434 THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS. his attacks on Ewell's right, but they continued until after 10 o'clock when Sedgwick and Warren were directed to suspend them, to strengthen their position, and to throw up new works, so that a part of their troops could be used in an attack from the vicinity of Hancock's right which had been engaged in desperate conflict. Hancock had disposed the divisions of Gibbon and Barlow, both under command of Gibbon, to defend his left flank against an apprehended attack by Longstreet, and at 5 A. M. launched the divisions of Birney, Mott and Getty, all under Birney, along the Orange plank road, while at the same time Wadsworth's division of Warren's corps advanced on Birney's right. The Confederate divisions of Heth and Wilcox were attacked with such prodigious energy and skill that they were driven a mile and a half through dense woods and back on the trains and artillery near Lee's headquarters. Just before Hill's troops gave way the head of Longstreet's corps, which had marched nearly all night, came upon the field at Parker's Store and was sent along the plank road to support Heth and Wilcox. Kershaw's division was in the lead and began to form on the right of the road. At this time Hancock's corps had become somewhat disorganized by the rush through the undergrowth, and Birney's left, when attacked by Kershaw, was not only brought to a standstill but was forced back on the centre. Wadsworth's ad vance had crowded many of Birney's troops to the south side of the plank road so that a greater part of Birney's command was on the left of that road. Field's division of Longstreet's corps had followed close after Kershaw's division, was formed on the Confederate left of the plank road, and, advancing, became hotly engaged with Birney's right and Wadsworth's troops, Gregg's Texans and Benning's Georgians in the lead bearing the brunt of the fight. Following Field's division came R. H. Anderson's division of Hill's corps. This formed on the same part of the line, one portion uniting with Field's troops in the attack, while the other portion supported. At 9 o'clock Hancock again attacked with the divisions of Birney, Mott, Wadsworth, Stevenson of Burnside's corps, and three brigades of Gibbon's division, but he made no headway and the fire on the front died away. Meanwhile discovering that Hancock's left extended only a short distance from the plank road, Longstreet sent a part of his command to the right to attack Hancock's left and rear, planning then to follow the flank movement by a general advance of the entire corps. The onset first fell on the left of the advanced line held by Frank's brigade partly across the Brock road, and the line was easily swept aside. Mott's division was then driven back in confusion, and the demoralization spread to the troops on the right so that Hancock was com THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS. pelled to withdraw his entire corps to the Brock road where the troops were re-formed in two lines beyond their intrenchments. On Hancock's right Wadsworth's troops broke and, in striving to rally them, Wadsworth was mortally wounded. Longstreet then ordered a general advance in the course of which, while moving at the head of his column by the flank down the plank road and when opposite the force that had made the flank movement, a volley was fired that killed General Jenkins who was in command of the leading brigade of Field's division and so severely wounded General Longstreet that he was not able to resume active duty until October.* General Lee soon came up, postponed the attack to a later hour, and so extended his line that the right rested on the unfinished Orange road. Meanwhile a brigade of the 9th corps, which had been sent to the left under Gibbon, swept down in front of Hancock's lines from left to right and completely cleared the vicinity of every vestige of the enemy. It had been expected that Burnside would advance through the space between Warren on the turnpike and Hancock on the plank road and attack Hill and Longstreet in flank, but in making his way through the undergrowth he came upon a body of Confederates on a wooded crest near the plank road and therefore moved farther to the left. It was not until *Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox, p. 574. 