Civil War

Gallery

Spotsylvania Court House

See our collection of photos from Spotsylvania Court House, the second battle of Union commander Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign of 1864 against Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia.

(17 photos in gallery)

Frosted Artillery

Chris Heisey

The Spotsylvania Court House battlefield is open to visitors at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia.

15th New Jersey Monument

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The 15th New Jersey lost 272 men at Spotsylvania. The regiment attacked the Muleshoe several yards west of this monument.

Death of Gen. John Sedgwick

History of the United States from the Earliest Discovery of America to the Present Day

The highest ranking Union officer killed during the entire Civil War, Gen. John Sedgwick was loved by his troops and superiors alike. "He was like a kind father to them and they loved him really like sons," wrote Colonel Theodore Lyman. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was devastated by his death, stating that it was "greater than the loss of a whole division of troops."

East Angle Fighting

Wikimedia

Union soldiers broke through the Muleshoe Salient at the East Angle early on May 12. In their advance, they took some 3,000 soldiers prisoner.

Encroachment at Spotsylvania Court House

Chris Heisey

The battlefield at Spotsylvania Court House has been threatened in the past by developers looking to build on this pristine piece of United States history.

Spotsylvania Court House

Virginia Historical Society

The courthouse building and the small village. In 1860, Spotsylvania County had 16,076 residents, half of whom were slaves. The town remains much the same now as it was in May 1864.

Hancock's Assault

Rob Shenk

View from the Confederate entrenchments at the Mule Shoe salient out to the positions where Winfield Scott Hancock launched his Second Corps attack at Spotsylvania Court House on May 10.

Johnson & Steuart Captured

Frank Leslieâ€™s Illustrated Newspaper

Confederate Generals Edward Johnson and George "Maryland" Steuart were taken prisoner during the Federal assault at the Muleshoe Salient on May 12. They were guarded by U.S. Colored Troops (above).

Laurel Hill

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

A modern view of Laurel Hill - the Confederacy's last defensible position outside Spotsylvania Court House - from the Union perspective. The Confederate works were in the far tree line at left.

Lee's Fortifications

Library of Congress

The fighting at the Bloody Angle had given Lee the time he needed to construct a new line of earthworks here across the base of the Muleshoe Salient. These fortifications at Spotsylvania were complex and formidable, and forced Union troops to shift left instead of advance.

Lee's Entrenchments Today

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Even after 150 years of erosion, the earthworks dug by Lee's men are still quite impressive.

Muleshoe Salient Map

Rob Shenk

A eetailed view of a National Park map shows the Union attack on the Mule Shoe Salient at the Bloody Angle on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.

Upton's Attack

Library of Congress

Young Union Col. Emory Upton's May 10 assault netted hundreds of Confederate prisoners, who were run back to Union lines. Upton himself was promoted to brigadier general for his actions.

Union View of the Muleshoe

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

A view of the Muleshoe Salient from the Federal perspective, where, on May 12, Gen. Grant would attempt a full-frontal assault against the Confederate line.

Union Abandons Two Cannons at the Bloody Angle

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War

The Union army brought two cannon up to within close range of the Confederate works at the Bloody Angle, but had to abandon them when the men and horses were shot down.