Civil War 125th Anniv. Battle of Spotsylvania 1989 - Re-enacting Retro

[Music] [Music] the federal cavalry units had clashed with confederate jeb stewart's men near todd's tavern and were casually resting near that point with orders to resume the approach to spotsylvania in the morning mead was furious when he discovered this and ordered the troopers to mount immediately and move with all haste to their destination this took several hours blocking the infantry columns and giving the hard marching rebels valuable time in the morning hours of may the 8th the union horsemen encountered stewards mounted and dismounted men who were blocking the way and a sharp fight followed stewart had sent for infantry reinforcements and soon anderson's brigades who had marched all night were arriving to support the hard-pressed troopers the confederates had won the race the federals also called for infantry support and robeson's division of warren's core was soon deploying in line of battle near a small rise known locally as laurel hill thinking they were opposed only by some stubborn cavalry robinson's brigades surged forward they were in for a surprise [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] their assault was met by sheets of flame from anderson's men and the yankees fell back with heavy losses [Applause] more attacks followed with similar results mead refused to believe that the confederates had beaten him to spotsylvania and sent for cedric's sixth corps to assist in brushing aside this annoying resistance it took until 5 pm for cedric to complete his dispositions however by which time yul's men had strengthened the confederate line [Applause] foreign so the poorly coordinated union attacks failed to dislodge the southern forces and as darkness ended the fighting the rebels were still in place operating from cover in the deep woods and from high in the trees confederate snipers were helping to keep the union officers from getting close enough to establish the true extent of lee's positions one such officer was john sedgwick well liked by his men he was known to many as uncle john on the morning of may 9 he was helping to position his troops and trying to reassure them that the snipers were no threat oh no those boys are overlapping that battery can you move over to the right [Applause] boys boys dodging single bullets what do you do if they open up along the whole line i'm ashamed of you why they couldn't hit an elephant from this distance oh man my man get up sir i believe in dodging sir well sound they couldn't hit an elephant from this distance go back to your place yes sir without doubling right face forward bring the doctor the general's been hit surgeon someone get a stretcher the loss of cedric was a severe blow to the army grant likened his death to the loss of an entire division union elements probed lee's flanks but were repulsed by the confederates as they arrived in position falling back a federal second core artillery piece became entangled in the thick woods with rebel troops in pursuit they were forced to abandon the peace it would prove to be the only gun lost by the second corps philip sheridan had boasted that if headquarters would get out of his hair he and his cavalry would leave straight away and defeat jeb stewart grant decided to give him his wish he was ordered to take his cavalry south cut lee's supply lines and engage stewart's troopers sheridan with ten thousand men swung wide of the lines developing at spotsylvania and headed for beaver dam station lee's forward supply base reports came in that indicated that sheridan was heading towards richmond and stuart ordered fitzhugh lee and his two brigades to swing around the union column and block his route to the capitol stewart planned to bring his third brigade in on sheridan's rear and catch him in a vice outnumbered two to one it was a desperate gamble fitzhugh lee arrived at yellow tavern across sheridan's path by 8 am may the 11th and took up a defensive position to await the federals three hours later the first union horsemen arrived and plunged into the rebel line fierce fighting followed but the southerners held later that afternoon the northern cavalry attacked again overrunning the confederate artillery position [Applause] [Music] wow stewart quickly ordered up his reserves the first virginia who charged into the yankees stewart himself got close to the action firing his nine shot pistol into the federals who began to fall back one dismounted yankee seeing a plumed hat in cape fired a single shot from his pistol as he retreated the shot caught stewart in the right side and he slumped in the saddle his men quickly lifted him off his horse and put him on a calmer mount leading him to the rear as the union attacks continued against his line now under fitzhugh lee's command stewart was placed on an ambulance and sent to richmond [Applause] the superior numbers of the yankees soon prevailed over the confederates but sheridan knowing he could not hold richmond deferred from attacking it and turned off to rejoin the union forces under ben butler operating near the james river the next day may the 12th at 7 38 pm stewart died waiting for his wife when lee received the news he stated that he could scarcely think of him without weeping but lee could not afford to dwell long in the lost of his friend and colleague he had serious business before him to attend to in the days that stewart had been chasing sheridan much had happened near spotsylvania on may the 10th federals had attacked lee's line in strength brandt and mead