The long-awaited Federal offensive against all major Confederate armies was about to begin. Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant, the overall Federal commander, would stay headquartered with the force expected to do the hardest fighting: the Army of the Potomac. Grant “acknowledged with pride” that he had received President Abraham Lincoln’s “very kind letter” of April 30. Grant responded from his Culpeper Court House headquarters:
“Your very kind letter of yesterday is just received. The confidence you express for the future and satisfaction for the past in my military administration is acknowledged with pride. It shall be my earnest endeavor that you and the country shall not be disappointed. From my first entrance into the volunteer service of the country to the present day, I have never had cause of complaint–have never expressed or implied a complaint against the Administration or the Secretary of War, for throwing any embarrassment in the way of my vigorously prosecuting what appeared to be my duty. And since the promotion which placed me in command of all the armies, and in view of the great responsibility and the importance of success, I have been astonished at the readiness with which everything asked for has been yielded, without even an explanation being asked. Should my success be less than I desire and expect, the least I can say is, the fault is not with you.”
According to a War Department report, Grant now had 141,160 officers and men, including the 20,780 troops of the Ninth Corps coming from Chesapeake Bay. But not all were battle-seasoned veterans; many were conscripts, hired substitutes, or volunteers enticed more by bounties than patriotism. They would all be tested to their limit in the upcoming campaign, which began with Grant’s order on May 2: “The movement of this Army will commence at 12 o’clock tomorrow night. The attempt will be made to turn the right flank of the enemy–that is, to cross the Rapidan east of or below the railroad. Ely’s Ford, Germanna Ford, and Culpeper Mine Ford will be the crossing places.”
The Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major-General George G. Meade, would advance in two columns, both led by cavalry:
- The western (right) column would cross the Rapidan at Germanna Ford and march to Wilderness Tavern, west of Chancellorsville; it consisted of the Fifth and Sixth corps under Major-Generals Gouverneur Warren and John Sedgwick respectively.
- The eastern (left) column would cross at Ely’s Ford and march to Chancellorsville; it consisted of the Second Corps under Major-General Winfield Scott Hancock and the artillery.
The Federal wagon train would cross at Culpeper Mine Ford, and Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside’s Ninth Corps would be in reserve. Grant would direct the army’s movements, and Meade would carry them out. By moving against the Confederate right, Grant hoped to wedge the Federals between General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate capital of Richmond.
Lee had originally believed that Burnside’s corps would join forces with Major-General Benjamin F. Butler’s Army of the James at Fort Monroe and then move down the coast to invade North Carolina. But Lee now finally realized that Burnside would instead reinforce Meade’s army while Butler moved up the Virginia Peninsula to threaten Richmond and Petersburg.
Lee and his subordinates observed Federal positions from atop Clark’s Mountain. Lee correctly deduced that Grant would move to the Confederate right, cross the Rapidan, and advance into the Wilderness area around Chancellorsville. This would keep the Federals close to the rivers needed to transport their supplies and men. Studying Ely’s and Germanna fords, Lee said, “Grant will cross by one of those fords.”
Lee had just 64,000 officers and men in his army, or less than half that of Grant. But Lee had the advantage of fighting on the defensive, and unlike the Federals, most of the Confederates were battle-tested. Lee developed a plan to advance and meet the Federals in the Wilderness, where their superior numbers and artillery could be neutralized by the dense brush and undergrowth.
Lee’s overall strategy was to inflict so many casualties on the enemy that the northern public would demand an end to the bloodshed, even if it meant Confederate independence. He wrote, “If victorious, we have everything to live for. If defeated, there will be nothing left to live for.”
On the Federal side, Grant wrote his wife Julia on the night of the 2nd:
“The train that takes this letter will be the last going to Washington. This then is the last letter you can receive from me until the Army strikes some new base. The telegraph will be working for a few days however so that you will hear through the papers what the Army is doing…
“I know the greatest anxiety is now felt in the North for the success of this move, and that anxiety will increase when it is once known that the Army is in motion. I feel well myself. Do not know that this is any criterion from which to judge results because I have never felt otherwise. I believe it has never been my misfortune to be in a place where I lost my presence of mind, unless indeed it has been when thrown in strange company, particularly of ladies. Under such circumstances I know I must appear like a fool… Love and kisses for you and Jess.”
Bibliography
- Catton, Bruce, Grant Takes Command. Open Road Media, Kindle Edition, 2015.
- Davis, Jefferson, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government: All Volumes. Heraklion Press, Kindle Edition 2013, 1889.
- Foote, Shelby, The Civil War, A Narrative: Red River to Appomattox. New York: Vintage Civil War Library, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Kindle Edition), 2011.
- Freeman, Douglas Southall, Lee. Scribner, (Kindle Edition), 2008.
- Jaynes, Gregory, The Killing Ground: Wilderness to Cold Harbor. Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books, 1983.
- McFeely, William S., Grant. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1981.