Battle Of The Wilderness: The Battle Of The Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness began in the morning of May 5,1864, when Confederate corps led by Richard Ewell clashed with the Union’s 5th Corps near the Orange Turnpike.The fighting was chaotic, as the trees were thick and also the undergrowth made it difficult to move. As reinforcements arrived on both sides that night, Grant ordered an attack at 4 o’clock a.m. the next day. (2) After 5 a.m. on May 6, the Union, led by Winfield Scott Handcock, attacked the Plank Road. Fighting was even more intense than the day before, smoke and fog forced soldiers from both sides to shoot blind. With little idea at whom they were shooting at, Longstreet, who led the Confederates, was shot by his own men accidentally in the shoulder. At dusk, Lee ordered