435 of afternoon, therefore, and after Hancock's repulse, that they became engaged; they then accomplished little and toward evening fell back and intrenched. By this time Hancock had re-formed his lines, had been reinforced by troops sent from Meade and planned to renew the battle at 6 P. M.; but at 4:15, having Longstreet's and Hill's troops well in hand, Lee anticipated Hancock's action and advanced in force against his intrenched lines. When Lee came within 100 yards of the front line he opened a severe fire and at the end of half an hour a portion of Mott's division and a part of Birney's brigade gave way. Through this break the Confederates pushed forward, Anderson's Anderson's brigade Field's division taking possession of that part of the first line of intrenchments and planting its colors on them. At this point the woods had taken fire during the afternoon and, when Lee's force attacked, the log breastworks at that part of the line became a mass of flames which extended for many hundreds of yards to the right and left. The heat and smoke driven into the faces of the Union troops prevented them from firing over the parapets and at some points obliged them to abandon their position. Anderson's brigade, taking advantage of this, seized a part of the breastworks but were driven out by Carroll's brigade. By 5 o'clock Lee's troops had been completely repulsed in Hancock's front and the Confederates suffered severe losses in killed and wounded. 436 THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS. sance showed that the Confederates Just before dark Ewell sent two brigades of Early's division around the right of Sedgwick's corps held by Ricketts' command, and in coöperation with the rest of Early's division forced Ricketts back in some disorder and captured Generals Shaler and Seymour and a large number of troops. Wright's division, too, was thrown back in confusion but he soon restored order, and Early, withdrawing, formed a new line in front of his old one. During the night an entirely new alignment was drawn up by the 6th corps, its front and right moving back-a change which was conformed to by the right of the 5th 7,750, though no accurate reports are obtainable.* corps. * Meanwhile on the left there had been some severe fighting at and near Todd's Tavern where Sheridan was holding the left flank of the army and covering its trains. On the 6th Sheridan had two divisions at Todd's Tavern commanding the road centering at this point, and had been attacked here earlier in the day by Stuart who was eager to get at Grant's flank and his wagon trains; but these attacks were repulsed. Meade, anxious about his left, directed Sheridan to draw back from Todd's Tavern closer to the trains, which movement Sheridan executed in the afternoon and the Confederate cavalry occupied Todd's Tavern. On the morning of the 7th neither side appeared in the humor to renew the struggle. Reconnois Grant's next objective being Spotsylvania Court House, only 15 miles southeast of the Wilderness, it was considered possible to reach it by a night march early on the morning of May 8th. As a preliminary to the movement Sheridan's cavalry was to seize Todd's Tavern on the Brock road midway between the two places. On the morning of the 7th two brigades of Gregg's division and two of Merritt's, dis Sawyer, Grant's Campaign in Virginia (1908); Humphreys, Virginia Campaign of '64 and '65, pp. 18-56; Official Records, vol. xxxvi.; Grant's Personal Memoirs, vol. ii.; Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 97-128; 145-169; Swinton, Army of the Potomac; Walker, History of the Second Army Corps; Gordon, Reminiscences of the Civil War; Morris Schaff, The Battle of the Wilderness (1910); Confederate Military History, vol. iii., pp. 431-444; vol. iv., pp. 229-235; vol. v., pp. 314-318; vol. vi., pp. 289-291; and the biographies of Lee, Stuart, Grant, Meade, Sheridan, Thomas and other generals engaged. THE BATTLE OF TODD'S TAVERN. mounted and fighting on foot, attacked Stuart, driving him from Todd's Tavern with severe loss. Fitzhugh Lee's division retreated in the direction of Spotsylvania Court House and Wade Hampton's force retired southward to Corbin's Bridge across the Po River. Sheridan withdrew and encamped with Gregg's and Merritt's divisions in the open fields to the east of Todd's Tavern. Early on the morning of the 8th Gregg took position to guard the roads from the south while Merritt's divison renewed the engagement with Fitzhugh Lee on the Spotsylvania Court House road in order to open it for an advance of Warren's 5th corps from Todd's Tavern. A severe engagement took place between Lee and Merritt, but Merritt gradually gained ground until about 6 o'clock when he was relieved and Robinson's division of Warren's corps assumed the task. At 9:30 A. M., Hancock's 2d corps, following Warren's, arrived at Todd's Tavern and took position covering the Brock, Catharpin and Spotsylvania roads and began to intrench, holding the