Tactical victory for Lee, yes, but not so much so as the Wilderness because the proportion of casualties was less one-sided. After an initial breakthrough, Lee shifts reinforcements into the salient just as Grant hurls more troops at the Confederate works. Anderson's corps is going into bivouac near the Po River when one of Stuart's couriers arrives to warn him of the Union army's approach. Battling valiantly, Upton's men were forced to withdraw when reinforcements to exploit the breach failed to arrive. Hat in hand, he bravely cheered his men, and begged them to 'hold this point.' Utilizing interior lines and taking advantage of Warren's tardiness, the Confederates were able to assume a position north of Spotsylvania before Union troops could arrive. What’s that? This two-week battle was a series of combats along the Spotsylvania front. Union general-in-chief Ulysses S. He would keep moving south to eventually capture the Confederate capitol of Richmond, and along the way, he would engage the Confederate army wherever he found them, striking repeatedly and strongly in an effort to wear out the enemy. Your tax-deductible gift will help us to preserve this irreplaceable twice-hallowed ground at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor — forever. Occupying the salient, Grant paused for five days as he probed east and south seeking a weak spot in the Confederate lines. The carnage continues as the contest between Grant and Lee moves southeast to the North Anna River. Immediately in our front an abatis had been arranged consisting of limbs and branches interwoven into one another, forming footlocks of the most dangerous character. And now began a desperate and pertinacious struggle. American Battlefield Trust's map of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Upton’s Assault . After the Battle of the Wilderness, Union commander Ulysses S. Grant decided to march south to get between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. "American Civil War: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House." The Union troops outnumbered the Confederate troops 100,000 to 50,000. On May 9, as the bulk of Grant's army arrived on the scene, Major General John Sedgwick, commander of the VI Corps, was killed as he scouted the Confederate lines. Overland Campaign-Wikipedia. It was fought from May 8 to May 21, 1864. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second battle in Lieut. The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21, 1864) of the American Civil War.The Confederate order of battle is listed separately. BATTLE OF SPOTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE (may 8-21 1864 DRAW) Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant fled a previous battle with his army only to try and stand up to Robert E. Lee’s army once again in a battle that took nearly 2 weeks. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, (8–21 May 1864), Union failure to smash or outflank Confederate forces defending Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War (1861–65). . . (2020, August 26). Fortunately for Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee, Maj. Gen. Richard Anderson reaches Spotsylvania by the morning of May 8 and is within two miles of Laurel Hill. August 2, 2019 By theoldgreybeard 10 Mins Read. Soon the confrontation degenerated into a man-to man struggle at close quarters. The order was at once given us to lie down and commence firing; the left of our regiment rested against the works, while the right, slightly refused, rested upon an elevation in front. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Aftermath: The fighting at Spotsylvania Court House cost Grant 2,725 killed, 13,416 wounded, and 2,258 captured/missing, while Lee suffered 1,467 killed, 6,235 wounded, and 5,719 captured/missing. Laurel Hill is the last defensible position north of Spotsylvania: if the Confederates lose the hill, they will also lose the crossroads at the courthouse. Raging through the day and into the night, fighting in the Mule Shoe surged back and forth as each side sought an advantage. It was not long before we reached an angle of works constructed with great skill. This staggered the apparently exultant enemy. On May 11, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, General J.E.B. The Race to Spotsylvania. The battles inflicted proportionately higher casualties on Lee's army, driving his forces into a siege at Petersburg and eventually leading him to surrender his forces at Appomattox in April 1865. At the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21), Grant repeatedly attacked segments of the Confederate defensive line, hoping for a breakthrough, but the only results were again heavy losses for both sides. Elements of Lee's army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House and began entrenching. The battle took place over 12 days and cost 18,000 Union and 12,000 Confederate casualties. While Burnside had some initial success, his assaults were contained and defeated. Stuart’s famed Confederate cavalry made a stand against advancing Union cavalry at … Since May 5, the two armies had been locked in a titanic struggle—first in the Wilderness (May 5 … Lee really won all three of the major spring 1864 battles tactically, but he gained nothing from Wilderness or Spotsylvania because he was unable to force Grant to retreat. Stuart's cavalry and Major General Richard Anderson's First Corps to the area. With a total of about 30,000 casualties, Spotsylvania is the costliest battle of the Overland Campaign. We suggest checking online or calling ahead as you plan your visits. The battle was now at white heat . A lull might have been expected after the Battle of the Wilderness (5–7 May), with both Union and Confederate armies exhausted and disorganized. It was fought in the Rapidan-Rappahannock river area of central Virginia, a region where more than 100,000 men on both sides fell between 1862 and 1864. Grant ordered to seize the important crossroads at Spotsylvania Court House to the southeast, ... Confederates - On the Confederate side, Lee received some intelligence reports that made him believe Grant was planning to withdraw toward Fredericksburg. