The Battle of the Wilderness was an important Civil War battle.  The Civil War took place between April 1861 and April 1865 and was between the Northern and Southern states of the United States of America.  Wilderness was the opening battle of the Union’s major offensive against the Confederate Army.  Neither side knew before this battle started that it would later be considered the beginning of the end of the Civil War.   

The battle took place in central Virginia on the south bank of the Rapidan River in Spotsylvania County.  It was a two-day battle that started on May fifth of 1864. The Union (Northern states) leader, Ulysses S. Grant, had phenomenal tactical skill. He had won several battles coming into this one.  He also had almost twice as many troops as the Confederate (or Southern states) leader, Robert E. Lee, who was not unskilled himself. This was the first time these two generals clashed in battle. 

The area of Wilderness was covered with dense second-growth forest.  The early forest had been cut down in colonial times leading to this dense second growth.  Grant set up camp in this messy area on May fourth and was surprised by the earlier than expected arrival of Lee’s forces first thing the next morning.  The forest made it difficult to use artillery and cavalry, as well as making infantry movements difficult. This helped Lee, who was on the defense.  Grant suffered 18,000 casualties, while Lee suffered only 11,000.  However, there was no clear winner.  Lee’s army survived attack by an overwhelming force.  But, the battle did not force Grant to retreat.  After the Battle of the Wilderness, Lee’s army had been hurt so much that they would not be able to plant an attack for the rest of the war.  For Grant, victory was on the way!

Gallagher, G. (ed.) (1997).  The Wilderness Campaign.  Chapel Hill, NC:  The University of North Carolina Press.

Moore, K. (1994).  If You Lived At the Time of the Civil War.  New York, NY:  Scholastic, Inc.

Rhea, G. (1994).  The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864.  Baton Rouge, LA:  Louisiana State University Press.

Rhea, G. (1995).  The Battles of Wilderness and Spotsylvania.  Ft. Washington, PA: Eastern National Park and Monument Association.

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