Battle of Cold Harbor

Cold Harbor

The fighting between Lee and Grant shift next east again to Cold Harbor, a tiny town with great military significance as a junction of five roads. The Union cavalry captured the spot, and held it against Confederate attacks. Grant ordered Wright's XI corps to follow them in that direction. He knew that Lee would have to pass Cold Harbor if he was going to move, and Grant hoped to catch him on the road. Lee also was spoiling for a fight. He planned for Anderson's First Corps to join the cavalry, recapture Cold Harbor and ambush the Federal column on the march. Anderson arrived in the area before nightfall, and began pushing toward Cold Harbor before dawn on June 1st. He encountered the Union cavalry, and made his first serious attack around 8 am. The Union troopers held their fire until the Confederates were in close range, and then opened on them, quickly breaking up the attack with their rapid fire carbines. Another attack was launched, but it met the same fate. After this failure, the Confederate commanders became confused. Anderson did not press for the attacks to continue, and instead the men just remained where they were and dug. The offensive opportunity had been lost.

Confederate entrenchments at Cold Harbor

On the Yankee side, Wright's XI corps arrived at 1 pm and took over the line from the cavalry. Baldy Smith's XVIII corps which had been sent by Butler had been ordered to the wrong place, which meant they did not arrive at Cold Harbor until the afternoon. More time was spent planning the attack, and it was 6 pm by the time Wright and Smith were ready. Four Union divisions moved forward across the 1,200 yards that separated them from the Confederate line. They encountered formidable entrenchments, and from them artillery fire, and, as they advanced closer, a terrific small arms fire. The Federals were stopped cold all along the line, except at one point. Emory Upton, who had led a fairly successful attack on the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania found the weak point in the Confederate line - an unguarded ravine. He pushed to within 70 yards of the Confederate position and was able to drive the Federal line back, capturing several hundred prisoners. But like at Spotsylvania, no more troops arrived to support him. The Confederates were able to maintain their lines until darkness, when Upton had to retire to his lines. Several thousand Federals were lost in this assault but only 600 Confederates.

Grant, however, saw opportunities. He ordered Hancock's II corps to Cold Harbor to renew the attack the next day. In their night march, they were led down the wrong road, which delayed their arrival time. When they did reach Cold Harbor the men were exhausted, and it was decided to delay the attack until the next day, June 3rd. Confederate reinforcements also arrived along with engineers who worked to improve the entrenchments and get the best fields of fire. At the ravine where Upton had gained success a new line was established to ensure the same thing did not happen again.

A light rain fell throughout the night, and the Union troops woke early to form for their attack. At 4:30 am, a signal round was fired, and an artillery bombardment was begun. For 10 minutes, shells were thrown into the Confederate works. Then the Yankee infantry jumped out of their works and went forward at the attack. Some Federals gained an initial success. Two of Hancock's brigades found a gap in the Confederate line, where a rebel commander had allowed his infantry to retire to a more pleasant camp. But along most of the line, the attacks met sheets of lead. One soldier wrote:

To give a description of this terrible charge is simply impossible, and few who were in the ranks ... will ever feel like attempting it. To those exposed to the full force and fury of that dreadful storm of lead and iron that met the charging column, it seemed more like a volcanic eruption than a battle, and was just about s destructive.... The men went down in rows, just as they had marched in the ranks, and so many at a time that many of the rear thought they were lying down.

The Confederates did not just fire from their trenches. They counter attacked in force, and sealed the gap that had been found in the line. Many Yankees were pinned down by the fire, and they tried to dig rifle pits with cups and bayonets. Based on some reports of a partial success, Meade ordered the attacks to be continued, but they were still not successful. Every Federal charge was beaten back with loss. At noon, Grant gave permission to Meade to call off the attack. The battle of Cold Harbor was over. The Federals had suffered tremendous casualties. Thousands of men fell in a very short period, while Lee lost only 1,500. The wounded and dead lay on the field where many of the wounded were unable to crawl away. Grant delayed agreeing on a truce for several days, and by the time one was called several days later, it was too late for any of wounded to be saved. All who had not already been carried off had died on the field.

