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troops, who were hard pressed, he had two horses shot under him, and soon afterward a bullet pierced his brain, and he fell to the earth. The Confederates seized the dying man and sent him to their rear, where he expired the next day; but it was several days before his fate was known to his friends.1

This was a critical moment for the Army of the Potomac, for the superior mind of Longstreet was then evidently the chief director of the move

JAMES S. WADSWORTH.

ment for executing Lee's plan for giving a deadly blow to the National left. He had sent a heavy force to seize the Brock road, on Hancock's left, while pushing him back on the front, when one of those incidents which some call "Providence," and others "accident," occurred, which doubtless saved the Army of the Potomae from great disaster. Longstreet, with his staff, was riding in front of his pursuing column, when he came suddenly upon the van of his flanking force. The latter, mistaking him and his attendants for National cavalry, fired upon them.

Longstreet was severely wounded and disabled, when Lee took the immediate direction of the important movement. With less executive skill than his able lieutenant possessed, he occupied four hours in getting ready to carry it out. This caused a lull in the battle on that portion of the field, and enabled Hancock, who had been pressed back to his abatis and intrenchments on the Brock road, to make dispositions for meeting another attack, then evidently impending.

Meanwhile Sedgwick's corps, on the right, had lost heavily in unsuccessful attempts to carry Ewell's intrenched positions. Warren's had remained mostly on the defensive, but at almost every part of the line there was more or less skirmishing throughout the day. Finally, at four o'clock, when Lee had the troops of Hill and Longstreet well in hand, he hurled them heavily, in four columns, upon Hancock's intrenched position. They pushed up to within a hundred yards of the first line, when a sharp musketry battle ensued, without decisive results, until a fire in the woods was communicated to the logs of the breastworks, and soon enveloped them in flames. The smoke and ashes of the conflagration were driven by the wind directly in

END OF THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS.

303

of the Nationals. Taking advantage of this, the Confederates swept -, driving back a body of the troops at the first line, and then striking on's division of Burnside's corps, which had taken position between - and Hancock. These, too, were thrown back toward Chancellorsgreat disorder, and the assailants, pressing through the gap they med, planted their flag on the breastworks. At that critical moment J. W. Hoffman, with parts of nine broken regiments (less than five a men), struck the assailants a blow that made them recoil, and thus he day on the left, as Hancock then declared.

s ended the struggle on the National left, where the heaviest of the ad been carried on, and it was supposed that the battle was over for -. But Lee made another desperate effort to achieve a victory, by. massing his troops on the National right, and directing Ewell to t to turn it. At sunset a heavy column, led by General Gordon, swiftly from Ewell's extreme left, and in the twilight fell suddenly he brigades of Seymour and Shaler, of Ricketts's division, driving ack in much confusion, and capturing both commanders and nearly ousand of their officers and men. It was a complete surprise for those d troops, who had cast themselves on the ground for rest; and for a While the entire right wing of the army seemed to be in great peril. al Sedgwick prevented further confusion by promptly checking the ce of the Confederates, and the darkness made it impossible for them any thing more. Both armies rested that night, the Nationals holding ely the ground they had occupied in the morning. So ended THE E OF THE WILDERNESS, with heavy losses on both sides.1 e was evidently satisfied that he could not maintain a further contest his antagonist on the ground he (Lee) had chosen for the struggle, so ired behind intrenchments, where he was found standing on the defeny the skirmish line of the Nationals sent out at daybreak on Saturday ng, the 7th. Grant had no desire to renew the conflict and at an early hour he determined to resume his march ward, and get out of The Wilderness and its entanglements as soon as le. He chose for his immediate destination the village of SpottsylCourt-House, about thirteen miles southeast of the battle-ground in Vilderness, and proceeded to plant his army, according to his original between that of Lee and Richmond. Warren was directed to lead in movement, which was to be along the Brock road, by way of Todd's rn. Hancock was to follow him, and Sedgwick and Burnside were to a little more indirect route, by way of Chancellorsville. The army trains to be parked at Chancellorsville toward evening, ready to follow the

8.

* May, 1864.

Varren moved at nine o'clock in the evening, his column preceded by (ry. He pushed vigorously on, with the hope and expectaof reaching Spottsylvania Court-House before Lee should

304

THE UNION ARMY OUT OF THE WILDERNESS.

be apprised of the movement. He was foiled by delays. First, at Todd's Tavern (where Gregg had fought and defeated Fitz Hugh Lee that day), General Meade's cavalry escort blocked his way for nearly two hours. Two miles farther on, in the midst of a magnificent woods, and near a little tributary of the River Po, he was again impeded by the cavalry division of Merritt, which the day before had been fighting Stuart's cavalry, whom Lee had sent to hold the Brock road. There he was detained almost three hours, and when he was ready to advance it was daylight. The road was barricaded by heavy trees, which had been cut and felled across it, and it was about eight o'clock on Sunday morning before the head of Warren's column, composed of two brigades under General Robinson, emerged from the woods in battle order at Alsop's farm, upon the high open plain two or three

• May 8, 1864.

SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT-HOUSE.1

a

miles from Spottsylvania Court-House. There the road from Todd's Tavern forks, one branch leading toward the court-house, and the other to Laurel Hill. Beyond this plain was a slight depression, and where the road ascended to Spottsylvania Ridge the slope was covered with woods.

