Army of Northern Virginia
At Chancellorsville, Lee's army defeated the Army of the Potomac once again, this time inflicting 16,800 casualties while losing 13,000 men. The victory at Chancellorsville brought new hope to the South. It reinforced the idea that a single blow to the North could win the war. His soldiers and officers held Lee in the highest regard. They trusted his judgment and believed him to be a military genius. At this same time the Union Army of the Potomac was suffering poor morale under General Joseph Hooker. Time and again the Army of Northern Virginia, which had fewer men and far fewer resources, defeated the larger Army of the Potomac. Lee carefully monitored events in the Northern newspapers for any and all information about his enemy.