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U. S. CIVIL WAR
PHOTOGRAPHS
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THE WILDERNESS
MAY 5-7, 1864
(PAGE 1 OF 12)
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The Wilderness - 1860s 90
The Wilderness - 2000 (7)
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THE WILDERNESS
The Wilderness is the name given to a dense forest, with thick undergrowth,
located about ten miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. It runs roughly 15
miles along the south bank of the Rapidan River and stretches approximately 10
miles to the south. During the Civil War, this dense forest was the location of
two major battles that occurred almost exactly a year apart.
In the first battle, "Chancellorsville" (April 30
thru May 6, 1863), Confederate General Robert E. Lee faced Union General
"Fighting" Joe Hooker. It was during the Chancellorsville battle that, after his
Corps had flanked the Union army
and almost destroyed it, Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally
wounded by his own men.
In this, the second battle, which was called simply "The Wilderness" (May 5 thru
May 7, 1864), Confederate General Robert E. Lee found his army facing the Union
Army now under General
Ulysses S. Grant.
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Theater of Operations
The Wilderness Battlefield is outlined in white.
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THE ARMIES WAIT
(Refer to the Theater of Operations Map, above)
At the beginning of 1864, the Civil War in the East centered around the Rapidan
River, a small stream originating in the Blue Ridge Mountains, flowing east
across Northern Virginia, passing between the towns of Culpeper Court House and
Orange Court House, and emptying into the Rappahannock River north of
Fredericksburg.
Since shortly after the July, 1863, battle of Gettysburg, the Union Army of
the Potomac had been stationed near Culpeper Court House, and the Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia had been stationed near Orange Court House.
The Rapidan River separated the armies.
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PAGE TWO
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Photos
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The Wilderness
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Notes
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