The Chancellorsville campaign was one of the most lopsided battles of the war

One of the most interesting facts about the Battle of Chancellorsville is that the Chancellorsville campaign was one of the most lopsided battles of the war. It was one of the most lopsided battles of the war, with the Union's effective combat force being more than twice that of the Confederates, the highest disparity in Virginia during the conflict. Hooker's army was better equipped and rested after several months of inaction. Lee's men, on the other hand, were under-supplied and dispersed throughout Virginia. Longstreet's Corps had already been separated and stationed near Norfolk to prevent a potential threat to Richmond from Federal troops stationed on the Peninsula at Fort Monroe and Newport News, as well as in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Given the ongoing Federal passivity, Longstreet's major duty by late March had become requisitioning provisions for Lee's army from North Carolina and Virginia farmers and planters. As a result, Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood and Maj. Gen. George Pickett's divisions were 130 miles (210 km) away from Lee's army and would take a week or more to reach it in an emergency. Lee's worst mistake after nearly a year of campaigning was allowing these troops to escape his direct control. Despite his best efforts, these troops would not arrive in time to assist his outnumbered forces.