Sedgwick changed his dispositions as speedily as possible, and sent out his orders to his subordinates within fifteen minutes after receipt of Hooker’s despatch; but it was considerably after midnight before he could actually get his command faced about, and start the new head of column toward Fredericksburg.

Knowing the town to be occupied by the Confederates, Sedgwick was obliged to proceed with reasonable caution the five or six miles which separated his command from Fredericksburg.  And the enemy appears to have been sufficiently on the alert to take immediate measures to check his progress as effectually as it could with the troops at hand.

Fredericksburg and the heights beyond were held by Early’s division and Barksdale’s brigade, with an adequate supply of artillery,—­in all some eighty-five hundred men.  Sedgwick speaks, in his testimony before the Committee on the Conduct of the War, as if he understood at this time that Early controlled a force as large as his own; but he had been advised by Butterfield that the force was judged to be much smaller than it actually was.

In his report, Early does not mention Sedgwick’s advance on the Bowling-Green road, nor is it probable that Sedgwick had done more than to advance a strong skirmish-line beyond his column in that direction.  Early’s line lay, in fact, upon the heights back of the road, his right at Hamilton’s Crossing, and with no considerable force on the road itself.  So that Sedgwick’s advance was skirmishing with scouting-parties, sent out to impede his march.

Early had received general instructions from Lee, in case Sedgwick should remove from his front, to leave a small force to hold the position, and proceed up the river to join the forces at Chancellorsville.  About eleven A.M. on the 2d, this order was repeated, but by error in delivery (says Lee) made unconditional.  Early, therefore, left Hays and one regiment of Barksdale at Fredericksburg, and, sending part of Pendleton’s artillery to the rear, at once began to move his command along the plank road to join his chief.

As this manoeuvre was in progress, his attention was called to the early movements of Sedgwick, and, sending to Lee information on this point, he received in reply a correction of the misdelivered order.  He therefore about-faced, and returned to his position at a rapid gait.

It is doubtful whether by daylight, and without any considerable opposition, Sedgwick could have marched the fifteen miles to Chancellorsville in the few hours allotted him.  Nor is it claimed by Hooker that it was possible for Sedgwick to obey the order of ten P.M. literally; for it was issued under the supposition that Sedgwick was still on the north bank of the river.  But Hooker does allege that Sedgwick took no pains to keep him informed of what he was doing; whence his incorrect assumption.  To recross the river for the purpose of again crossing at Fredericksburg would have been a lame interpretation of the speedy execution of the order urged upon Sedgwick.  He accordingly shifted his command, and, in a very short time after receiving the despatch, began to move by the flank on the Bowling-Green road towards Fredericksburg, Newton’s division in the advance, Howe following, while Brooks still held the bridge-head.