Posted on May 14, 2017
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The forces of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee clash in the Wilderness forest in Virginia, beginning an epic campaign. Lee had hoped to meet the Federals, who plunged into the tangled Wilderness west of Chancellorsville, Virginia, the day before, in the dense woods in order to mitigate the nearly two-to-one advantage Grant possessed as the campaign opened.
The conflict quickly spread along a two-mile front, as numerous attacks from both sides sent the lines surging back and forth. The fighting was intense and complicated by the fact that the combatants rarely saw each other through the thick undergrowth. Whole brigades were lost in the woods. Muzzle flashes set the forest on fire, and hundreds of wounded men died in the inferno. The battle may have been particularly unsettling for the Union troops, who came across skeletons of Yankee soldiers killed the year before at the Battle of Chancellorsville, their shallow graves opened by spring rains.
By nightfall, the Union was still in control of the major crossroads at the Wilderness. The next two days brought more pitched battles without a clear victory for either side. Grant eventually pulled out and moved further south toward Richmond, Virginia, and for the next six weeks the two great armies maneuvered around the Confederate capital.
The conflict quickly spread along a two-mile front, as numerous attacks from both sides sent the lines surging back and forth. The fighting was intense and complicated by the fact that the combatants rarely saw each other through the thick undergrowth. Whole brigades were lost in the woods. Muzzle flashes set the forest on fire, and hundreds of wounded men died in the inferno. The battle may have been particularly unsettling for the Union troops, who came across skeletons of Yankee soldiers killed the year before at the Battle of Chancellorsville, their shallow graves opened by spring rains.
By nightfall, the Union was still in control of the major crossroads at the Wilderness. The next two days brought more pitched battles without a clear victory for either side. Grant eventually pulled out and moved further south toward Richmond, Virginia, and for the next six weeks the two great armies maneuvered around the Confederate capital.
Grant and Lee clash in the Wilderness forest - May 05, 1864 - HISTORY.com
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Thanks for reminding us TSgt Joe C. that on May 5, 1864 the Army of the Potomac led by the able Lt Gen Ulysses S Grant began a two-day battle with Army of Northern Virginia led by CSA General Robert E Lee in an area of Virginia known as the Wilderness.
Grant was beginning his strategies of (1) destroying the breadbaskets of the South in the Shenandoah and the eastern and central Georgia an (2) attrition of the forces of the CSA which had little capability to replace killed and captured soldiers. Before year's end the CSA was trying to convince slaves to fight for them.
Summary:
"The opening battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s sustained offensive against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, known as the Overland Campaign, was fought in an area of dense wooded undergrowth known locally as the Wilderness. On the morning of May 5, 1864, the Union Fifth Corps attacked Richard S. Ewell’s Corps on the Orange Turnpike, while A.P. Hill’s Corps during the afternoon encountered George W. Getty’s Division of the Sixth Corps and most of Winfield S. Hancock’s Second Corps on the Plank Road. Fighting was fierce but inconclusive as both sides attempted to maneuver in the dense woods. Darkness halted the fighting, and both sides rushed forward reinforcements. At dawn on May 6th, Hancock attacked along the Plank Road, driving Hill’s Corps back in confusion. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Corps arrived in time to prevent the collapse of the Confederate right flank. At noon, a devastating Confederate flank attack in Hamilton’s Thicket sputtered out when Longstreet was accidentally wounded by his own men. Ambrose E. Burnside's Ninth Corps moved against the Confederate center, but was repulsed. Union generals James S. Wadsworth and Alexander Hays were killed. Confederate generals John M. Jones, Micah Jenkins, and Leroy A. Stafford were killed. The battle was a tactical draw. Grant, however, did not retreat as had the other Union generals before him, instead promising Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to "fight it out on this line if it takes all summer". On May 7th, the Federals advanced southward toward the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse, where the bloody campaign would continue."
https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/wilderness
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SrA Christopher Wright SGT Robert George CPL Eric Escasio SPC (Join to see) MSG Andrew WhiteSGT Michael Thorin SP5 Dave (Shotgun) Shockley @LTC Bill
images; 1864-05-05_battle-of-the-wilderness-Orange-Turnpike; 1864-05-05 0500 Wilderness May 6-2 Hancock attacks A.P. Hill; 1864-05-06_0600 -1000 Wilderness May 6-3 Longstreet's Counterattack, 0600; 1864-05-06 1400 - 1800 Wilderness May 6-5.
