| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — J–35 — Germanna Ford |
| | One of the principal crossings of the Rapidan River from colonial times. Here a part of the Army of the Potomac crossed the river, April 30, 1863, preceding the Battle of Chancellorsville. Here a part of Meade’s army crossed on the way to Mine Run, November 26, 1863. Here the Fifth and Sixth Corps of Grant’s army crossed, May 4-6, 1864, to open the Wilderness Campaign. — Map (db m3586) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Flat Run — Germanna Ford — Grant Takes Command — Lee Vs. Grant - The 1864 Campaign |
| | In March 1864, President Abraham Lincoln placed Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union’s overall military effort. Grant’s strategy was simple: attack the Confederates simultaneously on all fronts, overwhelming them by sheer force of numbers. His plan called for Gen. William T. Sherman to drive towards Atlanta from Chattanooga while Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks moved from New Orleans towards Mobile. In Virginia, Gen. George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac was to engage Lee’s attention south of . . . — Map (db m3587) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Flat Run — Germanna Ford — Into the Wilderness — Lee Vs. Grant - The 1864 Campaign |
| | When the 1864 Overland Campaign started, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia held the upper fords of the Rapidan River, blocking the Union army's route to Richmond. Rather than attack Lee head on, Grant chose to cross here at Germanna Ford, several miles beyond Lee’s right flank, and maneuver his adversary out of position.
Grant seized Germanna Ford on May 4. At dawn, soldiers of the 3rd Indiana Cavalry splashed across the river, scattering a few Confederate pickets who stood . . . — Map (db m3588) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — Grant Comes to Virginia — The Battle of Fredericksburg |
| | This short trail leads to "Grant's Knoll." For three days Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made his headquarters here, issuing orders that would determine the fate of armies and men. President Abraham Lincoln had recently appointed Grant general-in-chief over Union armies throughout the country. Rather than remain in Washington, Grant chose to travel with Gen. George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac, which was battling Lee's Confederates here in Virginia. Grant hoped to infuse the Union army with his own . . . — Map (db m7403) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — Grant’s Headquarters — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | On May 5, 1864, this knoll was bordered by a second growth of scraggly pines and scrub oak. From here Grant and Meade could see little of the battle. Instead, they relied on subordinates to keep them apprised of the situation at the front. In the evenings the generals retired to their camp at the foot of the knoll, between here and the Germanna Plank Road (Modern Route 3). Otherwise, they rarely left this spot. Over the next three days, as the two armies grappled in the deep woods, Grant and . . . — Map (db m6024) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — An Uneasy Partnership — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | At the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, Grant would not only struggle against Lee’s army, but also against the conservative, sometimes timid, methods of the Union Army of the Potomac. George G. Meade, commander of that army, was a cautious leader – much like the commanders who preceded him. Lee made a career of using Union caution to his advantage. Although Grant had no wish to interfere with Meade’s handling of the Army of the Potomac, he increasingly found it . . . — Map (db m6026) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Old Wilderness Tavern |
| | Known for many years as "Old Wilderness Tavern," the frame building at your left of this view, was a dependency of a by-gone complex. The site of the main structure is located by the brick ruins to the right of the picture, taken about 1865. In the distance may be seen the Lacy House, or Ellwood, which survives today, and beyond which swirled the fighting in the battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. The chimney preserved here is all that remains of the outbuilding, which burned in 1978. — Map (db m7500) |
| Virginia (Spotsylvania County), Spotsylvania — Landmark in the Wilderness |
| | The building complex known collectively as Wilderness Tavern appeared in the early 19th century to serve the needs of travellers. Located on either side of the Fredericksburg-Orange Turnpike, the original roadbed of which survives today as the private dirt driveway to your right, Wilderness Tavern served meals, provided lodging, and included tailor's and blacksmith's shops and a store. The main buildings were two-story frame structures that sat on the north side of the Turnpike, in the . . . — Map (db m7499) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — Union Headquarters — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | Ellwood stood in the midst of the Wilderness, a dark, forbidding forest characterized by stunted trees and densely tangled undergrowth. When the Confederates challenged General Ulysses S. Grant’s advance through the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, the Union commander made his headquarters just a few hundred yards north of here, along the Orange Turnpike (modern Route 20). For the next three days Ellwood, a quiet farm in a desolate region, suddenly found itself the center of national attention. . . . — Map (db m6123) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — Ellwood — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | “The house stands on Wilderness Run, in a lonely place about half a mile south of the Culpeper plank road; it is a good-sized farmhouse, built of wood, square, with two porticos and painted a dove color. From the apex of the roof a hospital flag still flutters in the cold November wind.” - George M. Neese, Chew’s Virginia Battery November 11, 1863 Ellwood was a typical Virginia farm. The 1790s dwelling looked out over rolling farmland planted in corn, wheat, and clover. . . . — Map (db m6121) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — A Military Scene — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | As one of the few large open areas in the Wilderness, the broad fields north and east of Ellwood assumed instant importance during the battle here. While fighting raged a miles to the west, the fields around Ellwood filled with artillery and wagon trains. Provost guards kept watch over Confederate prisoners; surgeons established field hospitals for the wounded; and rough teamsters held their mule-drawn wagons in readiness to carry ammunition to the front. In the yard of the house and extending . . . — Map (db m12947) |
| Virginia (Orange County), Locust Grove — Archeology at Ellwood — The Battle of the Wilderness |
| | The National Park Service acquired Ellwood in 1977. Since then, archeologists have conducted three studies of the site: test excavations around the base of the house (1978) and in the cellar (1979), and a geophysical survey of the grounds (1984). The excavations have identified the site of several structures and unearthed a wide variety of artifacts ranging from the 18th to the 20th century. The results of the geophysical survey suggest that there is much more to be found. Many questions about . . . — Map (db m12948) |
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