Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/645

 WILDERNESS 621 through the Wilderness, turning Lee's right, and push S. W. toward Gordonsville, thus placing his whole army between Lee and Rich- mond. The army of the Potomac started at midnight of May 3, in two columns. War- ren's and Sedgwick's corps, covered by Wil- son's division of Sheridan's cavalry, forming the right column, crossed at Germanna ford, and Hancock's, the left, at Ely's ford, 6 m. below, covered by the rest of the cavalry corps under Sheridan in person. Burnside was left in position along the Orange and Alexandria railroad, one day's march in the rear, in anticipation of a possible movement by Lee toward Washington. Lee had caused a careful survey of the Wilderness to be made just after the battle of Chancellorsville, and was furnished with minute and accurate maps, while the federal commanders had none but old and imperfect ones. As soon as Lee dis- covered Grant's movement, he launched for- ward his whole army, by the turnpike and plank roads, to strike the Union column in the flank while on the march. This brilliant movement failed for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of the superior numbers of the Union forces, and the fact that the charac- ter of the battle field, an almost impenetrable wilderness, rendered manoeuvring impossible. Warren, on the 5th, marching by a wood road and followed by Sedgwick, took the precaution of sending Griffin's division a short distance up the turnpike (W.), and Crawford's division up the plank road in the direction of Parker's store, then held by a detachment of Wilson's cavalry. Griffin was struck by Ewell in the morning, and Crawford by Hill a little later. The march was suspended, Crawford was with- drawn, and Griffin was reenforced by Wads- worth's division, with Robinson's in support. These forces quickly defeated Ewell's van, but the latter was continually reenforced, and the federals were in turn defeated. By 11 o'clock Grant became convinced that the enemy was present in force, and ordered Sedgwick to hurry up to the support of Warren, while Hancock, who had passed Tod's tavern and was then nearly 10 m. away, on the road to the left, marched back by the Brock road, to join Warren at its junction with the plank road. Getty's division of Sedgwick's corps was posted at this junction, with orders to hold it at whatever cost until Hancock should arrive. Across the turnpike, where the ac- tion had begun in the morning, the fighting was continuous and bloody till 4 o'clock in the afternoon, with no decisive advantage on either side, when both fell back a little and threw up fortifications only about 200 yards apart. Getty was sorely pressed by Hill, but held his ground till 3 o'clock, when Hancock's advance reached him. He then took the offen- sive, and continuous fighting was kept up till dark, with no decisive result, but heavy losses on both sides. Meanwhile Wadsworth had pushed southward to strike Hill's left flank, but did not arrive till night. In the night Grant brought up Burnside's corps, and posted it between Hancock and Warren ; Lee brought up Longstreet's corps to the support of Hill, and also one division of Hill which had been left in the rear. Thus each side was strength- ened by about 20,000 men. Both commanders resolved to attack on the morning of the 6th ; Grant fixed upon 5 o'clock as the hour, but Lee anticipated him by a few minutes, throw- ing Ewell against the federal right. The as- sault was handsomely repulsed, and did not even delay the attack which Grant had ordered. Hancock promptly advanced against the front of the confederate right, while Wadsworth as- sailed its flank, and Hill was driven back a mile and a half, overrunning Lee's headquar- ters, and stopped only by Longstreet's advan- cing column. Hancock was expecting Long- street to advance upon his left flank and rear from the Catharpen road, and up to 6 o'clock the latter was actually making such a move- ment ; but at that hour Lee recalled him be- cause of the heavy pressure in front. For this reason, Hancock had attacked with only half of his corps, holding the other half ready to repel any movement against it. Longstreet's advance having been checked, he resumed his flank movement, but at this moment he was seriously wounded and carried from the field, his command devolving upon R. H. Anderson. In the afternoon Lee threw the whole of Hill's and Longstreet's corps against Hancock, -who had constructed breastworks and been reen- forced; but no serious impression was made upon his line till 4 o'clock, when a fire that had sprung up in the woods was communicated to the brush and pine logs of the breastworks; the wind blowing in the faces of the federals, the heat and smoke quickly drove them out of their intrenchments. The confederates dashed forward and penetrated the lines, but were almost immediately repulsed, and Lee was forced to abandon what he had intended for the decisive assault. This virtually closed the battle, though after dark Lee threw Ewell's corps forward against the 6th corps. After some sharp fighting and much confusion, Ewell captured the larger part of two brigades and then fell back. The fighting in the Wilderness was almost exclusively with musketry, as the nature of the ground rendered artillery useless. It was a drawn battle, but Grant had secured the roads by which he was to pass out of the Wilderness to the south, had repulsed all of Lee's attacks, and was enabled promptly to resume the march toward Richmond. After dark on the 7th Grant put his army in motion toward Spottsylvania Court House, 15 m. S. E. Warren and Sedgwick took the direct route, by the Brock road; Hancock and Burnside, with the trains, a route which made a detour to the east; but the marching was slow and spiritless. Warren's advance was obstructed by felled trees and by cavalry engagements in front, and by some infantry fighting in the