Battle of Chancellorsville • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • The Armies

Stop 4 on the Battle of Chancellorsville Auto Tour is on Mclaws Drive southwest of Plank Road.  Here the Confederate division of General Lafayette McLaws held the flank of Hooker’s army in place for three days. It is the trailhead for the 1 mile McLaws Trail.

The Chancellorsville Campaign: May 1-3 historical marker is on the north side of McLaws Drive just before reaching the  parking area for Stop 4.

The scene of McLaws’ fight was saved in 1997 by the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust from development as a shopping center. It is now part of the national park

Text from the marker:

McLaws Trail

This trail will take you across the swampy headwaters of Ninemile Run, where for three days Confederate skirmishers of General Lafayette McLaws’ division sparred with elements of Joseph Hooker’s Union army. McLaws’ spirited attacks fixed Hooker’s attention on this sector, enabling “Stonewall” Jackson to successfully maneuver around the Union army’s right flank, four miles ahead of you.

Fliers at Stop #1 will lead you on a self-guided tour of this little-known phase of the Chancellorsville fighting.

Trail length: 1 mile
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 45 minutes

The McLaws Trail sign incorrectly identifies the fighting here as being part of the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Map and directions to Stop 4

Tour Stop 4 on the Battle of Chancellorsville Auto Tour is on the north side of McLaws Drive 0.3 mile southwest of Plank Road. (38°17’53.9″N 77°37’05.7″W)

On the Way to Stop 5

Directions to the next stop on the Auto Tour:
Continue 0.5 mile ahead on McLaws Drive. Stop 5 is just past the Brock Road intersection on the right. McLaws Drive becomes Furnace Road west of Brock Road.