Both the Armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia assess the damage done in the terrible fighting around Spotsylvania on May 12. Ulysses S. Grant, the overall Federal commander, decides to try moving around Robert E. Lee’s Confederate flank once more.
Tag: Robert E. Lee
The Death of Jeb Stuart
The “Cavalier of Dixie” succumbs to a wound suffered at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, and another legendary Confederate general was gone. This deeply saddens the South and has significant repercussions on the ongoing conflict.
Spotsylvania: Terrible Fighting at the Mule Shoe
Ulysses S. Grant orders a massive Federal assault on a salient in the line of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. This results in some of the most savage fighting of the entire war and produces significant casualties.
The Battle of Yellow Tavern
Philip Sheridan embarks on a Federal cavalry raid intended to disrupt Confederate supply lines and destroy the famed command of Jeb Stuart. Sheridan engages the Confederates just a few miles outside Richmond, where Stuart is mortally wounded.
Spotsylvania: Attacking the Mule Shoe
Ulysses S. Grant learns that his Federal Army of the Potomac has lost the race to Spotsylvania Court House to Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Grant approves a massed assault on a salient in Lee’s defense line, which results in more horrific casualties.
The Battle of the Wilderness: Day Two
Fighting rages a second day in the Wilderness as Ulysses S. Grant learns that Robert E. Lee would not be an easy foe to overcome.