Casualties of Cold Harbor

The battle of Cold Harbor was costly for the Federal army. They lost about 1,844 killed, 9,077 wounded and 1,816 captured. The rebels too suffered significant casualties – 788 killed, 3,376 wounded and 1,123 captured. Grant later regretted the attack at Cold Harbor, as he wrote in his Memoirs.

I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made. I might say the same thing of the assault of the 22d of May, 1863, at Vicksburg. At Cold Harbor no advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained. Indeed, the advantages other than those of relative losses, were on the Confederate side. Before that, the Army of Northern Virginia seemed to have acquired a wholesome regard for the courage, endurance, and soldierly qualities generally of the Army of the Potomac. They no longer wanted to fight them "one Confederate to five Yanks." Indeed, they seemed to have given up any idea of gaining any advantage of their antagonist in the open field. They had come to much prefer breastworks in their front to the Army of the Potomac. This charge seemed to revive their hopes temporarily; but it was of short duration. The effect upon the Army of the Potomac was the reverse. When we reached the James River, however, all effects of the battle of Cold Harbor seemed to have disappeared.

Battle of North Anna

Although the Union forces in the east were meeting defeat on almost every side, most recently at the Battle of Spotsylvania, Grant was not discouraged. One of his greatest strengths was his perseverance. Where others would have quickly retreated, Grant stayed and fought it out. Grant did not want to just move around Lee's right flank as he had done before, since the Confederates would just fall back to strong positions behind the North Anna River. So he sent Hancock's II Corps to move as a feint to try to lure Lee into attacking him on open ground. Lee did not fall for the trick. Instead he fell back behind the North Anna, and Grant missed hitting him on the road.

Grant moved forward at a more leisurely pace, and on May 23 the Federals arrived at the North Anna. They quickly realized that Lee had miscalculated. He believed that the Federals would not try a serious crossing of the North Anna, and the movement there was only a diversion to cover a flanking movement to the east. He had left the North Anna River crossings either lightly guarded, or not defended at all. Hancock's II Corps moved down the Telegraph Road toward Chesterfield Bridge, while to the west Warren moved to cross at Jericho Mills with his V Corps. Hancock's men found one small redoubt guarding the bridge. After an artillery bombardment they charged at 6 pm, drove the Confederates from their position, and captured the bridge before the rebels could burn it.

Pontoon at Jericho Mills

Upsteam at Jericho Mills Warren had forded the river without any resistance. As more troops crossed he formed his men in a battle line of three divisions. The Confederates got wind of this crossing, but the Confederates still believed it was a feint, and A. P. Hill sent only one division, that of Major General Cadmus Wilcox, to deal with the threat. They were greatly outnumbered, but they were able to drive the Federals back, throwing one division into panic. The attack was stalled by well placed Federal artillery, and then recoiled when a Federal brigade struck Wilcox's flank. Wilcox determined he could do nothing more against the Federal beachhead. Lee was upset that the Federals had made it across the river. He said to Hill, “[W]hy did you let those people cross here? Why didn't you throw your whole force on them and drive them back as Jackson would have done?”

The Confederate position on the bluffs running along the North Anna River had been compromised by the Union crossing. However, Lee and his chief engineer soon came up with a brilliant solution. Both Confederate flanks were pulled back into a V formation with the point resting on the river. That way they could keep the Federal forces divided, and hold one at bay while crushing the other. But at this critical moment Lee was sick and confined to his bed. “We must strike them a blow," he said in his tent, "we must never let them pass us again - we must strike them a blow." On May 24^th the Federals continued to cross the river. Approaching the Confederate lines, they found them to be as strong as those at Spotyslvania. Instead of trying to attack, Grant ordered his army to dig in, and the campaign turned briefly into a stalemate. Probes were made at various places along the Confederate line, but nowhere was a weak point found where Grant and Meade could attack with a good chance of success. Grant, however, remained sanguine in his letters to Washington:

Lee's army is really whipped. The prisoners we now take show it, and the actions of his Army show it unmistakably. A battle with them outside of entrenchments cannot be had. Our men feel that they have gained the morale over the enemy, and attack him with confidence. I may be mistaken but I feel that our success over Lee's army is already assured.

