Battle of the Wilderness

Overview

The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The fighting occurred in a wooded area near Locust Grove, Virginia, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Fredericksburg. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, nearly 29,000 in total, a harbinger of a war of attrition by Grant against Lee's army and, eventually, against the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. The battle was tactically inconclusive, as Grant disengaged and then continued his offensive.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, opened Ulysses S. Grant's Virginia Overland Campaign — his sustained offensive against Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia aimed ultimately at Richmond. The engagement produced nearly 29,000 combined casualties without a decisive result, a pattern that would define the campaign: Grant absorbed heavy losses and continued advancing rather than withdrawing, as Union commanders had done after earlier bloody engagements in Virginia. That decision to disengage and press south rather than retreat marked a strategic shift in Union operations. The battle's inconclusive outcome and staggering toll signaled the war of attrition Grant intended to wage against Lee's army, grinding down Confederate strength that could not be easily replaced.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (12)