The
opening battle of Grant's sustained offensive, with Federal Gen.
Mead’s Army Of The Potomac, against Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern
Virginia, known as Grant’s Overland Campaign, was fought in the
heavily wooded area known in Virginia as the Wilderness, on May 5-7 with
heavy losses for both sides, including high ranking generals and our own
Gen. Longstreet. On the
morning of May 5, the Union 5th Corps attacked Gen. Ewell on
the Orange Turnpike, while Gen. A.P. Hill's corps during the afternoon
encountered Yankee Gen. Getty's Division of the Federal 6th
Corps. Union Gen. Hancock's 2nd Corps was on the Plank Road.
The fighting exploded between the two armies and was fierce, but
inconclusive as both sides attempted to maneuver in the dense woods of
the Wilderness very near Chancellorsville. Here Stonewall had charged
and Federal General Hooker was caught by surprise just a year ago this
very May, and was pushed back in full retreat.
In this second Chancellorsville, there would be no great Jackson
charge, but complete total confusion as both armies got battle lines
mixed up and twisted and turned in circles unaware of who was to their
front and rear. The
soldiers of both armies simply loaded their muskets and fired in the
directions of sound and flash, firing on their own at times in the
confusing blindness that is the Wilderness.
Darkness
came and thereby halted the fighting.
Reinforcements began to arrive on both sides, and were hastily
rushed to the front. At
dawn on May 6, Federal Gen. Hancock launched an attacked along the Plank
Road, driving Gen. Hill's Corps back in confusion. On this morning
serious disaster seemed imminent. Longstreet,
though ordered that prior evening by Gen. Lee to commence a night march
of his Corps so as to be in position come the dawn, did not arrive in
time to reinforce Gen. Lee's line of battle in the position it held at
the close of the engagement of the preceding evening. Hancock's well
planned and executed attack on our right forced the two Confederate
divisions from their position, and it seemed at once that they would
sweep the field. Gen. Lee, most remarkably, gave orders to get his wagon
trains ready for a movement in retreat, and sent an aide to quicken the
march of Gen. Longstreet's two divisions. Longstreet’s boys came soon
enough, a little after sunrise, at double quick, in parallel columns,
down the Plank road and a sigh of relief was on Gen Lee’s face.
Gen. Longstreet arrived just in time to prevent the collapse of
our right flank. Lee was in
the midst of Hill's confused retreating troops sent running from
Hancock’s attack, when, he, Gen. Robert E. Lee in the most gallant
moment ever before witnessed, stood high in the stirrups of the saddle
strapped to Traveler aiding in the rallying of the fleeing men, and
restoring confidence and order; Longstreet's men had just come gallantly
in to reform the line of battle under Lee’s eye, as Gen. Lee rode to
the front of line and resolved to lead the counter attack in person.
Lee's presence at the front aroused his men to great enthusiasm. He was
a superb figure as he sat on his spirited gray with the light of battle
about his face. His presence was an inspiration to all who saw. The
retreating columns turned their face front once more and reformed into
line of battle, and the fresh divisions went forward under Gen. Lee’s
eye with splendid spirit. It was on this occasion that the men of Gen.
Gregg’s Texas brigade; always favorites of the general; came up to
plug the hole created by Hill’s retreating men.
General Lee, now standing up in the stirrups, his hat removed
waving it over his uncovered gray head, shouted, “Texans always move
them”. A yell of cheers
and hollers went up from the Texans as never before heard.
Then, the boys from Texas, discovering that Gen. Lee was riding
with them to the charge, shouted to him that they would not go on unless
he went back. They began to
shout, “Lee to the rear” and when one boy ran over to General Lee to
hold Traveler back from moving forward, Lee relented and the Texans
began to go forward, some with tears in their eye’s at this glorious
moment. One Texan was heard
to say, “I would charge hell itself for that old man”.
Gen. Longstreet had, indeed, arrived just in time to prevent the
impending disaster Gen. Lee feared was coming on the right. Gen.
Longstreet began looking for a way to take the offensive, when he
learned of an unfinished railroad cut that would provide a covered
approach for attacking the Federal flank.
