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Who Won the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House?
After three years of bloody warfare, the Northern public was growing weary of the conflict. To try and secure a victory, President Abraham Lincoln summoned General Ulysses S. Grant from the Western Theater to the Eastern Theater, where Grant’s aggression could be focused against Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After a first battle ended inconclusively, Grant would remain on the offensive and try to score a knockout.
Victory Claimed by Both Sides
An 1887 painting of fighting at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864. Source: Virginia Humanities
The large and lengthy Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was inconclusive, but both sides claimed victory in the aftermath. Over almost two weeks of fighting, Confederate General Robert E. Lee held his ground and prevented Union General Ulysses S. Grant from winning a breakthrough. However, Grant inflicted proportionally greater casualties on Lee compared to the size of their respective armies. Due to the Confederacy’s limited manpower and industrial base, these were casualties that the South could scarcely afford.
Strategically, however, Lee could also argue a Southern victory on the grounds that the bloody battle increased pressure on Union President Abraham Lincoln to negotiate an end to the war. The clock was ticking for an end to the Civil War, and each month that the Confederacy could delay its collapse gave a glimmer of hope for an armistice where the Confederate States of America would remain an independent country. At Spotsylvania, Lee showed that Confederate defenses in Virginia remained strong.
Timeline of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
A map showing the Union (blue) and Confederate (red) movements during the Overland Campaign, which began just before the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Source: US Army
In March 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant was transferred from the Western Theater to the Eastern Theater and made general-in-chief of all Union armies. President Abraham Lincoln was impressed with Grant’s aggression and innovation and wanted it put to good use against Confederate General Robert E. Lee, whose Army of Northern Virginia had protected the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia against multiple Union offensives. Grant was now pitted against Lee, with the goal of finally defeating the Army of Northern Virginia and effectively ending the Civil War.
On May 5, 1864, Grant began his Wilderness Campaign, which was part of his broader Overland Campaign in Virginia.
After the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5-6, Grant’s army approached the small village of Spotsylvania Court House, hoping to cut off Lee’s army from returning to Richmond to defend it.
Instead, on May 8, the first Union forces discovered that the Confederates were already in Spotsylvania.
Grant tried to break up Confederate defenses at the village for three days, culminating in the epic skirmish at Bloody Angle on May 12.
After days of rest, Grant tried to attack again on May 18 but was repulsed and faced stronger Confederate fortifications.
Between May 19 and 22, both armies withdrew to the south, giving the battle an inconclusive ending.
What Caused the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House?
An 1865 painting of Union general-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant, whose transfer to the Eastern Theater led to the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Source: National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
Instead of withdrawing back to Union territory after the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant remained on the attack. This was different from previous Union offensives against Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and was intended to wear down the Southerners. Grant wanted to keep the pressure on Lee and either wear him down or force him to make a strategic error. However, Lee had anticipated Spotsylvania Court House as a likely destination for Grant and ordered troops to occupy it. Confederate cavalry raced to the village, arriving before the Union.
When Union General George Meade discovered that Confederate troops remained in the village, unable to be driven off by advance Union cavalry, he ordered a general assault. This engagement on May 8, 1864 prompted the wider battle, which was encouraged by Grant when Union cavalry general Philip Sheridan insisted that he could drive back the opposing Confederate cavalry. Sheridan was correct and successfully defeated J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry; by this point, Confederate infantry had constructed large defensive fortifications. Thus, the stage was set for a large battle between the Union’s Army of the Potomac and the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia.
Why Was the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Significant?
A photograph of Todd’s Tavern at Spotsylvania, which was the location of the first battle between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, via Virginia Humanities.
The battle was significant because it revealed a new determination by the Union: there would be no more lengthy withdrawals and regroupings. After the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant did not take weeks to recoup and reorganize; he continued his offensive. This would spell disaster for the South, which needed time as an ally to increase political pressure on Lincoln’s administration. By speeding up the North’s offensives, Grant increased the chances of winning the war by unconditional surrender and preserving the entire union.
