Chris Calle (American, B. 1961) "Chancellorsville" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting is the original which appeared on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the 32c Battle of Chancellorsville Classic Collection Series stamp issued June 29, 1995.

After the Battle of Fredericksburg, when General Ambrose E. Burnside attacked Robert E. Lee on Virginia's Rappahannock River, Burnside was relieved of command at his own request. Replacing him as commander of the Army of the Potomac was General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. On April 27, 1863, Hooker sent his force of 120,000 men against Lee's army of only 60,000 men, still holding the Rappahannock line. Hooker's plan was to engage Lee's attention at Fredericksburg, then send another force around the town to attack the Confederate flank. The two pincers would try to isolate and crush the Army of Northern Virginia. But Hooker's right wing force had to march through a thickly wooded area making it vulnerable to surprise attack. Alert to Hooker's strategy, Lee left a screening force to protect his right flank at Fredericksburg and attacked Hooker straight on, at the same time sending General Stonewall Jackson to strike at the Union right. Jackson's savage attack from the pine thickets on May 2, at the crossroads junction known as Chancellorsville, caught the Northern army by surprise. After battling for three days across a 10-mile area, Hooker retreated. Union casualties were over 17,000, while the Confederate cost was 12,800. For Lee, his greatest victory was sadly Pyrrhic, since Jackson was mortally wounded by his own men. Nevertheless, Lee decided to launch a second invasion of the North, hoping to capture an important city like Harrisburg or Baltimore and possibly effect a triumphant peace.

Image Size: 14 x 13.5 in.
Overall Size: 23 x 18 in.
Unframed.
(B15196)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.