Spotsylvania Campaign

Cover

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Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

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Contents

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Introduction

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pp. ix-xv

The battles of Spotsylvania formed the second phase of the memorable campaign that had commenced when Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first took each other's measure in fighting at the Wilderness on May 5-6,1864. For two weeks in mid-May, the most famous armies...

I Have to Make the Best of What I Have: Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania

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pp. 5-28

The Spotsylvania campaign marked across roads for Robert E. Lee in his handling of senior subordinates in the Army of Northern Virginia. From an ominous beginning on May 8, when Third Corps chief A. P. Hill collapsed physically, to a disappointing...

The Federal High Command at Spotsylvania

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pp. 29-60

In a letter to his wife written near the end of the Spotsylvania campaign, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, head of the Army of the Potomac, discussed the command situation in that army. Two U.S. senators had visited him on the previous day and praised his performance...

The Testing of a Corps Commander: Gouverneur Kemble Warren at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania

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pp. 61-79

In 1864, at thirty-four years of age, Gouverneur Kemble Warren became the Army of the Potomac's youngest and most promising corps commander, proudly sporting the yellow sash of a major general. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the new Federal general-in-chief, considered him the most...

An Insurmountable Barrier between the Army and Ruin: The Confederate Experience at Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle

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pp. 80-126

Veteran soldiers awaiting the renewal of fighting in the spring of 1864 had seen enough of raw courage to believe that nothing could shock them. Pickett's men had charged with unimaginable...

Stuart's Last Ride: A Confederate View of Sheridan's Raid

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pp. 127-169

One way of tracking the waxing and waning fortunes of the Army of Northern Virginia is by studying the many independent operations of its cavalry chief, Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart. His brightest moments often corresponded with those of Robert E. Lee's infantry...

A Hard Road to Travel: The Impact of Continuous Operations on the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia in May 1864

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pp. 170-202

Manyyears after the war, a Union veteran from Maine wrote with conviction: "I never expect to be fully believed when I tell what I saw of the horrors of Spottsylvania, because I should be loth to believe it myself, were the case reversed."...

We Respect a Good Soldier, No Matter What Flag He Fought Under: The 15th New Jersey Remembers Spotsylvania

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pp. 203-222

Under a furious rain, the 15th New Jersey charged across a narrow field toward the famous "Bloody Angle." Just fifty yards from the enemy's works, a Confederate volley ripped through the regiment's right flank. In less than thirty minutes, 151 New Jerseyans had fallen...

Grant's Second Civil War: The Battle for Historical Memory

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pp. 223-254

Ulysses S. Grant fought Confederates twice in his life: once to save the Union and a second time to salvage his military reputation. In the former battle, Grant directed the Federal armies; in the latter, he commanded pencil and paper to compose...

Bibliographic Essay

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pp. 255-258

Spotsylvania has received considerably less attention from historians and participant authors than battles such as Antietam or Chancellorsville (not to mention Gettysburg), but readers hoping to pursue the campaign in detail nevertheless will find many worthy titles. For a good sampling of published material, they should consult...

Contributors

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pp. 259-260

Index

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pp. 261-272