He put his friend and adjutant, Lt. Col. G. Moxley Sorrel, a fine
and polite man of great character and fondness, in command of four
brigades to make this attempt. Sorrel,
never before this day had commanded men in battle, attacked in the late
morning and overwhelmed the Federal flank. Federal Gen. Frank's brigade,
almost out of ammunition when the attack started, withdrew under heavy
pressure; the left of Federal Gen. Mott's division was also forced back.
Union Gen. Wadsworth was killed while trying to rally his troops
and resulted in the Yankee line withdrawing to the Brock Road. A rider
came up and informed Gen. Longstreet of Sorrel's success.
Gen. Longstreet immediately began ordering a follow up attack
calling on his remaining commanders to position their boys for the
forward assault. He ordered
forward the brigades of Benning, Law, and Gregg. Then Gen. Mahone's men
fired by mistake on their own troops, thinking them Federal in the
confusion of this dense brush and tree Wilderness, killing Micah Jenkins
and seriously wounding Gen. Longstreet.
This horrible accident occurred most ironically; within five
miles of where Stonewall Jackson just a year ago; had been mortally
wounded under similar circumstances. Gen. Longstreet from the back of an
ambulance, ordered Gen. Field to assume command and press the attack.
Gen. Lee, however, arrived and upon seeing his favorite General
seriously wounded, ordered this advance delayed until the lines could be
straightened out. By this time, the devastating Confederate flank attack in
Hamilton's Thicket faded out when Gen. Longstreet was wounded.
The brigades were those of Wofford, G. T. Anderson, Davis, and
Mahone. The fighting died over the area for several hours when Federal
Gen. Burnside’s 9th Corps moved against the Confederate center.
Burnside had arrived, attacked near the Tapp House, took some
ground, but was driven back by reinforcements from Gen. Heth's division
and Gen. Wofford's brigade of Kershaw's division. Before Burnside and
Hancock could comply with their orders to attack at early evening, Gen.
Lee took the initiative. Lee’s
men advanced to the abatis 100 yards from the Federals' first line of
defense and brought it under heavy musket fire. The Federal line held
for half an hour; then Ward's brigade and part of Mott's division broke
under the relentless fire thrust upon them.
Brush fires had started on portions of the captured Federal
breastworks and were burning so profusely that they could not be
defended. Although our boys planted their flags over the captured works,
they were then driven back by Yankee brigades and a battery of
artillery. Burnside attacked again but accomplished no more than keeping
Gen. Heth and Wilcox from moving to Gen. Lee's support.
To the north Federal Generals Sedgwick and Warren had attacked
repeatedly and failed to penetrate Ewell's lines. Gen. Gordon had found
the exposed Federal right flank, but Gen. Ewell had refused him
permission to attack it. When Gen. Lee visited this portion of the front
he ordered the attack made. Gordon's
brigade, supported by part of Robert Johnston's, attacked Sedgwick's
exposed right flank just before dark, while Pegram's brigade attacked
frontally the results of which were not so great as hoped for, night
came and put a stop to this successful rolling up of Sedgwick's line.
The
Wilderness fighting closed with the night of the 6th of May.
Lee's grand tactics in these two days of battle had been a superb
exhibition of military genius and skill in executing his plan of
throwing his little army boldly against his opponent, where his great
inferiority in numbers would place him at the least disadvantage. Where
maneuvering of large armies were most difficult, and where superiority
in cavalry and artillery counted almost for nothing. The losses of these
two days were monumental. The
Federals lost an estimated 17,666 out of 101,895 engaged; of these,
2,246 were killed and 12,073 wounded. Generals Wadsworth and Alexander
Hays were killed, Getty and Carroll wounded, and Shaler and Seymour
captured. Our Confederate effective strength is estimated at 61,025.
Although there are no complete casualty reports, Livermore estimates
that our loses total 7,750. Generals Jenkins and J. M. Jones were
killed, Stafford mortally wounded, Pegram, Hunter, and Benning were
wounded. And General James Longstreet, veteran commander of most every
major battle of this army and in Tennessee, seriously wounded, and
perhaps, out of this war for good. The battle was a tactical draw.
Unlike the past, Grant is not to retreat, as the other Union generals
before him, but move forward. The Federals are advancing.
Gen. Lee believes toward the crossroads of Spotsylvania
Courthouse where Gen. Lee hopes to engage Grant before Grant can cut
Gen. Lee off from Richmond.
Tom
R. Grandy
Daily
Richmond Examiner