Days earlier, Lee had abandoned the ...read more, The Battle of the Wilderness marked the first stage of a major Union offensive toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, ordered by the newly named Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant in the spring of 1864. Before the attack on Bloody Angle, Grant had famously sent a cable to Washington stating his intention to “fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.” In the North, alarmingly high casualty reports dashed the war-weary public’s feverishly high hopes as it became clear that Union troops had failed to break the Confederate line. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Spotsylvania-Court-House, American Battlefield Trust - Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Battle of Spotsylvania, The Civil War - Battle of the Spotsylvania, National Park Service - History of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Encyclopedia Virginia - Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, American Civil War: Spotsylvania Court House. But General Ulysses S. Grant pressed on relentlessly with his offensive. Let us know. Simon Adams is a historian and writer living and working in London. Estimated Casualties: 30,000 total (US 18,000; CS 12,000) Description: After the Wilderness, Grant’s and Meade’s advance on Richmond by the left flank was stalled at Spotsylvania Court House on May 8. Having observed the Army of the Potomac’s crossing of the Rapidan River on May 4, Lee moved his army into position to confront the enemy in the dense woodland known as the Wilderness, where the first engagement of the Union campaign occurred on May 5-7. A lull might have been expected after the Battle of the Wilderness (5–7 May), with both Union and Confederate armies exhausted and disorganized. All Rights Reserved. Rather than abruptly ending this battle troops shifted to engagements at the Battle of North Anna (May 23-26) and the Battle of Cold Harbor (May 31 – June 12) just to the west. The Battle of the Wilderness May 5–6, 1864. As the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan River on May 4, ...read more, The battles of Cold Harbor were two American Civil War (1861-65) engagements that took place about 10 miles northeast of Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. For nearly 10 months the siege of Petersburg continued, while Grant slowly closed around Lee’s positions. In the early hours of 13 May, Lee’s men completed a fallback trench and retreated to it, ceding the salient to Grant’s troops. After initial probing skirmishes, Union forces attacked the Mule Shoe on 10 May. Rhea, Gordon C. The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7–12, 1864. Updates? This two-week battle was a series of combats along the Spotsylvania front. The campaign was called the Overland Campaign and eventually led to the Siege of Petersburg and the end of the Civil War. The battle began when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces ...read more. An attempted surprise attack on May 18 failed, costing more Union casualties. From May 5 to May 12, 1864, the Army of the Potomac lost around 32,000 men (killed, wounded or missing) in the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House--more than for all Union armies combined in any previous week of the war. Lee had correctly deduced that the tiny county seat would be Grant's next objective because whoever controlled the Spotsylvania crossroads would enjoy the inside track to Richmond. As he had done in the Battle of the Wilderness, General Lee himself tried to lead the rebels in a counterattack, only to be ordered to the rear by his soldiers. Late that night, Lee ordered his battered troops to fall back and form a new line a half-mile behind, which had been hastily fortified by Confederate engineers. 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