Description
An oil painting of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.
The Battle was the second major engagement in Union General Grant’s Overland Campaign, a major Union Offensive aimed at pursuing Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces and destroying them. At Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, Union and Confederate forces hammered each other ferociously from May 8 through May 21, 1864. The fighting here was considered among the most savage of the entire Civil War. But the most intense and bloodiest day was May 12. For nearly 24 continuous hours, the soldiers fought hand-to-hand in a torrential downpour.
Among the Union soldiers that fought that day were the 95th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. They were part of a Union push against the Confederate Breastworks, known as “The Angle”. One of the men of this unit gave a stirring account of the slugfest.
Then some resolute fellow would seize a fence-rail or apiece of abates, and, creeping close to the breastworks, thrust it over among the enemy, and then drop on the ground to avoid the volley that was sure to follow.
A daring lieutenant in one of our left companies leaped upon the breastworks, took a rifle that was handed to him, and discharged it among the foe. In like manner he discharged another, and was in the act of firing a third shot when his cap flew up in the air, and his body pitched headlong among the enemy.
The fierce fighting in Spotsylvania would drag on for 9 more days, until the Union forces decided to break off and continue their march southward.
More information
For more information on the the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, visit The American Battlefield Trust site.
)il painting of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Print of an original 18″ x 24″ oil on canvas painting.
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