Chesterfield Bridge

Battle of Spotsylvania – Harris Farm

Confederate dead from May 19th

After his unsuccessful attack the previous day, Ulysses S. Grant decided to cease his efforts at Spotsylvania, and instead shift the army southeast. But before he could do that the Confederates went on the offensive. Robert E. Lee ordered Ewell on the right to locate the Union right. Ewell took most of two divisions to do this. Fighting broke out around the Harris farm, and darkness brought an end to the combat. That night Lee recalled Ewell, as he did not want to undertake a general engagement at that place, where Ewell could not be supported by the rest of the army.

Fallen Confederates

This fight signaled the end of the Battle of Spotsylvania. The casualties from this long and desperate battle were heavy. The Federals lost about 18,000 men, the Confederates 10,000 – 12,000. These casualties hit the Federal army had. The losses from Wilderness and Spotsylvania, combined with the loss of 20,000 men whose enlistments expired, left the Federals with half the number of effective troops as had started the campaign. The losses were even heavier on the Confederates. At Spotsylvania Lee lost about 23% of his army. Those were men the Confederacy may not be able to replace, and the casualty numbers would only grow as the Overland Campaign rolled on.  

Confederate soldier, shot in the knee and shoulder

Battle of Spotsylvania – Last Union Attack

After the desperate fighting around the Bloody Angle, the fighting at Spotsylvania simmered quietly for nearly a week. No major attacks were made, and the time was spent maneuvering and skirmishing. Grant again decided to shift his army east, and the Federals moved to strike Lee's right. But by the time the Union troops were ready to attack Robert E. Lee had recognized what was happening and shifted Anderson's First Corps from the left to the right.

After waiting a few days for the weather to clear, Grant ordered that an attack be made on the position of the Mule Shoe, now the Confederate left. He hoped that Lee had weakened that front when he shifted his position a few days before. The lines went forward at dawn on May 18. The Federals soon found that Ewell's Second Corps still held the works, which the Confederates had only strengthened in the intervening days. The assaults were driven back by artillery fire alone, as the Federals did not even come within rifle range of the works.  

Works at Spotsylvania

Battle of Spotsylvania – The Bloody Angle

As Confederates worked on a new line of entrenchments in rear of the Mule Shoe, the desperate fighting continued around those entrenchments for many hours. Horatio Wright, a Federal general, wrote of the fighting:

Our men would reach over the logs and fire into the faces of the enemy, would staff over with their bayonets; many were shot and stabbed through crevices and holes between the logs; men mounted the works, and with muskets rapidly handed them kept up a continuous fire until they were shot down, while others would take their places and continue the deadly work.

Particularly vicious was the fighting around a work called the Bloody Angle. Private David Holt of Mississippi wrote this vivid account of his experiences:

We were in the V-shaped salient that had traverses thrown up to prevent an enfilading fire. The line was mended, and we [had to] keep it mended. Soon the Yanks made a determined charge with fixed bayonets, but the mud fought for us as the “stars were against Sisera, and for Isarel.” The breastwork was in a bog, and to make a charge in such a place against a line of fierce men close up, who have no idea of giving way, was more than those gallant Yanks could do. 

The very trench in which Holt fought

Many of them were shot dead and sank down on the breastworks without pulling their feet out of the mud. Many others plunged forward when they were shot and fell headlong into the trench among us. Between charges we cleared the trench of dead and wounded and loaded all the guns we could get hold of for the next charge. I was shooting seven guns myself. We stacked them up against the breastwork with the butts on the trench, and when the Yanks came, we picked them up one by one and fired and sent them down again. Many times we could not put the gun to our shoulder by reason of the closeness of the enemy, so we shot from the hip.