Grant was beginning his strategies of (1) destroying the breadbaskets of the South in the Shenandoah and the eastern and central Georgia an (2) attrition of the forces of the CSA which had little capability to replace killed and captured soldiers. Before year's end the CSA was trying to convince slaves to fight for them.
Summary:
"The opening battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s sustained offensive against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, known as the Overland Campaign, was fought in an area of dense wooded undergrowth known locally as the Wilderness. On the morning of May 5, 1864, the Union Fifth Corps attacked Richard S. Ewell’s Corps on the Orange Turnpike, while A.P. Hill’s Corps during the afternoon encountered George W. Getty’s Division of the Sixth Corps and most of Winfield S. Hancock’s Second Corps on the Plank Road. Fighting was fierce but inconclusive as both sides attempted to maneuver in the dense woods. Darkness halted the fighting, and both sides rushed forward reinforcements. At dawn on May 6th, Hancock attacked along the Plank Road, driving Hill’s Corps back in confusion. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Corps arrived in time to prevent the collapse of the Confederate right flank. At noon, a devastating Confederate flank attack in Hamilton’s Thicket sputtered out when Longstreet was accidentally wounded by his own men. Ambrose E. Burnside's Ninth Corps moved against the Confederate center, but was repulsed. Union generals James S. Wadsworth and Alexander Hays were killed. Confederate generals John M. Jones, Micah Jenkins, and Leroy A. Stafford were killed. The battle was a tactical draw. Grant, however, did not retreat as had the other Union generals before him, instead promising Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to "fight it out on this line if it takes all summer". On May 7th, the Federals advanced southward toward the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse, where the bloody campaign would continue."
https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/wilderness
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SrA Christopher Wright SGT Robert George CPL Eric Escasio SPC (Join to see) MSG Andrew WhiteSGT Michael Thorin SP5 Dave (Shotgun) Shockley @LTC Bill
images; 1864-05-05_battle-of-the-wilderness-Orange-Turnpike; 1864-05-05 0500 Wilderness May 6-2 Hancock attacks A.P. Hill; 1864-05-06_0600 -1000 Wilderness May 6-3 Longstreet's Counterattack, 0600; 1864-05-06 1400 - 1800 Wilderness May 6-5.
The Wilderness | Civil War Trust
Our Battle of the Wilderness page includes battle maps, history articles, photos, web links, recommended books, and the latest preservation news for the opening battle of Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign.
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TSgt Joe C. awesome read/share of the epic Civil War Battles my friend:
The forces of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee clash in the Wilderness forest in Virginia, beginning an epic campaign. Lee had hoped to meet the Federals, who plunged into the tangled Wilderness west of Chancellorsville, Virginia, the day before, in the dense woods in order to mitigate the nearly two-to-one advantage Grant possessed as the campaign opened.
LTC Stephen F.
The forces of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee clash in the Wilderness forest in Virginia, beginning an epic campaign. Lee had hoped to meet the Federals, who plunged into the tangled Wilderness west of Chancellorsville, Virginia, the day before, in the dense woods in order to mitigate the nearly two-to-one advantage Grant possessed as the campaign opened.
LTC Stephen F.
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In my opinion this was the turning point of the war. The Army of the Potomac had taken horrific losses, and it looked like they had not gained a single advantage. Up until this point after such a fight the Army commanders would insist on pulling back, regrouping, re-supplying and reinforcing.
Grant realized that he had gained a significant advantage in that he had Lee's Army engaged along an entire front. He knew Lee, percentage wise had taken just as bad of a beating. Instead of re-crossing the Rapidan he pushed south and east, forcing Lee to move to keep between him and Richmond. Within a few weeks he would have Lee pinned to a defensive line South of Petersburg and the war would end within a year.
Grant realized that he had gained a significant advantage in that he had Lee's Army engaged along an entire front. He knew Lee, percentage wise had taken just as bad of a beating. Instead of re-crossing the Rapidan he pushed south and east, forcing Lee to move to keep between him and Richmond. Within a few weeks he would have Lee pinned to a defensive line South of Petersburg and the war would end within a year.
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