in battle in such a field was exceedingly difficult. Except along the main roads and in the open ground of the farms, artillery would be of little use. But that was not the only disadvantage; for an enemy remaining on the defensive awaiting attack where this undergrowth existed, would be unseen, while the troops advancing to attack would make their presence known, and thus the tangled growth would serve in some measure as an intrenchment, at least for the first and most destructive fire. In the region about Chancellorsville the country was more open and the woods less dense. There was some reason to believe, however, from our experience in the movement against Lee in the preceding November, that by setting the whole army in motion at midnight, with its reserve artillery and great trains of over four thousand wagons, it might move so far beyond the Rapidan the first day that it would be able to pass out of the Wilderness and turn, or partly turn, the right flank of Lee before a general engagement took place. There was no question of the practicability of the troops, with their fighting trains, accomplishing this, as they were quite equal to, and ready for, a continuous march of thirty miles or more in twenty-four hours, by which they would have got substantially clear of the Wilderness; they had often before made such marches when called on to do so; but the question was as to the practicability of moving the great trains of the army that distance simultaneously with the troops, so as to keep them under cover of the army.

It was well known that daylight would divulge our movement to Lee's signal officers on Clark's Mountain, and at other points along his lines, and it was believed that he would at once move by the Orange and Fredericksburg pike and plank roads to oppose us.

Superiority in numbers on such a field would be of less value than on any other. Besides, with such intelligent

material as the larger part of both armies was composed of, the greater familiarity of the Southern men with the dense forests and wooded swamps of the South would give them an advantage in an encounter in the Wilderness tending to neutralize the disparity of numbers. When lines of battle are broken on such a field, and the troops fall back in disorder, the successful side is thrown into almost equal disorder in attempting to advance quickly, and both sides are obliged to re-form.

In the previous November our movement, begun in the morning, had been observed as soon as the fog rose, but Ewell's corps only succeeded in reaching Locust Grove (Robertson's tavern) on the pike by half past ten o'clock on the morning of the second day, and Hill's corps the corresponding point on the plank road, New Hope Church, at four o'clock in the afternoon of the second day. Robertson's tavern is about five miles west of the old Wilderness tavern, New Hope Church six miles west of the intersection of the Brock road with the plank road, and three miles west of Parker's store.

The movement by the left flank was adopted, and I was requested by General Meade to prepare a project for it. Two were sketched out by me, the one turning Lee's right by the Catharpin and Pamunkey roads in comparatively open country, the other by roads having about the same general direction as the Pamunkey, but from five to eight miles eastward of it, passing two to four miles west of Spottsylvania Court House. The two projects were coincident for the first day and for a part of the second, and both were subject to material modification or entire abandonment on the second day, dependent upon the movements of Lee.

The first project was adopted, and the order of movement was prepared by me in conformity to it. The order for continuing the movement on the 5th of May, issued on

the evening of the 4th, also conformed to it, but owing to indications of the enemy's movement on the 4th, the order of march was partial only, and held in view the probability of a general engagement on that day.

Upon the reorganization of the army, Major-General Hancock, who had been absent, owing to wounds received at Gettysburg, resumed command of the Second Corps; MajorGeneral Warren was appointed to the command of the Fifth Corps; Major-General Sedgwick retained command of the Sixth Corps, and Major-General Sheridan was appointed to the command of the Cavalry Corps.1

The Ninth Corps, Major-General A. E. Burnside commanding, united with the Army of the Potomac on the morning of the 6th of May, though it was not incorporated

1 On the 30th April the Army of the Potomac was organized as follows, viz.: Major-General Geo. G. Meade Commanding the Army; Major-General A. A. Humphreys, Chief of Staff; Brigadier-General Henry J. Hunt, Chief of Artillery ; Major James C. Duane, Chief Engineer.

Second Corps, Major-General Winfield S. Hancock commanding: First Division (old Second Corps), composed of four brigades, Brigadier-General F. C. Barlow commanding; Second Division (old Second Corps), composed of three brigades, Brigadier-General John Gibbon commanding; Third Division (old Third Corps), composed of two brigades, Major-General D. B. Birney commanding; Fourth Division (old Third Corps), composed of two brigades, Brigadier-General G. Mott commanding.