All the time a drizzling rain was falling. The blood shed by the dead and wounded in the trench mixed with the mud and water. It became more than shoe deep, and soon it was smeared all over our clothes. We could hardly tell one another apart.

The exhausted Confederate troops were finally withdrawn to the new works at 3 am on May 13th. It had been some of the hardest fighting of the entire war. For nearly 24 hours the battle had raged in terrible conditions. In some places the two lines were separated by only the parapet of a trench. The landscape was decimated by the huge number of bullets fired. In the Smithsonian today you can see the stump of a 22-inch oak tree that was cut down solely by musket balls. The cost of human lives was also terrible. The trenches on both sides were filled with bodies, sometimes piled several deep in the mud. One Federal staff officer wrote this on the sight of the trenches:

The appalling sight presented was harrowing in the extreme. Our own killed were scattered over a large space near the "angle," while in front of the captured breastworks the enemy's dead, vastly more numerous than our own, were piled upon each other in some places four layers deep, exhibiting every ghastly phase of mutilation. Below the mass of fast-decaying corpses, the convulsive twitching of limbs and the writhing of bodies showed that there were wounded men still alive and struggling to extricate themselves from the horrid entombment. Every relief possible was afforded, but in too many cases it came too late. The place was well named the “Bloody Angle.”

It is estimated that the Federals lost 9,000 men on this one day of fighting – the Confederates 5,000, plus 3,000 prisoners lost at the beginning of the fight. On the Union side this was all for no purpose. Even with superior numbers Grant and Meade were unable to organize an attack that could defeat Lee's line. 

Bloody Angle

Battle of Spotsylvania – Lee to the Rear

The Federal attack on the Mule Shoe salient at Spotsylvania quickly won success, but the attack soon stalled. A rapid advance could only be maintained so long, and the Federals were not prepared for this rapid success and did not have troops on hand to quickly follow up. The Confederates did their best to use this respite. John B. Gordon commanded Ewell's reserve division, and he formed a line to close the salient, and prepared to counterattack to regain the lost works. Lee rode to the site of the crisis, and after approving Gordon's plans, quietly rode to the front of the line. It was apparent that he planned to lead the charge. One Confederate officer recorded what happened next:

Just then the gallant Gordon spurred to his side, seized the reins of his horse, and exclaimed, with deep anxiety: "General Lee, this is no place for you! Do go to the rear. These are Virginians and Georgians, sir -- men who have never failed -- and they will not fail now. Will you boys? Is it necessary for General Lee to lead this charge?" Loud cries of "No! no! General Lee to the rear! General Lee to the rear! We always try to do just what General Gordon tells us, and we will drive them back if General Lee will only go to the rear!" burst forth from the ranks. While two soldiers led General Lee's horse to the rear, Gordon put himself in front of his division, and his clear voice rang out above the roar of the battle, "Forward! Charge! and remember your promise to General Lee!

Gordon's men charged, and with hard fighting drove back the disordered Federals. Parts of the Mule Shoe were recaptured, but many Federals clung tenaciously to the entrenchments. More rebels charged in, but the fight soon ground to a standstill.

Gordon

Grant ordered that attacks be made all down the line, hoping his men would find a weak spot somewhere. Many places were indeed weak, but the Union troops were unable to gain a foothold. Meanwhile, the fighting continued in the Mule Shoe, in the area which is now called Hell's Half Acre or the Bloody Angle. Confederate troops set to digging works that would straighten out the Mule Shoe salient, but until these were completed the Confederates would have to hold on in the bloody and often hand to hand fighting.

Battle of Spotsylvania – Federal Breakthrough

Entrenchments

After Emory Upton's temporary breakthrough of the Confederate line, Grant had decided to make another attack on the Confederate lines at Spotsylvania, and it went forward at 4:30 am 150 years ago today. The Federal troops headed through the misty predawn darkness towards the part of the Confederate line dubbed the Mule Shoe. It was the center of the Confederate line, and curved on both sides to form a horseshoe shape. This position was inherently weak, as it could be attacked on both sides, but Confederate engineers believed that the risk was necessary to hold a piece of elevated ground. The Confederate troops manning the position were of the Stonewall Division. Once commanded by Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, it was now under Allegheny Johnson.