During the battle itself, Grant also allowed strategic innovations that helped improve the Union’s combat effectiveness. First was letting cavalry general Sheridan attack on May 8, expanding the role of Union cavalry beyond scouting. This resulted in a successful defeat of J.E.B. Stuart, a renowned Confederate cavalry general. A second innovation was attacking defensive fortifications with fast-moving columns rather than slow-moving parallel lines, which was pioneered by Colonel Emory Upton. Upton’s attack was successful, though faltered when backup did not arrive. Grant later promoted Upton for this innovation.
5 Facts About the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The National Park Service map of visitor sites for the Spotsylvania Battlefield, which includes a driving tour. Source: National Park Service
1. Casualties
Casualties during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House totaled some 31,000 men, with about 18,500 from the Union and about 12,500 from the Confederacy. A majority of these came from the Battle of Bloody Angle on May 12-13. Although the Union suffered more casualties, these represented a small percent of the Union’s manpower at the battle. In a rarity, the Confederates took more casualties for their size.
2. Commanders
General Ulysses S. Grant led Union forces, though General George Meade still held official command over the Army of the Potomac. Grant had been given command over all Union armies in March 1864, thanks to his effectiveness in the Western Theater. Of note in Union leadership during the battle was Philip Sheridan, whose cavalry offensive ended the life of Confederate rival J.E.B. Stuart. The West Point graduate—class of 1853—was only a captain when the Battle of Fort Sumter started the Civil War but quickly rose through the ranks. Sheridan later became general-in-chief of the US Army in November 1883, toward the end of the Indian War era.
Confederate forces were led by General Robert E. Lee. During the battle, his most prominent field commander was Richard H. Anderson, replacing James Longstreet as Lee’s primary subordinate general. Like many colleagues, Anderson was a West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican-American War. Like Lee himself, Anderson had resigned his commission in the US Army at the outbreak of war and joined his native state as a Confederate. Unlike Sheridan, Anderson’s post-war career was unsuccessful, and the former general lived in poverty in his home state of South Carolina.
3. Number of Forces Involved
A map showing location of Union (blue) and Confederate (red) armies during the May 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Source: National Park Service
Under Grant and Lee, over 150,000 men were under arms at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Two-thirds of these men were part of the Union’s Army of the Potomac, significantly outnumbering those of the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia. Despite the high casualties, the sheer size of both armies made them highly formidable even after the battle.
4. Visiting Spotsylvania, Virginia Today
Today, visitors can enjoy tours of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia. Due to so many battles fought in the vicinity during the course of the Civil War, visitors can see exhibits from multiple engagements. There is an exhibit shelter for the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, as well as a driving tour. A total of 6.8 miles of hiking trails await visitors who wish to enjoy the countryside. The nearest town is Fredericksburg, Virginia, which has many accommodations for travelers.
5. Trivia: “They Couldn’t Hit an Elephant at This Distance”
There are two noteworthy pieces of trivia from the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Tragically, the battle saw the highest-ranked Union officer combat death during the war, with Major General John Sedgwick being shot by a Confederate sharpshooter just after declaring, “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Sedgwick died instantly and was mournfully remembered by his soldiers and his superior officer, Ulysses S. Grant.
On a more positive note, the battle saw two Union generals go on to become presidential nominees. Ulysses S. Grant went on to serve two terms as president, and subordinate general Winfield Scott Hancock was the 1880 Democratic nominee for the office. Although Hancock had been successful in battle at Spotsylvania, he lost the presidential election to fellow Union general James Garfield, who was the Republican nominee.
Aftermath of Spotsylvania: Grant Applies Continuous Pressure
A photograph of Confederate fortifications in Virginia in 1864. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
After the battle, Grant refused to withdraw north, keeping the pressure on Lee. This began a trend that slowly forced the Army of Northern Virginia back toward Richmond. In less than a month, Grant was laying siege to Petersburg, the second-largest city in Virginia and necessary for supplying Richmond. Although painful and costly, Grant’s aggression deprived Lee of room and time to maneuver strategically, forcing a war of attrition. The Union could survive this, but the Confederacy could not.
Combined, the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania signaled the doom of the Confederacy, as Grant was not going to give the Confederacy any room to maneuver. With the Northern populace seeing progress being made, Lincoln was given time to win the war. Still, the war would drag on for almost another year, thanks to strong defensive fortifications that bolstered Confederate strength even with declining manpower. Once these were broken, however, the South had no choice but to surrender.
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