General John B. Gordon said that Spottsylvania furnished the longest
roll of incessant musketry; the most splendid exhibition of heroism and
personal daring by large numbers who, standing in the freshly spilled
blood of their comrades, faced for so long a period and at so short a
range the flaming rifles as they heralded the decrees of death during
the entire war. Such examples of heroism, shown by both armies in that
hand-to-hand struggle at Spottsylvania Court House, will not be lost to
the Republic.
After the undecisive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant again tried to
get his army between that of Lee and Richmond, and on the afternoon
of May 7th began to move his army in the direction of Spottsylvania
Court House. Lee had anticipated this movement on the part of Grant,
and began at once to devise plans to throw his army across the path of
his adversary. He therefore ordered General Anderson, who was now in
command of Longstreet's corps, Longstreet having been wounded in the
Battle of the Wilderness, to march by a shorter route to Spottsylvania
Court House, hoping to reach the same before it was occupied by the
troops of Grant. This movement was begun by Anderson on the night of
May 7th. General Ewell was ordered to follow up Anderson's corps.
This he did by taking a longer and more indirect route. When the
Federals, under Warren, reached Todd's Tavern they found their cavalry
in terrible conflict with Fitzhugh Lee's division of the Confederate
cavalry. Fitzhugh Lee was reënforced by the advance division of
Anderson's corps, which by this time had come up. General Warren was
finally repulsed and fell back, thus giving the Confederates possession
of Spottsylvania Court House which was gained only by the timely
arrival of Anderson's corps.
The Federals tried again and again throughout the day to break the
Confederate lines, but were repulsed in every attack. Thus Lee had
again blocked the path of Grant.
Both armies began to entrench themselves, as it was very evident
that a great battle was near at hand. The Confederates formed their
entrenchments in the shape of a huge V, forming a salient angle against
the center of the Federal line. This particular place has since been
known as the "Bloody Angle." The Confederate left was commanded by
Anderson, the center by Ewell, the right by Early, who was temporarily
in command of A. P. Hill's corps, on account of Hill's sickness. The
Federal left was commanded by Burnside, the center by Sedgwick and
Warren, and the right by Hancock.
May 9th was spent by both armies in getting position and by some
fighting between the outlying divisions of the armies. In one of these
skirmishes General Sedgwick was killed by a sharpshooter's ball. He was
succeeded in command by H. G. Wright. His death was a great loss to the
Federal forces.
On the next day General Grant ordered a general attack on the
Confederate line. This attack was led by General Warren, whose progress
was very slow owing to the dense thickets of low cedar and the walls
of abatis, which were thrown in their way by the Confederates. This
advance of General Warren was met by a heavy artillery and musket fire
from Longstreet's corps, under command of Anderson. Warren's troops
came on notwithstanding the heavy fire from all sides. Some of his
soldiers even crossed over the breastworks and were either killed or
taken prisoners by the Confederates. The Federals finally retreated
with heavy loss.
Grant now thought it best to attack the Confederate lines in front of
Wright's corps. This was done late in the evening by several divisions
under Upton. He advanced quickly through a terrible fire and gained the
entrenchments, where they had a terrible hand-to-hand conflict with
bayonets fixed. The Confederates were overpowered by numbers and gave
way and fell back to their second line of entrenchments. For this brave
act, Upton was made a brigadier-general. The Confederates, however,
were reënforced, and Upton retired from the position which he had
gained.
The battle was yet indecisive and both armies had suffered great loss.
Owing to the heavy rains, the armies lay inactive on the 11th. It was
during this battle that Grant sent a message to Washington saying that
he would fight it out on this line if it took all summer.
Grant, in the meantime, had sent General Sheridan with his cavalry to
threaten Richmond.
He was closely followed by General Stuart, and on May 11th they fought
a hard battle at Yellow Tavern, in which General Stuart was killed. His
death was a severe loss to the Confederacy. His experience as a cavalry
leader, obtained on many battlefields, was such that his place could
not be filled. A large statue has been erected to his memory in the
Hollywood cemetery at Richmond, on which is recorded his feats of valor
on many fields.
Grant decided on another attack on the Confederate lines at
Spottsylvania on May 12th, the objective point being the sharp angle
in Lee's entrenchments. This had been anticipated by General Lee,
and he had been making ready. This attack was made at daybreak by
General Hancock's corps. It was the most severe and the most bloody
hand-to-hand conflict of the entire battle. The attack was received
by General Johnston's brigade of Ewell's corps, which was finally
overpowered and captured. This was the "Old Stonewall Brigade." This
was a serious loss to Lee's army.
The Federals pushed on to the Confederates' second entrenchments, but
were here repulsed by fresh troops under General Gordon. General Lee
himself rode up with Gordon, but was forced back again by the cry of
his own men: "General Lee to the rear!"
The fighting was kept up all day along the line. The trenches had to
be cleared frequently of the dead to give room for the living. The
slaughter continued until late in the night and was undecisive. The
Confederates finally fell back within their entrenchments.
General Grant was deeply moved by the terrible loss of life at the
"Bloody Angle."
The total loss to the Federals exceeded 18,000; the Confederates, about
9,000. Grant found that no ordinary methods of war would overcome the
Army of Northern Virginia, and that his only hope was in the long
drawn-out campaign with larger numbers. For the next five days short
battles were fought at intervals between the outlying divisions of the
armies.
Grant's army still moved to the southeast, with Lee following close
along in their front, always ready to dispute any move that the Army of
the Potomac should make toward Richmond.