Map of Grant's Attack

The position was worsened by a critical decision on the Confederate side. The previous day Lee interpreted some intelligence he received to mean that Grant was abandoning his position and on the move again. Therefore he ordered that the artillery be removed from the Mule Shoe in preparation for a Confederate movement. This supposition would turn out to be mistaken. Allegheny Johnson knew that his position would be weak without the guns, and he requested that the cannon be returned. Corps commander Richard Ewell approved the request, but the order was delayed and the artillery units had just started as the Federal attack came forward.

Dead Confederates

The troops of the Stonewall Division were awoken by a smattering of musketry from the pickets, giving warning of the Union advance. They hurried to get in position but surprised, greatly outnumbered, and without artillery support, they did not put up much of a defense. Within seconds the Yankees were over the parapet and driving back the Confederates in disarray. The Union troops rounded up hundreds of fleeing soldiers including Allegheny Johnson himself. The Confederate center was crushed. It was one of the greatest successes the Army of the Potomac had won in the entire war.

Battle of Yellow Tavern

Sheridan

In Overland Campaign in Virginia the commander of the Federal cavalry was Major General Philip Sheridan. As the campaign advanced Sheridan became dissatisfied with his role in the campaign. Meade was using the troopers for reconnaissance and shielding the army. That's not what Sheridan wanted to do. He preferred large scale raids instead of the other duties of the cavalry. So on May 8^th he went directly to Grant and told him that he could go behind Lee's lines to crush JEB Stuart's cavalry, as well as cutting the Confederate supply line and threatening Richmond. Grant agreed, so the next day Sheridan took his 10,000 troopers around Lee's right.

Sheridan's Raid

Sheridan's over 10 mile long column quickly pressed south, destroying railroad equipment on the Virginia Central Railroad and cutting telegraph lines. Stuart hurried in pursuit with his 4,500, trying to out ride Sheridan and get between him and Richmond. He finally caught up and made a stand at Yellow Tavern, just 6 miles north of Richmond. The Confederates dismounted and occupied a low ridge along the road to Richmond. The battle was desperate, for the Federals not only greatly outnumbered Stuart's men, they also had many times the firepower. Most of the Union troopers carried repeating rifles which the south did not have in large quantities.

A critical moment in the battle occurred when the 1^st Virginia successfully counterattacked, driving back advancing Union forces. Stuart was on the front lines, encouraging his men as they drove back the fleeing Federals. As they retreated one of them, probably John Huff of the 5^th Michigan, aimed a pistol at Stuart and fired. The general was hit, and reeled in his saddle. Several subordinates, including Captain Gustavus Dorsey, ran to him. Stuart recognized how serious he had been hit, saying, “I'm afraid they've killed me, Dorsey.” However there was a battle still to be fought. The Confederate line was faltering, and Stuart ordered those around him, “Go back to your men and drive the enemy!”

Stuart

Stuart was escorted from the field and the battle continued until night. The Confederates were unable to halt Sheridan's advance toward Richmond. “Go back!” Stuart shouted to troopers who retreated past him, “Go back! and do your duty as I have done mine, and our country will be safe. Go back! go back! I had rather die than be whipped.” Stuart was taken in an ambulance to Richmond. Doctors came to him, but there was little they could do. He died the next day. His final words were, “I am resigned; God's will be done.” He may have been the south's best cavalry commander in the war. This was not just because of his grand raids. He was very skilled in what Sheridan was unwilling to do – shielding the army and gathering information. When Lee received the news of Stuart's death he said with great sorrow, “General Stuart has been mortally wounded: a most valuable and able officer. He never brought me a piece of false information.”

Stuart's grave

Although the Federals had won at Yellow Tavern, they made little more progress. They did not attempt an attack on Richmond's defenses, and returned to Grant on May 24. Other than killing Stuart the raid accomplished little. The Federals would have been better served to have their cavalry with the army during those two weeks of active campaigning.  