launched several assaults on various portions of his line but were unable to penetrate the strong confederate works the casualties were mounting rapidly and the federal commander had to find some way to break the stalemate in horatio rights division was a young colonel named emery upton upton had suggested a new approach the traditional assault formation was designed to bring as many rifles to the front as possible but against fortifications stopping to fire was suicide upton proposed to concentrate the assaulting force into a narrow front with more depth and hammer an opening in the confederate position with enough troops behind to exploit the opening wright liked the idea and gave up in 5 000 men to try it with upton's attack would be on a strongly fortified section of lee's line but he believed he could still succeed ordering his men not to stop and fire they surged forward from the cover of trees just after 6 pm and within 5 minutes were climbing over the defensive works of the rebels surprised the confederates fell back at first but soon rallied and closed upton's men in support for the yankee attack failed to reach them and by nightfall upton's men retreated taking with them 950 prisoners the plan had worked upton was promoted to brigadier general and grant was clearly impressed that night he was overheard to say to meade a brigade today we'll try our core tomorrow the following morning grant sat and talked with a congressman friend elihu washburn he sent him off with a message for washington that has become the quote that summed up his entire approach to the war he proposed he said to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer the statement was widely reprinted in the newspapers hancock was ordered to reposition his men north of the salient in lee's line called the mule shoe by its defenders he would attack the position with fifteen thousand men in the same tight formations that upton had used all night long may the eleventh yankee troops march silently into position for the assault they would be approaching the confederate positions with rifles loaded but uncapped unable to fire and bayonets fixed 50 ranks deep and led by francis barlow they would move out at first light [Music] uh [Music] federals moved out at 4 30 a.m and rapidly approached the salient undetected as they crashed into the sleepy rebels many confederates fired their muskets only to find that the dampness had soaked their powder and the guns misfired this stroke of luck gave the yankees an extra moment to close the distance within minutes thousands of blue coats poured into the works and smashed southern resistance large numbers of prisoners were taken and escorted back to union lines the victorious yankees pressed forward sweeping everything in their path confederates on both sides of the breakthrough continued to fire many unaware that yankees were in their rear but the salient was overrun and southern commanders did what they could to salvage the situation general john gordon organized a second defensive line in an effort to contain the sea of federals that crashed against him [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Applause] [Applause] [Music] lee had rushed to the scene and once again tried to lead the men into battle for the second time in a week the men shouted lee to the rear and he was led off to safety as gordon's veterans surged forward joining gordon was stephen ramser's north carolina brigade together they staggered hancock's attacks and stalled it [Applause] during the intense fighting ramser was wounded in the arm but insisted on continuing to lead his men forward against the repeated requests of his surgeon that he retired [Music] the confederates continued to pour reinforcements into the fight as the yankees also did but the federal momentum had been spent confusion and disorder were widespread and the masses of blue coats were gradually being forced back by ferocious counter-attacks by the rebels as the day wore on the yankees fell back slowly into the original line of breastworks and poured a devastating fire into the attacking columns the confederates clawed their way back to the other side of the works and the fighting became vicious and [Applause] close [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] so [Applause] all day long the two sides struggled against each other at times soldiers would jump up on the parapet and fire down into their enemies with comrades handing them loaded muskets all were soon shot off their perch the fire became so thick that anyone poking their head up to sea was cut down instantly the federals began piling up as reinforcements had nowhere to go units coming forward took serious casualties just approaching the lines neither side could go forward or backward as it was equally dangerous either way it was as close to hell as any of the men could imagine on both sides the bodies piled up sometime after dark the fighting finally ceased exhausted soldiers on both sides dropped their weapons from fatigue these engineers had completed a new line across the base of the salient and shortly after midnight the southern units began pulling back by morning they had abandoned the mule shoe to the federals but the fight had been inconclusive these men had lost over six thousand killed and wounded and another four thousand captured grant's losses were similar with over ten thousand in all three categories now missing from the ranks yankees moving slowly into the mule shoe found bodies everywhere piled eight to ten deep in some places it had been a fight few