May 7, 1864---The Battle of The Wilderness (Day Three)

MAY 7, 1864:    

The Battle of The Wilderness   (Day Three):  

  

Faced with immobility and increasing casualties in the charnel house of The Wilderness, General Grant decides to break off the engagement as the day wanes. Instead of continuing to beat futilely at Lee’s army in such an inhospitable place, Grant gives orders to disengage in The Wilderness and move The Army of The Potomac toward Spotsylvania Courthouse on the road to Richmond.

Grant surprises everyone, including Lee. Disengagement in Civil War battles has always been the mark of a defeated enemy. With 17,666 Union casualties (2,246 killed, 12,037 wounded, and 3,383 captured or missing, as opposed to 11,033 Confederate casualties (1,477 killed, 7,866 wounded, and 1,690 captured or missing) Grant should be the defeated one; according to common logic, he should retire his troops north of the Rapidan River, resupply, and wait for another opportunity to mount a large-scale attack.

Grant even surprises his own men, who trudge out of The Wilderness and down the road toward the junction that leads north to the Rapidan or south toward Richmond. His men are so conditioned to withdrawing after a battle that the lead elements of The Army of The Potomac swing onto the northbound road without thinking. Grant, who has been hovering near the front of the line waiting to see what will happen, rides to the vanguard and calls a halt.     

It’s said he spoke in a deceptively gentle voice:  “Which way do you men think you are going?”

An excited whisper broke out as the men in the first ranks repeated to the men behind them what the General had said. The whisper becomes a murmur and then a gust as 100,000 men begin to realize what is happening. One man is claimed to have yelled something about “Going after those sons-a-bitches!” and other shouted “On to Richmond!” A massive cheer broke out across Union ranks. It’s not known whether Lee could hear the cheering, or heard of it, or what it meant at the time or what it portended. But a new phase --- the final phase --- of the Civil War had begun.