Battle of Spotsylvania – Sedgwick Killed

After the Federals lost the race to Spotsylvania the previous day, both armies brought up more troops and worked on their entrenchments on May 9^th. Lee's line was formed into a semi-circle to meet threats from several directions. The apex of the line was known as the Mule Shoe for it shape. Although it extended dangerously far from the main Confederate line, Lee's engineers believed this was necessary to hold a piece of high ground.

Sedgwick

At around 9 pm Union Major General John Sedgwick went out to supervise the placement of artillery along his corps' line. There was one point along the line where Confederate sharpshooters about 1,000 yards away had been particularly active, and Sedgwick saw his men ducking and dodging as bullets whistled overhead. “What?" Sedgwick remarked, "Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Seconds later he was proved wrong, as a sharpshooter's bullet struck him just below the left eye. He may have been dead before he hit the ground. He was the highest ranking Federal casualty during the Civil War.

Sedgwick wounded

Battle of Spotsylvania Begins

Having decided to move to Spotsylvania, Grant's men continued to march in that direction on the night of May 7^th. At the front Sheridan's cavalry had to clear the road of Confederate cavalry. Lee was not certain where Grant was going, but ordered Richard Anderson, who had taken over Longstreet's corps, to move in the direction of Spotsylvania. He did not tell him the movement was urgent, but Anderson moved early, at 10 pm on May 7^th, to escape the stinking bodies and burning forest on the Wilderness battlefield.

Early on May 8^th, 150 years ago today, the Federal cavalry renewed their efforts to clear the road to Spotsylvania. Fitzhugh Lee's men, after a gallant stand, withdrew from their barricades and took up a new position on Laurel Hill, just northwest of Spotsylvania. He sent for Anderson to help, and at this point the Confederates' early movement paid off. Before long infantry were flying into the cavalry positions, just as Warren's V Corps arrived to attack. Warren did not know that the Confederates had infantry on the field, and ordered his troops to press forward. The men were tired and hungry from their long march, but Warren shouted, “Never mind the cannon! Never mind the bullets! Press on and clear this road! It’s the only way to get your rations!" The Federals charged, but at 60 yards the Confederates unleashed volley after volley. The bluecoats fell back and tried again, but again they were beaten back. Warren, seeing more Confederate infantry arriving, halted his attacks and told Meade of the situation.

Lines at Spotsylvania

Meade could not believe that the Confederates had arrived on the field so soon. He ordered John Sedgwick to join Warren and continue the attacks. Much time was spent in preparing the lines, and by the time they advanced at 6 pm, Ewell's Corps had joined Anderson's on the battlefield. The Federal assault was a disaster. Orders were confused, units lost their way, and only one division and one brigade ended up attacking. This weak force had no chance of breaking the Confederate line, and the Federals were soon broken.

They day had been a provident success for the Southerners. The Federal movement had been detected, and infantry was on hand to meet it. They had won the race for Spotsylvaia, and the attack which the Union had spent so long planning turned out to be an embarrassing failure.  

Wilderness to Spotsylvania

After his unsuccessful attacks on May 6, Grant decided that further efforts on this front would be useless. The Confederates had dug strong entrenchments, and he did not want to attack them. Instead, he decided to try to march around Lee's right. Moving down the Brock Road towards Spotsylavnia Court House, he hoped to get his men between Lee and Richmond, forcing the Confederates to fight on ground favorable to the Federals.

Movement to Spotsylvania

As the Union troops began their march, many believed that Grant was retreating just like all the other failed army commanders before him. But when they turned towards Spotsylania, they were disabused of that idea. “Instantly all of us heard a sigh of relief,” wrote one infantry man. “We marched free. The men began to sing. The enlisted men understood the flanking movement.” Grant would not turn back. Although he had been unable to crush Lee's army, there would be no turning back.