would ever experience again for the next few days grant continued to probe for a way around lee's flank and a fight occurred somewhere virtually every day finally grant elected to slide southeast once again and lee would be forced to outrace him again without gaining much in a tactical sense grant was slowly winning the strategic battle but lee was making him pay for every mile almost half of the army grant it started with was already in the hospital thousands of them would soon be in their graves lacking sufficient transport to send them all to fredericksburg hundreds were left behind thomas rosser's confederate cavalry raiding in grant's rear overran one of these hospitals what is the meaning of this sir i see you've been left behind sir i believe you must consider yourself captured but uh is there any assistance we may lend to the knees of your wounded yes if your surgeon is available we would appreciate any help he can give us i'll send him along i just remind you though that we must weed out any non-medical staff or personnel as prisoners but we will leave you behind if we have your word of honor you have my word of honesty you will remain here yes sir until we return yes sir very good then i will send my surgeon along directly thank you sir very good the rebel troopers dismounted and rifled the pockets and haversacks of the yankees they liberated several of their comrades who were being cared for by the union doctors those federals who were not wearing medical insignia and wounded who could walk were rounded up and marched off as prisoners grant would not slow his advance for one day he ordered replacements sent to him and continued south every mile took him closer to richmond which he knew lee would have to defend lee knew that retreat into the richmond defenses would be the doom of the army of northern virginia deprived of its greatest asset the ability to maneuver the vastly superior legions of the north would soon wear them down he contested grant at every opportunity usually coming out on top but he could not sustain such a war of attrition as the depleted manpower of the south could not make good his losses lee knew that time was running out grant's obstinance had turned the tide in southern resistance while just as fierce as ever was slowly waning another year of slaughter remained but for grant the end was now in sight these yankees fixed their bayonets to charge the mule shoe they laid their knapsacks and their bedding down with death so close beside them they weren't going very far in a moment there'd be life's blood on the ground [Music] carved in blood red soil rebels built their fortress well like a lion with its pride they vowed to fight and their earth and scar would prove to be a grave for yankee blue raw courage was their armor inside the mute shoe [Music] place the ring upon your finger and the laurel along your head in the golden star upon your crisp lapel if only for a moment just inside the mule shoe the price was paid for glory by the grave and by the blue [Music] like a dagger poised in darkness federals waited for the call to slash into the rebels in their way like a lightning nine pound hammer yankees charged out of the pines and the syrian flames of rifles sent the rebels to their grave standing tall among the dying georgians made their final stand the courage was the weapon in their hands impaled upon the breast works in their screaming agony and the price was paid for glory by the grain by the blue to stand for just a moment in the deadly mew [Music] if only for a moment just inside the mutual the price was paid for glory by the grave and by the blue as darkness fell the battle slowly spent its angry rage and the rebel bend played near my god to be and the yankees proudly answered with the song by francis king entwined their mournful music rose like smoke among the trees place the ring upon your finger and the floral along your head pin the golden star upon your crisp lapel [Music] if only for a moment just inside the mute shoe the price was paid for glory by the grey and by the blue so it was that sunny spring upon virginia soil when general grant was clearly heard to say if it takes a hundred thousand boys then take them if you will or the rebels are too strong to wish away [Music] place the ring upon your finger and the coral on your head pin the golden star upon your crisp propel if only for a moment just inside the mute shoe the price was paid for glory by the grave and by the blue place the ring upon your finger and the laurel on your head pin the golden star upon your crisp lapel if only for a moment just inside the mule shoe the price was paid for glory by the gray and by the blue the price was paid for glory by the grey and by the blue [Music] thanks for watching if you'd like to help us produce more compelling historical content like this 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Channel: LionHeart FilmWorks

Views: 52,990

Rating: 4.8527246 out of 5

Keywords: american civil war, american history, americans, battle, battlefield, blue & grey, civil war, combat, confederates, conflict, csa, military history, north and south, rebel flag, rebels, robert e lee, soldiers, southerners, u.s. army, union army, war, war between the states, yankees, the wilderness, wicked spring, spotsylvania battle, spotsylvania courthouse battle, general grant, the battle of the wilderness, overland campaign, battle of spotsylvania court house (military conflict), 1864

Id: eAFJ1voTpLU

Length: 33min 7sec (1987 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 05 2019