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, Help Save 110 Acres at Three Civil War Battlefields, Preserve 108 Acres of the Most Important Unprotected Battlefield Land, Kentuckians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Virginians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, The Union's Bloody Miscue at Spotsylvania's Muleshoe, Spotsylvania Court House - Laurel Hill - May 8, 1864, Spotsylvania Court House - Upton’s Assault, May 10, 1864, Spotsylvania Court House: Search All Resources. All of his staff had been either killed, wounded, or dismounted. Success relied on a relentless pursuit of the enemy, so Grant instructed Meade, "Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.". Wet weather, impenetrable fog, poor intelligence about the terrain and layout of the Confederate defenses, and a lack of coordination among corps commanders all hampered the Union effort to break the Confederate line at the perilous turn known as the Bloody Angle. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Upton's Attack: Assembling twelve regiments from the VI Corps, Colonel Emory Upton formed them in a tight assault column three wide by four deep. . Also hampered by the lack of a follow-up wave to press the attack, Hancock's troops were soon being pushed back. What factors contributed to the staggering carnage at the “Bloody Angle”? On May 7, Grant issued orders for the Army of the Potomac to march toward Spotsylvania Court House, a small crossroads village on the Brock Road. Believing Spotsylvania to be within his grasp, Union Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren advances his Fifth Corps up to the hill where they are surprised to find Anderson's corps opposing them. . Replacing Sedgwick with Major General Horatio Wright, Grant began to develop plans for assaulting Lee's army. Repulsed with around 3,000 casualties, the attack was the precursor for another assault which slammed into the east side of the Mule Shoe two hours later. The Union attack against the Bloody Angle at dawn, May 12-13, captured nearly a division of Lee’s army and came near to cutting the Confederate army in half. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. Forced to relinquish his position near Todd's Tavern, Lee withdrew to a rise of ground known as Laurel Hill, on the south side of the Brock Road, on May 8. It is Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-spotsylvania-court-house-2360943. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George Meade, against Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Before the Union assault on May 12, 1864, Union corps commanders met to coordinate the attack, but little reconnaissance had been made and they had scant information about what they would actually find when they penetrated the Mule Shoe salient. G. Norton Galloway, a Union Soldier with the 95th Pennsylvania Regiment, survived the carnage and described the harrowing scene: Unlike the standard infantry assault, which employed a wide battle line that stopped to fire and reload at will, Upton devised a scheme in which troops formed into groups of 12, three-by-four men across, and rushed a small part of the enemy position without pausing to trade fire. Completed around 3:00 AM on May 13, Lee ordered his troops to abandon the salient and retire into the new line. On the western edge of the salient, at an outward bend in the line, the enemy field of fire was limited due to the proximity of the Union-held wood line, which could also be used for cover. Around 6:00 AM, Grant sent Wright's VI Corps into the Mule Shoe to fight on Hancock's right. Unable to find one, he sought to surprise the Confederates at the Mule Shoe line on May 18. The Confederates have established a long line of earthworks, which includes a huge half-mile bulge, or salient, called the “mule shoe” because of its shape. . Inconclusive. What innovative battle tactic did Col. Emory Upton employ at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House? . Stuart's job to prevent the Federals from reaching Spotsylvania. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Warren's attempts to drive back the Confederates are rebuffed with heavy losses and the two sides begin to entrench. So continuous and heavy was our fire that the head logs of the breastworks were cut and torn until they resembled hickory brooms. The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21, 1864) of the American Civil War.The Union order of battle is listed separately. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 53,000 acres in 24 states! Some of the most intense combat occurred at an area of the salient known as the Bloody Angle where sides were sometimes reduced to hand-to-hand fighting. It lasts for 22 hours and claims roughly 17,000 casualties. ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/battle-of-spotsylvania-court-house-2360943. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Conflict & Dates: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was fought May 8-21, 1864, and was part of the American Civil War. During this fight, Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, commander of the Union Sixth Corps, is shot dead, becoming the highest-ranking Union officer killed during the war. American Civil War: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. It took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Sign up for free to create engaging, inspiring, and converting videos with Powtoon. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Browsing. Upton, who had graduated from West Point just as the Civil War began, was only in his early twenties during the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, but he was well on his way to earning a reputation as an accomplished military strategist. Stay up-to-date on the Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Union losses in the battle totaled around 17,666, while Lee's were approximately 11,000. ThoughtCo. American Battlefield Trust’s map of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Laurel Hill. Commanders and Battles. Neither side won the battle, but General Grant had made his intentions clear. Grant’s forces attack Lee’s new position early in the day and are met by massed artillery fire and easily repulsed. Quickly overwhelming Major General Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's division, Hancock's men captured 4,000 prisoners along with their commander. Lee had correctly deduced that the tiny county seat would be Grant's next objective because whoever controlled the Spotsylvania crossroads would enjoy the inside track to Richmond. So, when Hancock's men advance, on the morning of May 12, they strike the Confederate line where only infantry remain. https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-spotsylvania-court-house-2360943 (accessed April 5, 2021). Feeling that no additional advantage could be had by continuing the battle, Grant elected to move around Lee's right flank towards Spotsylvania Court House where the fighting would continue on May 8. 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