Unburied bones in the Wilderness

In this battle, the Federals reported 2,246 killed, 12,037 wounded and 3,383 captured, totaling 17,666. These numbers were likely low, as high casualty numbers were bad for public opinion on the home front. The Confederates lost about 11,000 men. Although Grant's losses were much higher, he could better afford to loose them. The Confederate supply of manpower was nearly exhausted, and they had little opportunity to raise more troops. A few more victories like this one, and Lee's army would be destroyed.

Entrenchments in the Wilderness

Battle of the Wilderness – Gordon Attacks

On the other side of the field there was only desultory fighting throughout the day. However one Confederate commander, John B. Gordon, had a plan to strike the Federal forces. He scouted around the Union right flank and found it unguarded. Confederates could move undetected and roll up the Union right, as Longstreet as their left. He presented this plan to Ewell, who did not approve it for most of the day because of reports of a force that could strike Gordon in the rear.

The Wilderness

Finally just before sunset the plan was approved. Gordon set out on his march with his own and two other brigades, totaling around 4,000 men. They silently deployed and then charged. The Federals were completely surprised. The two flank brigades were completely unprepared and were driven into headlong retreat. But this was all Gordon could accomplish. It was nearly impossible to keep an attack organized in the woods, especially at night. By the time another attack was made it was 10 pm, and the Federals were able repulse it. Gordon believed that the delay in implementing his plan prevented a complete Confederate victory on that day:

[H]ad [the attack] been made at an early hour in the day instead of at sundown, the 6th of May would have ended in the crushing defeat of General Grant's army.

Gordon

Battle of the Wilderness – Longstreet Attacks

Longstreet's Flank Attack

The line on the southern front was stabilized, but Lee was not content with that. He wanted to go on the offensive. Longstreet's engineer reported that there was an unfinished railroad that gave a covered approach to the Union flank. The plan was approved, and Longstreet gave Moxley Sorrel, his chief of staff, the role of putting four brigades into position to make the attack. At 11 am the Confederates charged. The attack surprised the Federals, and Hancock himself acknowledged that the Federal line was rolled up like a wet blanket. Wilbur Fisk of the 2^nd Vermont in Getty's division wrote:

The Plank Road

There was no chance for us when the left gave way but to run or be taken prisoner. We were between two fires, and the enemy had every advantage. ... I found myself with a squad belonging to the division that broke and caused the defeat – decidedly bad company to be in. Some of their officers drew their swords and revolvers and tried their utmost to rally them again. They might as well have appealed to the winds. ...  

I was shamelessly demoralized. I didn’t know where my regiment had gone to, and to be candid about it, I didn’t care. I was tired almost to death, and as hungry as a wolf. ... I should have been ashamed of such conduct at any other time, but just then all I thought of was a cup of coffee, and a dinner of hard tack. ... My patriotism was well nigh used up, and so was I, till I had some refreshments.

The Confederate attack was successful, but it was not long before it stalled. James Longstreet rode to the front to get his men moving again. But as he came down the Orange Plank Road with his staff, the 12th Virginia confused his party for Federal cavalry. Their fired into the group, hitting General Micah Jenkins, a staff officer, a courier and Longstreet himself. It was almost exactly a year before that Stonewall Jackson had been shot by his own men on nearly the same ground. Longstreet was wounded severely in the neck, and he turned over command to Charles Field, giving him orders to press the enemy. For a time it was not known whether Longstreet would survive the wound. He did, but he could not return to the army for months.

Longstreet's wounding was the doom of the Confederate attack. It took time to transfer the command, and by the time the troops were moving again, Hancock had taken up a new line of earthworks.

