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“wives, daughters, sisters, and friends” of the
Confederate soldiers in a published address to them, “be true to yourselves and our glorious cause.
Never turn your back on the flag, nor desert the ranks of honour, or the post of danger.
You are constantly present to our minds.
The women of the
South bestow all their respect and affection on the heroes who defend them.”
The battles of the Wilderness.
Gen. Lee was not idle in adopting all precautionary measures to meet the enemy.
He strongly intrenched his lines, dug rifle-pits at the fords of the
Rapidan, and kept a good force on the
Gordonsville road so as to hold the communication open to
Richmond by that route, while by the way of
Fredericksburg he destroyed the bridges and rails in order to prevent, or make more difficult, the enemy's advance in that direction.
The works occupied by
Lee's army on the
Rapidan extended on the right three miles below
Raccoon ford.
Ewell's corps and
Hill's lay behind those defences, and stretched out on each side of
Orange Court-House, along a line of twenty miles.
Longstreet occupied the country around
Gordonsville, thirteen miles southwest of the position on the
Rapidan.
Grant, having declined to assail
Lee's front, determined to turn it by a movement on the
Confederate right.
On Tuesday night, May 3d, the
Federal army broke up its encampment in the
county of Culpepper, and at dawn of next morning crossed the
Rapidan at the old fords-Ely's and Germania-and in much the same line that
Meade attempted in the previous November, and where
Lee had caused
Hooker to retreat a year before.
The Second corps, commanded by
Gen. Hancock, in front, crossed at Ely's ford, the Fifth corps, under
Warren, took the
Germania ford, while the Sixth,
Sedgwick's, followed immediately upon it.
As soon as
Gen. Lee ascertained that
Grant had certainly cut loose from his base at Culpepper Court House, and was moving rapidly past his right, he put his own army in motion, sending
Ewell's corps down the turnpike and
A. P. Hill's down the plank road, and ordering
Longstreet, who had arrived at
Gordonsville, to move his corps down on the right of
Ewell's line of march, so as to strike the head of the enemy's column.
The advance of
Ewell's corps-Edward
Johnson's division-arrived within three miles of
Wilderness Run in the evening, and encamped.
Rodes lay in his rear; and
Early was next at
Locust Grove, all ready to strike at
Grant's advance the next morning.
At about six o'clock in the morning of the 6th May the enemy was discovered by the skirmishers thrown out, and
Johnson immediately pressed forward to gain a hill where he proceeded to form his troops in line of battle.
