Howard of A. P. Hill's staff, was captured. The ringing of the axes of the stalwart brigade of Federal pioneers told Jackson that Hooker was already throwing obstacles in the way of his advance, so he promptly turned back and rode at a trot toward his own command. As he approached Hill's newly formed line of battle, some one called out, "A Yankee cavalry charge," for such was suggested by the sudden appearance of Jackson and the score or more that accompanied him, coming through the darkness of the forest; when, without orders, the Eighteenth North Carolina fired a volley, of ounce musket balls, which desperately wounded Jackson, killed Captain Boswell, his chief engineer, and one of his escort.
Jackson's condition required that he be taken at once from the field to the hospital near the Old Wilderness tavern, and the command devolved on A. P. Hill, who was soon after wounded in the firing that the Federals opened after Hill's men had fired on Jackson. Rodes now succeeded to the command of the Second corps, but declined to take the responsibility, and upon consultation, Stuart, who was guarding the rear against the Federal cavalry which was on the road leading to Ely's ford, was sent for, and, as the ranking officer present, he took command of the corps, at about midnight, and with his accustomed and well-nigh tireless energy, spent the remainder of the night getting the command in readiness to resume offensive operations with the dawn of the coming day.
Near the time of Stuart's taking command, Sickles reached the vicinity of Hazel Grove, a farm and farmhouse at the southern end of the Chancellorsville open plateau, returning from his fruitless advance to Catherine furnace. The heavy condition of the atmosphere and the dense intervening forests had so deadened the sound of Jackson's attack, which was mainly one of infantry and light guns, that neither Lee nor Sickles had heard the noise of Jackson's battle until it neared Chancellorsville; but when the nearby sound reached Lee, he promptly ordered McLaws to move a heavy skirmish line along the old turnpike against Hooker's left. Anderson failed to respond to a like order to attack Hooker's center, and suffered Sickles to retire unmolested; but when he advanced his skirmishers northward from Hazel
