Ulysses S. Grant directs the Federal Army of the Potomac to launch another attack in hopes of turning the left flank of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. More devastating combat ensues.
Tag: Virginia Campaign
Spotsylvania: Probing for Weakness
The fighting at Spotsylvania leaves both Federal and Confederate forces exhausted. Inclement weather suspends large-scale attacks, and Ulysses S. Grant orders another leftward movement to find a vulnerable spot in the Confederate line.
Spotsylvania: Getting by the Right Flank
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.
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.
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.