The Wilderness Virginia - May 5-6, 1864

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Battle of The Wilderness Historian Page The battle of the Wilderness took place on May 5, 1864, to May 7, 1864, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The key figures or generals in this battle were: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George G. Meade for the Union States, and General Robert E. Lee for the Confederate States. Other commanders were Hancock, May Warren, J.M. Jones, Hunter, Griffin, Burnside, Ewell, Johnston, Wright, Stafford, Longstreet, Benning, McCandless, Seymour, Gordon, Sedgwick, Warren, Sorrel, and Pegram. The opening battle of Grant's offensive against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, known as the Overland Campaign, was fought at the Wilderness. On the morning of May 5, 1864, the Union V Corps attacked Ewell's Corps on the orange Turnpike, while A.P. Hill's corps during the afternoon encountered Getty's Division and Hancock's II Corps on the Plank Road. Fighting was fierce as both sides attempted to move into the dense woods. Darkness calmed the fighting, and both sides rushed forward reinforcements. At dawn on May 6, Hancock attacked along the Plank Road, driving Hill's Corps back in confusion. Longstreet's Corps arrived in time to prevent the collapse of the Confederate troops. At noon, a devastating Confederate flank attack in Hamilton's Thicket ran out when Lt. Gen. James Longstreet was wounded by his own men. The IX Corps (Burnside's Troops) moved against the Confederate center, but was rejected. Union generals James S. Wadsworth and Alexander Hays were killed. Confederate generals John M. Jones, Micah Jenkins, and Leroy A. Stafford were also killed. Grant, however, did not retreat like the other Union generals before him. On May 7, the Federals advanced by the left flank toward the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Therefore, no one won the battle, the result is inconclusive. This is a picture of Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant This is a picture of General Robert E. Lee Some important events that happened during 1864: Italy renounced all claims to Rome. Florence replaced Turin as their new Capital. An allied western expedition participated in a violent civil war in Japan. Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay form a military alliance against the Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano Lopez. Russia conquers Turkestan.   '

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