extreme right of the army. At 11:30 A. M. General Nelson A. Miles' brigade with Gregg's cavalry brigade and a battery moved out on the Catharpin road toward Corbin's Bridge; but when within half a mile of it artillery on the heights south of the Po River opened fire, whereupon Miles immediately formed line, his artillery replying to that of the enemy. This gave rise to a skirmish with Wade Hampton's cavalry 437 which was kept at bay, and at 5:30 P. M., when Miles began to withdraw, he was attacked by Mahone's division of infantry and fell back, fighting all the way to Todd's Tavern. At 3 P. M. the trains began their movement toward Chancellorsville and Piney Grove Church. After dark Warren's 5th corps marched by the Brock road in the rear of Hancock's 2d corps and arrived at Todd's Tavern at 3 A. M. of the 8th. Sedgwick's 6th corps followed, moving eastward to Chancellorsville, then southward to connect with Warren, while Burnside's 9th corps followed Sedgwick. When Hancock reached Todd's Tavern at 9 A. M. of the 8th he intrenched. Upon Warren's arrival at Todd's Tavern he found Merritt's cavalry division engaged with Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry and, as we have seen, immediately sent Robinson's division to take Merritt's place. In the encounter which ensued Robinson was wounded and his division driven back to the woods in its rear. Robinson had encountered two brigades of R. H. Anderson's corps, the advance of Lee's army which had beaten Grant in the race for Spotsylvania Court House. At one time Lee held the opinion that Grant was retiring from Fredericksburg, but being too sagacious to base his entire action on one supposition and surmising that Grant might be moving toward Spotsylvania, Lee on the 7th had cut a military road through the forest from the Orange plank road to the 438 THE MARCH TOWARD SPOTSYLVANIA. highway by Sandy Grove Church and thence eastward to the court house. Late in the day Lee was informed by Stuart that Grant's trains were in motion southward and accordingly he directed his army to move to the court house on roads nearly parallel to the Union line of march. General R. H. Anderson, who commanded Longstreet's corps, had been ordered. to march on the morning of the 8th, but being much troubled by the fire and suffocating smoke in the Wilderness woods concluded to avoid it and, setting out at 11 o'clock on the night of the 7th, by dint of marching all the rest of the night arrived near the court house at 8 o'clock on the morning of the 8th. There he found that Lee's cavalry was engaged with Warren's infantry and therefore sent part of his corps to Lee's support, while two brigades marched on to the court house and occupied it, Wilson's cavalry division, that had been sent by Sheridan to seize it, withdrawing. Lee's cavalry retreated as Anderson came up, and the latter took up the fight with Warren. Griffin's division of Warren's corps, which had advanced on Robinson's right, was repulsed, and both commands fell back upon Crawford's and Cutler's divisions which had then reached the front. Cutler moved forward and drove the Confederates from Griffin's right, and towards noon Warren intrenched at about 200 yards from the enemy. Shortly before 1 o'clock Sedgwick came up, and late in the day be gan an assault upon the Confederate position. Penrose's New Jersey brigade of the 6th corps charged Anderson's right, but was repelled. Crawford's division of Warren's corps then pushed forward, passed Anderson's right and struck Rodes' division of Ewell's corps then forming on Anderson's right, and forced it back some distance; whereupon Rodes rallied his troops and drove Crawford within his intrenchments. During the evening Ewell's corps came up and posted on Anderson's right. On the morning of the 9th A. P. Hill's corps, under command of Early, appeared, and Lee established his lines covering Spotsylvania Court House with Anderson's corps on the left on the Po River, Ewell's corps in the centre and Hill's on the right covering the Fredericksburg road. During the night Lee strengthened his lines while Grant readjusted his own. Skirmishing was kept up by both sides, in the course of which General Sedgwick commanding the 6th corps was killed, the command then devolving upon General Horatio G. Wright. Early in the day Burnside moved across from the plank road to the Fredericksburg road at the crossing of Ny River, east of the court house, and threw one of his divisions across the river encountering infantry and some dismounted cavalry. Hancock moved east from Todd's Tavern and intrenched on Warren's right overlooking the Po River. At this time Grant sent Sheridan |