Battle of the Wilderness
beginning of Grant's overland campaign
Intro:
During the Winter of 1863/64, Union General George Meade’s Army of the Potomac occupied Culpeper Courthouse, Virginia, while Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was encamped near Mine Run in Northeastern Orange County, Virginia. These armies were approximately 25 miles apart, separated by the Rapidan River. This short National Park Service video gives a good start to one’s understanding of how the Battle of the Wilderness unfolded. This was the first battlefield confrontation between Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Significance:
National Park Service Senior Historian Ranger John Hennessy explains the significance of what transpired in The Wilderness May 5 – 7, 1864.
150th Anniversary program:
This 50 minute video is a presentation of the eve of the battle, May 4, but 150 years later. Ranger John Hennessy gives a talk that takes a human look at why the Overland Campaign mattered and what it meant to this who were affected.
On to Richmond!
While the Battle of the Wilderness was somewhat of a “draw”, Grant, with Meade, decided to continue South. The map to the right shows the series of flanking maneuvers that resulting in clashes that eventually led to a months-long siege of Petersburg, south of Richmond. 11 months after the Battle of the Wilderness the war was over.
