The Civil War is coming to Spotsylvania

The 1864 spring campaign began in Virginia in early May of 1864. U. S. Grant, Commander in Chief of all the federal forces, chose to accompany the troops in Virginia. Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, awaited the invading Federals. On May 5th and 6th, the two armies fought to a bloody standstill in the Wilderness. On May 7, Grant, in a departure from previous Commanders, disengaged and turned the Army of the Potomac south instead of retreating. His goal was Spotsylvania Courthouse and the roads leading from it east, south, and west. On May 7th and 8th, General James Ewell Brown Stuart fought a masterful delaying action against the advancing Federal forces. Lee won the race for the strategic crossroads at Spotsylvania Courthouse initiating a battle that would rage for 17 straight days. The opposing armies entrenched in the Virginia mud and moments of quiet were interspersed with terror as both sides probed for weaknesses and engaged in constant musketry and artillery duels.

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Spotsylvania Court House

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War.

Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5Ð7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.