' Legion. The 18th Georgia Regiment remained assigned to Longstreet's Corps until the end of the war. From October 26 to November 10, 1862, George Smith's unit was involved in patrols of the region around Loudon, Faquier, and Rappahannock counties in Virginia. General Burnside replaced McClellan on the Union side, and delayed for a number of weeks near Warrenton, Va. waiting for pontoon builders before marching his reinforced army of 120,281 men to Falmouth, across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Va.. General Lee had massed his troops in and around the Fredericksburg area. What followed was not so much a battle as a military tragedy for the Union.

On December 11, 1862 construction began of pontoon bridges to help in the Federal crossing. While they were placing the pontoons, William Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade, heavily barricaded in buildings on the shore, inflicted heavy damage on the engineers. When the engineers would no longer work, Burnside ordered a brigade to float across the river on loose pontoons, and attack the Confederate positions. This plan eventually worked, but stalled Burnside's movement across the river to his great consternation. The bulk of his force moved across the completed pontoons on December 12 during a punishing river crossing. Once across, they marched through Fredericksburg under heavy fire taking many more losses from hidden sharpshooters.

Once the city was cleared, Burnside took time to consult and plan with his officers. That evening, the officers lost control of their men as they looted homes and stores. They smashed mirrors, broke furniture, and dragged pianos into the street. "The soldiers seemed to delight in destroying everything," wrote one witness. Virtually every home and business saw Yankee looters who stuffed their bags and knapsacks with anything worth a dollar. Burnside's provost marshall finally arrived later, lashing at troops with his riding crop. He arrested platoons of prisoners as well as some mounted officers, plunder still hanging from their saddles.

Burnside rose early the morning of the 13th and ordered a series of 16 hopelessly piecemeal frontal assaults across open ground. Lee's 78,513 troops were drawn up in an impregnable position atop high ground and behind a stone wall west of the city. McLaws' division was on Marye's Heights immediately back of the city. Cobb's Georgia brigade, with the 18th Georgia Regiment, was in a sunken road during this battle hidden from view until the attackers were surprised. The main Federal attack was directed at Cobb's brigade. General Lafayette McLaws had this to say in an article written after the war about the battle:

From the beginning of the battle through the end not a single Union soldier made it to within 100 feet (30 m) of the wall on the sunken road. General Cobb bled to death from a hip wound within sight of the house where his parents had married, and was succeeded by General Kershaw. The 18th Georgia Regiment lost 58 of its 160 soldiers and, on the night of December 15, was relieved. That same night, the Federals withdrew with staggering losses, and Kershaw's Brigade, with George Smith, reoccupied the city. Burnside's entire 6-mile (9.7 km) long front was riddled with appalling failure. He lost 12,653 Union men, compared to Lee's total loss of only 5,309 men. Both armies went into winter quarters around Fredericksburg during the winter of '62–'63. George Right Smith was elected to the rank of Junior Second Lieutenant in January 1863 shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Battle of Chancellorsville – April 29, 1863, General Hooker (who replaced Burnside on 25 Jan 1863) moved the bulk of his force up the Rappahannock, west of Fredericksburg, in an attempt to flank Lee's army. He was astonished on May 1 when the Confederate commander suddenly moved most of his army directly against Hooker in what came to be known as the Battle of Chancellorsville.

May 1, W.T. Wofford assumed command of the Texas Brigade. Jackson's Corps, with McLaws' Division on the left flank, remained on the Fredericksburg front until the night of May 1. On that night, Jackson's force left Fredericksburg to outflank the outflanking Federal army. May 2, McLaws' Division joined with Lee's forces on Plank Road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The rest of Jackson's force started the flanking movement against Hooker's exposed right flank in the wilderness around Chancellorsville. Jackson crushed the Union's 11th Corps late in the afternoon. However, while continuing his advance, Jackson was accidentally wounded fatally by the fire of his own men when he crossed in front of the firing line of General Pender's North Carolina Brigade.

As he knelt to help a recruit load his rifle during the Battle of Chancellorsville on Plank Road, George Right Smith was also struck in the back by a mini-ball. He sat down and leaned back against a tree thinking he "would surely die." But, after a few minutes he found that the bullet had been spent after passing through his bed-roll leaving only a minor wound.

Lee continued to press the attack on May 3, and Hooker gave up the contest on May 5, retreating to his old position north of the Rappahannock. The Federal soldiers suffered 17,278 casualties at Chancellorsville, while the Confederates suffered 12,764. The 18th Georgia Regiment's casualties totaled 86; 14 killed and 72 wounded, including George Smith. Shortly thereafter, during May 1863, George R. Smith was promoted to Second Lieutenant.