| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Wilderness Campaign |
| | May 6, 1864, Hancock's Federal soldiers opened the second day of battle about 5 a.m. Hill's Confederates were driven westward to this vicinity, the small clearing of the Widow Tapp Farm where Lee had his headquarters. As Col. William T. Poague's cannon staved off disaster, Longstreet's belated Corps came swinging up. Lee waved his hat and personally started to lead the countercharge of Longstreet's men, only to be restrained by the cry of "Go back, General Lee, go back!" Longstreet quickly . . . — Map (db m7490) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Crisis in the Wilderness |
| | A celebrated battlefield episode of the Civil War happened here at the Widow Tapp Field on the morning of May 6, 1864. The Army of Northern Virginia and its commander, R.E. Lee, face disaster on the Orange Plank Road as a powerful Union attack swept A.P. Hill’s Confederate divisions from the woods one-half mile in front of you. James Longstreet’s long-expected Confederate reinforcements had not yet arrived, so only a thin line of artillery stood between the approaching Federals and decisive . . . — Map (db m6085) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Lee-to-the-Rear |
| | Many accounts relate the story of General Lee’s personal attempt to lead the charge of the Texas Brigade. No two versions entirely agree and we may never know which details belong to history and which belong to mythology. Colonel Charles S. Venable, an officer on Lee’s staff, witnessed the event and wrote about it soon after the war:
Much moved by the greeting of these brave men and their magnificent behavior, General Lee spurred his horse through an opening in the trenches and followed . . . — Map (db m6093) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — In The Nick of Time |
| | As Union battle lines surged into the forest across the Orange Plank Road on your right, and poised in the trees at the far end of the Tapp Field, grayclad figures loped into view from behind you. The leading Confederate units peeled right into the scrubby woods while others entered this clearing. General Robert E. Lee, mounted near here and in an unusual state of nervous agitation, anxiously inquired as to the identity of the newcomers. “The Texas Brigade,” came the proud reply. . . . — Map (db m6086) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — The Widow Tapp House |
| | The Tapp Farm exemplifies the lifestyle of most Wilderness residents. Catharine Tapp, age 55 in 1860, leased her land from the Lacy family who owned nearby Ellwood. The Widow Tapp shared her modest 1-1/2 story log home with five relatives and a laborer. She owned no slaves. The Tapps operated a subsistence farm, planting corn and keeping a few pigs and milk cows. A crib, stable, and small orchard were the property’s other improvements. Although it survived the Battle of the Wilderness, the . . . — Map (db m6090) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Confederate Earthworks |
| | Longstreet’s troops began erecting these infantry entrenchments after fighting on the evening of May 6 and improved them the following day. This was a reserve line, the main Confederate position being a few hundred yards in font of you along modern Hill-Ewell Drive. The small earthen mounds extending at right angles from the trenches are called traverses. They served two purposes: to protect against flanking artillery fire and to provide a new defensive front should enemy infantry pierce the . . . — Map (db m6089) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Crisis in Tapp Field — Battle of the Wilderness |
| | Here on the morning of May 6, 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his army faced perhaps their greatest crisis. Soon after dawn, hundreds of disorganized Confederates tumbled from the woods to your left, driven by a powerful Union assault. As the Confederates swept past, only General Lee, his staff, and some 12 cannon stood between the Union army and Confederate disaster. Southern reinforcements under Longstreet were on the way, but would they arrive in time to prevent Lee’s . . . — Map (db m6058) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Widow Tapp’s Field — Battle of the Wilderness |
| | Few families of modest means became so famous. In this field lived widow Catherine Tapp, who with other family members eked out an existence from the poor soil. The Tapps occupied a lopsided log cabin about 300 yards in front of you – seven people living in a space perhaps 30 by 20 feet. A corncrib, log stable, and a few fruit trees surrounded the house. Four milk cows and seven pigs wandered the property. Catherine Tapp’s net worth barely exceeded 100 dollars. She owned no land; she . . . — Map (db m6057) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Texas |
| | (Front Side): Remembers the valor and devotion of her sons who served at the Wilderness May 6, 1864 From near this spot the Texas Brigade pleaded with General Lee not to expose himself to Federal fire and then after seeing him to safety, launched a vigorous counterattack that stemmed the advance of Hancock's Corps and saved the right flank of the Confederate army. Of approximately 800 troops involved the Texas Brigade counted over 500 casualties. Texas troops at the Wilderness were . . . — Map (db m5473) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Lee to the rear! |
| | Lee to the rear!
cried the Texans.
May 6, 1864 — Map (db m6029) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — The Texans Attack |
| | Brigadier General John Gregg formed his four Confederate regiments near the far edge of the Tapp Field behind you and advanced them about 400 yards toward the Union battle line, which stood near here. The Southerners moved diagonally across the clearing so that the right half of the brigade crossed the Orange Plank Road as it reached the enemy. Federal troops under Brigadier General James S. Wadsworth, including the renowned Iron Brigade, unleashed a storm of bullets while the Texans and . . . — Map (db m6088) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Col. James D. Nance |
| | 3rd Reg. S.C.V Kershaw's Brigade Killed on this spot May 6, 1864. — Map (db m6112) |
Subscribe
— Privacy Policy
— Terms of Use
— About Us
— Contact Us
HMdb.org