Up to this time Warren had met with no resistance, excepting from Stuart's dismounted cavalry, but now, as Robinson advanced over the plain toward the wood, he was met by a cannonade from the ridge and a murderous musket-fire from the forest. Robinson returned the cannonade promptly, but was soon severely wounded, when his troops, wearied by the night's hard march and toil, and depressed by their terrible experience in The Wilderness, were made to recoil. They would have filed in wild confusion back upon the main body, had not Warren appeared at their head at a timely moment. He rallied and re-formed them in the open wood on the edge of the plain, and so prevented a sad disaster. Later in the day Griffin's division, which advanced on the road to the right of Robinson's march, had a similar experience, and, after gallantly fighting, fell back of the second line, when the divisions of Crawford and Wadsworth (the latter now commanded by General Cutler) came up and drove the Confederates from the woods on the right. Warren's entire corps then formed a battle-line, and the troops, without waiting for orders to do so, fell to intrenching.

The foe thus encountered by Meade's advance was the head of Longstreet's corps (then commanded by General Anderson), and was there by seeming accident. The withdrawal of the trains of the Army of the Poto

SKIRMISHES NEAR SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT-HOUSE.

305

1 the battle-field of The Wilderness apprised Lee of the fact that the s about to move, but whither he knew not. It might be to Spottor it might be back to Fredericksburg. So he ordered Anderson is corps from the breastworks and encamp that night in a position on Spottsylvania in the morning. Finding no suitable place for ing, on account of the burning woods, Anderson marched that night, eously with Warren, each ignorant of the other's movement. The rrived in time to throw the head of his column across the latter's confront him with cannon and intrenchments, and to foil his attempt Spottsylvania Court-House. Such were the events which produced tion we have just considered.

ren did not feel strong enough to encounter the troops on his front, e continually increasing in numbers and industriously intrenching sylvania Ridge, so he awaited the arrival of Sedgwick. He reached ¡ in the afternoon, and took command of the field in the absence of who, with all of Hancock's corps but Gibbon's division, had remained 's Tavern, in anticipation of an attack by Lee on the rear of the the Potomac. Sedgwick felt strong enough with the two corps to to drive the Confederates from their advantageous position, but it was unset before his dispositions for attack were finished. Then a fruitless was made by a New Jersey brigade of Neill's division. General d again advanced, when he was unexpectedly struck upon his flank rt of Ewell's corps that was coming up, and was driven a full mile, oss of about one hundred men made prisoners. When night closed ly the whole of Lee's army was in the vicinity of Spottsylvania Couse, and holding the ridge in front of it, with strong intrenchments, g more formidable every hour. During the day Wilson had peneo the village with his cavalry, but, being unsupported, was compelled e. On the same day the brigade of General Miles was thrown out cock on the Catharpin road, with a brigade of Gregg's cavalry and a of artillery, to meet any hostile approach from that direction. Near s Bridge they were attacked, when the assailants were repulsed and

On Sunday night, the 8th of May, Lee stood squarely aly across the path of the southward march of the Army Potomac, and he held that army in check there for twelve days. the morning of the 9th, Meade's army was formed in battle order he Confederate lines. Hancock came up from Todd's Tavern at an Dur, and two divisions of Burnside's corps, on the left, pushed to the cksburg road, driving the Confederates across the little River Ny. arrangement of the line, Hancock occupied the right, Warren the and Sedgwick the left, with Burnside on his left. General Sheridan

306

BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT-HOUSE.

was sent that morning, with a heavy cavalry force, to break up Lee's' communications with Richmond, and the greater part of the day was spent chiefly in intrenching, and making other preparations for battle. There was skirmishing now and then, when troops moved to take new positions; and the Confederate sharp-shooters, having convenient places for concealment, were particularly active. One of these inflicted irreparable injury upon the Union army, by sending a bullet through the brain of the gallant Sedgwick,

while he was giving directions for strengthening the intrenchments on his front. He fell dead; and then there was sincere mourning throughout the army, for the soldiers loved him; and the loyal people of the land felt bereaved, for a true patriot had fallen. He was succeeded in the command of the Sixth Corps, on the following day, by General H. G. Wright. On the same day Brigadier-General W. H. Morris, son of the lyric poet, the late George P. Morris, was severely wounded.

• May, 1864.

Every thing was in readiness for battle on the morning of the 10th. By a movement the previous evening, having for its chief object the capture of a part of a Confederate wagon-train moving into Spottsylvania Court-House, Hancock had made a lodgment, with three of his divisions, on the south side of the Ny, and he was proceeding to develop the strength of the enemy on the National right, when General Meade sus pended the movement. It had been determined to make an attack upon an eminence in front of the Fifth and Sixth Corps, known as Laurel Hill, whose crest was thickly wooded, and crowned with earth-works, which had been previously constructed as a remote defense of Richmond, and Hancock was ordered to recall two of his divisions from the south side of the Ny, to assist in the assault. The divisions of Gibbon and Birney at once retired, when that of the latter was sharply assailed in the rear. The remaining division (Barlow's) was left in a perilous condition, for his skirmishers had just been driven in. With great skill and valor their commander managed his troops, when a new peril appeared. The woods, between his column and the river,

1 This is from a sketch made by the author in June, 1866, taken from the breastworks in front of the Unionline. Toward the right is seen the logs of the battery, the construction of which Sedgwick was superintending, stad near which he fell. The bullet came from the clump of trees on the knoll seen more to the right on rising ground.