Fifth Corps, Major-General G. K. Warren commanding: First Division (old Fifth Corps), three brigades, Brigadier-General Charles Griffin commanding; Second Division (old First Corps), three brigades, Brigadier-General J. C. Robinson commanding; Third Division (old Fifth Corps), two brigades, BrigadierGeneral S. W. Crawford commanding; Fourth Division (old First Corps), three brigades, Brigadier-General J. S. Wadsworth commanding.

Sixth Corps, Major-General John Sedgwick commanding: First Division, four brigades, Brigadier-General H. G. Wright commanding; Second Division, four brigades, Brigadier-General G. W. Getty commanding; Third Division, two brigades, Brigadier-General James B. Ricketts commanding.

Cavalry Corps, Major-General P. H. Sheridan commanding: First Division, three brigades, Brigadier-General A. T. A. Torbert commanding; Second Division, two brigades, Brigadier-General D. McM. Gregg commanding; Third Division, two brigades, Brigadier-General J. H. Wilson commanding.

For further details of the Army of the Potomac, and of the Ninth Corps, see Appendix A.

with it until the 24th of May, when it became a part of Major-General Meade's command.'

The consolidated Morning Report of the Army of the Potomac of the 30th April, 1864, gives for its numerical strength on that day? "present for duty equipped:"

The total number of officers and enlisted men of the Army of the Potomac of all arms and branches of the service, including Provost Guard, Engineers, Reserve Artillery with its guard, the Infantry Corps and their Artillery, and the Cavalry Corps and its Artillery, "present for duty equipped," on the 30th of April amounted to 99,438.

According to the return of the Ninth Corps for the month of April, 1864, the number present for duty was 923 officers and 18,408 enlisted men, with forty-two guns. These numbers include 73 officers and 1,199 enlisted men of cavalry and the officers and enlisted men of artillery.

The Morning Report of this Corps for the 10th of May, 1864, gives for its strength

1 It consisted of four divisions, the First commanded by Brigadier-General Thos. G. Stevenson, the Second by Brigadier-General R. B. Potter, the Third by Brigadier-General O. B. Willcox, and the Fourth, a colored division, by BrigadierGeneral E. Ferrero. The Third and Fourth Divisions were newly raised, and had not been in the field, and in fact all but 6,000 of the enlisted men of the Corps had just entered the service.

2 See Appendix B.

3 Probably a mistake-42 guns.

On the 1st of May, 1864, the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, was composed of three Infantry Corps, the First Corps commanded by LieutenantGeneral James Longstreet, the Second by Lieutenant-General Richard S. Ewell, the Third by Lieutenant-General A. P. Hill. The Cavalry Corps was commanded by Major-General J. E. B. Stewart.1

The consolidated Morning Report of the Army of Northern Virginia, of April 20, 1864 (the Morning Report for April 30, 1864, is not in the possession of the War Department, nor is there any information in that Department concerning it) shows that there were that day present for duty:

The last return previous to May 1, 1864, of Longstreet's two divisions that were with him in the Department of East

1 The Chief of Artillery was Brigadier-General William N. Pendleton; the Adjutant-General, Colonel Walter H. Taylor; the Chief Engineer, Major-General M. L. Smith; the Chief Quartermaster, Lieutenant-Colonel James L. Corley; the Chief Medical Director, Surgeon Lafayette Guild.

The First Corps had present with it only two of its divisions, commanded by Major-Generals Field and Kershaw, Pickett's division being absent on the south side of James River. The Second Corps had present its three divisions, commanded by Major-Generals Early, Johnson, and Rodes, and the Third Corps its three divisions, commanded by Major-Generals Anderson, Heth, and Wilcox.

The Cavalry Corps consisted of two divisions commanded by Major-Generals Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee.

For the details of the Army of Northern Virginia, See Appendix C.

2 Hoke's brigade and two regiments of Rodes's division absent, not counted.