Wilderness-Spotsylvania Staff Ride Briefing Book [Illustrated Edition]

By Anon

The Battle of the Wilderness began Lt. Gen Ulysses S. Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign against the Confederate army of Northern Virginia that ultimately, after many weeks and horrendous casualties, forced Gen. Robert E. Lee’s men back to the defenses at Richmond. The fighting took place in an area of Virginia where tangled underbrush and trees had grown up in long-abandoned farmland, near the old Chancellorsville battlefield. Close-quarters fighting among the dense woods created high casualties, but the battle proved inconclusive for both sides. It produced an important strategic event, however; whereas before Union commanders had withdrawn their armies after failing to achieve victory south of the Rappahannock River, Grant did not retreat. Instead, he attempted to outflank Lee by moving to the left, setting the stage for the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.

In this briefing book the battle and its environs are discussed and described in detail.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Release date: Apr 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789121209

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This edition is published by Papamoa Press – www.pp-publishing.com

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Text originally published in 2003 under the same title.

© Papamoa Press 2017, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

WILDERNESS-SPOTSYLVANIA STAFF RIDE

BRIEFING BOOK

U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

GRANT’S STRATEGICAL MAP FOR HIS 1864 CAMPAIGN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

LT. GEN. ULYSSES S. GRANT’S SPRING 1864 STRATEGY 5

GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE’S SPRING 1864 STRATEGY 7

PROBLEMS FOR THE WEAK DEFENDER 8

ADVANTAGES FOR THE MODERN UNION ARMY 8

CIVIL WAR SMALL ARMS 9

CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY 10

LOGISTICAL SYSTEM IN THE UNION ARMY-1864 11

LOGISTICAL SYSTEM IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY-1864 12

LOGISTICS-ALLOWANCES 14

UNIT STRENGTHS 16

GRANT’S STAFF 18

UNION LEADERS DURING THE WILDERNESS-SPOTSYLVANIA CAMPAIGNS 20

LINCOLN, Abraham. 20

GRANT, Ulysses Simpson. 21

MEADE, George Gordon. 23

BURNSIDE, Ambrose Everett. 24

HANCOCK, Winfield Scott. 25

SEDGWICK, John. 26

WRIGHT, Horatio Gouverneur. 27

SHERIDAN, Philip Henry. 28

UPTON, Emory. 29

WARREN, Gouverneur Kemble. 30

COMMANDERS IN SUPPORTING CAMPAIGNS 31

BANKS, Nathaniel Prentiss. 31

BUTLER, Benjamin Franklin. 31

SHERMAN, William Tecumseh. 32

SIGEL, Franz. 32

CONFEDERATE LEADERS DURING THE WILDERNESS-SPOTSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN 33

DAVIS, Jefferson. 33

LEE, Robert Edward. 34

EWELL, Richard Stoddert (Dick). 36

HILL, Ambrose Powell. 37

EARLY, Jubal Anderson (Old Jube or Jubilee). 38

LONGSTREET, James (Pete). 39

ANDERSON, Richard Heron (Dick). 40

STUART, James Ewell Brown. (Jeb) 41

LEE, Fitzhugh (Fitz). 42

CIVIL WAR CHRONOLOGY, 1864-APR 1865 44

WILDERNESS-SPOTSYLVANIA CHRONOLOGY 1864 45

UNION AND CONFEDERATE CASUALTIES 51

ORDER OF BATTLE — ARMY OF THE POTOMAC WILDERNESS/SPOTSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN MAY 4, 1864 52

ORDER OF BATTLE — ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA (CSA) WILDERNESS/SPOTSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN MAY 4, 1864 53

ILLUSTRATIONS 54

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 67

LT. GEN. ULYSSES S. GRANT’S SPRING 1864 STRATEGY

1. First, to use the greatest number of troops practicable against the armed force of the enemy, preventing him from using the same force at different seasons against first one and then another of our armies, and the possibility of repose for refitting and producing necessary supplies for carrying on resistance; second to hammer continuously against the armed force of the enemy and his resources, until by mere attrition, if in no other way, there should be nothing left to him but an equal submission with the loyal section of our common country to the constitution and laws of the land.

2. The enemy has concentrated the bulk of his forces east of the Mississippi into two armies, commanded by Generals R. E. Lee and J. E. Johnston. These armies, and the cities covered and defended by them, will be the main objective points of the campaign.

  a. Major General Meade’s objective point will be Lee’s army. Meade’s AOP will cross the Rapidan below Lee, moving by his right flank. The intention is to fight Lee between Culpeper and Richmond, should he make a stand. Should he fall back Meade’s army will follow and make a junction with Butler’s army on the James River.

  b. Major General Sigel (Army of West Virginia) will organize his forces into two columns, one, commanded by himself, to advance to Cedar Creek to threaten the enemy in the Shenandoah Valley. The other column, commanded by Brigadier General George Crook, to take possession of Lewisburg and move down the