Wounded soldiers from the Wilderness

Battle of the Wilderness – Lee to the Rear

Hancock Attacks

Grant's plan for the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness was to focus his attacks on Hill's corps. His V and VI Corps were to continue their attacks on Ewell, to keep him from coming to Hill's defense, while Hancock continued his attacks on Hill, and Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps hit Hill's flank and rear through the hole in the center of the Confederates. On the Confederate side, Longstreet's First Corps was coming up, and Lee ordered it to go to Hill's aid. Longstreet miscalculated how long it would take to reach Hill and allowed his men some rest during the night. Thus, as the Federal attack began at 5 am on May 6, Longstreet had not yet come up. Hill's men, with their lines still disorganized from the previous day's fighting, were thrown into disarray by the large numbers of Federal forces. Broken Southern units streamed by the Tapp House, and the 16 guns in that field were the only thing holding the Federal advance back.

It was at this critical moment that Longstreet's forces finally began to arrive. At the head of the column was the Texas Brigade now under Brigadier General John Gregg. “I am glad to see it," Lee exclaimed, "Texans always move them!" He told Gregg, "When you go in there, I wish you to give those men the cold steel – they will stand and fight all day, and never move unless you charge them." As the Texans formed up, Gregg stood in his stirrups and shouted, "Attention, Texas Brigade! the eyes of General Lee are upon you. Forward, march!" As the line moved out, Robert E. Lee fell in behind them. He recognized the danger his army was in, and it was apparent that he intended to charge with Gregg's brigade. The Texans would not allow it. “Go back, General Lee," they cried. "Go back! We won’t go forward unless you come back.” Finally Lee was taken to the rear and the Texans' charge. Their attack, ably followed by two more divisions from Longstreet, stemmed Hancock's advance. When Burnside arrived on Hill's flank, he did not make a coordinated and forceful attack, and so the Confederates prevented disaster on that front.  

Longstreet Attacks

Battle of the Wilderness – Hancock Attacks

George Meade wished to strike Hill as well as Ewell, and he ordered Winfield Hancock to the area with his II Corps. The corps was spread over many miles of roads and it took time to bring them into position. Meade grew tired of the delay, and gave Getty a peremptory order to attack with what he had. Without Hancock's men the attack did not have the force to crush the Confederate lines. The forces met in the thick woods, and each fired through the smoky darkness, unable to see their enemy. Hancock sent into two of his divisions, but they were unable to resolve the conflict.

Hancock

At first the only Confederate troops on hand were Henry Heth's division, but Wilcox was sent to reinforce him, and with the fresh men the Confederates attacked. One soldier recalled the fight:

As soon as the line was formed and dressed, the order to advance was given. Balls fired at Heth's division, in front of us, fell among us at the beginning of our advance. We pressed on, guide left, through the thick undergrowth, until we reached Heth's line, now much thinned and exhausted. We had very imprudently begun to cheer before this. We passed over this line cheering. There was no use of this. We should have charged without uttering a word until within a few yards of the Federal line. As it was, we drew upon ourselves a terrific volley of musketry. The advance was greatly impeded by the matted growth of saplings and bushes, and in the delay a scattering fire commenced along our line.

The rebels gained an initial success, but they soon encountered the same problems that had plagued the Federals. They could not launch a successful charge in the woods of the Wilderness. In an attempt to break the stalemate, James Wadsworth's division of the V Corps was ordered to strike Hill's flank. They headed straight into the gap between the two Confederate corps. The vegetation delayed the advance, but by 7 pm they were nearing Hill's flank. Lee had nothing with which to combat this threat except a 150 man strong battalion from Alabama that had been guarding prisoners. He sent these men forward with a yell, and this small charge was able to convince the Federals to halt their attacks for the night. If the Federals had pressed home their attack, it could have resulted in a disaster for the Southern arms.

Although the fighting ceased, it was a horrible night for the wounded on both sides. There had been little rain for some time, and the musketry ignited the dry woods and fields. The fires quickly spread, and many of the wounded, unable to escape the flames, had the torture of being burnt alive. One Federal remembered:

I saw many wounded soldiers in the Wilderness who hung on to their rifles, and whose intention was clearly stamped on their pallid faces. I saw one man, both of whose legs were broken, lying on the ground with his cocked rifle by his side and his ramrod in his hand, and his eyes set on the front. I knew he meant to kill himself in case of fire—knew it is surely as though I could read his thoughts.