Battle of the Wilderness: first person hand written account by Byron C. Ward
Title
Battle of the Wilderness: first person hand written account by Byron C. Ward
Description
First hand account by First Lt. Byron C. Ward of the Second Regiment, Virginia Volunteer Infantry.
Creator
Byron C. Ward
Source
Hand written account of the battle of the Wilderness
Publisher
Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ
Date
not dated
Rights
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Format
Hand written ink on paper
Language
English
Original Format
handwritten ink on paper
Repository
Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ, Des Moines, Iowa
Repository Collection
Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ, Archives
Contact information.
Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ, Des Moines, Iowa
File Name
Battle of Wilderness Ward.pdf
Digital item created
Lorna Truck March 29, 2026
Transcription2
The Battle of the Wilderness
In preparing a paper to read before my Companions at this meeting, I have selected the battle of the Wilderness for several reasons. 1. This battle has not been reviewed by any member of this Commandery so far as I know. 2. It was a battle unlike any other of the Civil War because, by reason of the ground upon which it was fought, Cavalry and artillery played a small and unimportant part. 3. It was a battle in which I participated and the Division to which I belonged – the 2nd Div. of the 6th Corps – General Getty’s Div. played an important part by seizing and holding by disparate fighting, the key – the most important stragitic (sic) point of the entire battle field. This statement is not a fancy of my brain, but a fact vouched for by all writers who have described this battle. 3. This battle was the first important engagement under Gen. Grant after his appointment as Commander of all the Armies, and it was the first move in the great military game which Gen. Grant had carefully planned and by which he crushed the rebellion in less than a year.
But in choosing this subject I am handicapped with the fact that of all the important battles of the war, none is more difficult to describe in detail, which no doubt accounts for the fact that no battle has been so poorly described as the battle of the Wilderness.
Gen. Grant was commissioned Lieut. General and placed in command of all the armies Mar. 9th 1864. As you all know, up to this time there had been no unity of action among the several Union Armies scattered over a large scape of country. This lack of cooperation had produced very unsatisfactory results. When Gen. Grant took command of all the armies cooperation became the key note of his general plan. His first work was to arrange for this cooperation. He issued an Order Mar. 17 that his Headquarters would be in the Field and with the Army of the Potomac. He at once visited the Army of the Potomac and informed Gen. Meade who was in command that he – Meade – would retain command of that Army. Gen. Grant had Gen. Serman appointed Commander of the Military division of the Miss. And Gen. McPherson was assigned to the command of the Army of Tenn. He took Gen. Sheridan from the command of a Div of infantry in the Army of the Cumberland and placed him in command of the Cavalry Corps in the Army of the Potomac. The Ninth Corps under Gen. Burnside was brought from East Tenn. To cooperate with the Army of the Potomac. He concentrated scattered troops wherever practicable, even by the abandonment of places not essential to hold.
Gen. Sigil with 15,000 troops was to operate in the Shenandoah Valley. Gen. Butler, reinforced with Gen. Gilmore’s troops, giving him 33,000 men, was to operate against Richmond on the South side of James River; and Gen. Sherman was to attack Gen. Johnston, break up his Army if possible , and not permit him to reinforce Gen. See’s army. The Army of the Potomac was to attack the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. See, with Richmond as the objective point. These Generals were notified of this plan for a cooperative movement, and the several armies were to strike at the same time. Gen. Serman wrote to Gen. Grant as follows: “Now that we are all to act on a common plan, converging on a common center, looks like enlightened War. From me you shall have hearty cooperation.”
I have made these preliminary remarks to refresh your memory and help you to appreciate the importance of the battle of the Wilderness being the initial step in Gen. Grants comprehensive plan for crushing the rebellion.
In the Spring of 1864, the Army of the Potomac was camping along the Orange to Alexandria R.R. between the Rappahannock River and Culpeper Court House. This Army consisted of 3 Corps of infantry, a
3.
Corps of cavalry under Gen. Sheridan, and a large amount of artillery. The Ninth Corps of infantry stationed at Warrenton was to cooperate with the Army of the Potomac. Its commander was Gen. Burnside who out-ranked Gen. Meade, and once the unfortunate commander of the Army of the Potomac. The 3 infantry Corps of the Army of the Potomac were commanded as follows: The Second Corps by Gen. Hancock, the Fifth Corps by Gen. Warren and the Sixth Corps by Gen. Sedgwick.
The Confederate Army of Northern Va. lay along
In preparing a paper to read before my Companions at this meeting, I have selected the battle of the Wilderness for several reasons. 1. This battle has not been reviewed by any member of this Commandery so far as I know. 2. It was a battle unlike any other of the Civil War because, by reason of the ground upon which it was fought, Cavalry and artillery played a small and unimportant part. 3. It was a battle in which I participated and the Division to which I belonged – the 2nd Div. of the 6th Corps – General Getty’s Div. played an important part by seizing and holding by disparate fighting, the key – the most important stragitic (sic) point of the entire battle field. This statement is not a fancy of my brain, but a fact vouched for by all writers who have described this battle. 3. This battle was the first important engagement under Gen. Grant after his appointment as Commander of all the Armies, and it was the first move in the great military game which Gen. Grant had carefully planned and by which he crushed the rebellion in less than a year.
But in choosing this subject I am handicapped with the fact that of all the important battles of the war, none is more difficult to describe in detail, which no doubt accounts for the fact that no battle has been so poorly described as the battle of the Wilderness.
Gen. Grant was commissioned Lieut. General and placed in command of all the armies Mar. 9th 1864. As you all know, up to this time there had been no unity of action among the several Union Armies scattered over a large scape of country. This lack of cooperation had produced very unsatisfactory results. When Gen. Grant took command of all the armies cooperation became the key note of his general plan. His first work was to arrange for this cooperation. He issued an Order Mar. 17 that his Headquarters would be in the Field and with the Army of the Potomac. He at once visited the Army of the Potomac and informed Gen. Meade who was in command that he – Meade – would retain command of that Army. Gen. Grant had Gen. Serman appointed Commander of the Military division of the Miss. And Gen. McPherson was assigned to the command of the Army of Tenn. He took Gen. Sheridan from the command of a Div of infantry in the Army of the Cumberland and placed him in command of the Cavalry Corps in the Army of the Potomac. The Ninth Corps under Gen. Burnside was brought from East Tenn. To cooperate with the Army of the Potomac. He concentrated scattered troops wherever practicable, even by the abandonment of places not essential to hold.
Gen. Sigil with 15,000 troops was to operate in the Shenandoah Valley. Gen. Butler, reinforced with Gen. Gilmore’s troops, giving him 33,000 men, was to operate against Richmond on the South side of James River; and Gen. Sherman was to attack Gen. Johnston, break up his Army if possible , and not permit him to reinforce Gen. See’s army. The Army of the Potomac was to attack the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. See, with Richmond as the objective point. These Generals were notified of this plan for a cooperative movement, and the several armies were to strike at the same time. Gen. Serman wrote to Gen. Grant as follows: “Now that we are all to act on a common plan, converging on a common center, looks like enlightened War. From me you shall have hearty cooperation.”
I have made these preliminary remarks to refresh your memory and help you to appreciate the importance of the battle of the Wilderness being the initial step in Gen. Grants comprehensive plan for crushing the rebellion.
In the Spring of 1864, the Army of the Potomac was camping along the Orange to Alexandria R.R. between the Rappahannock River and Culpeper Court House. This Army consisted of 3 Corps of infantry, a
3.
Corps of cavalry under Gen. Sheridan, and a large amount of artillery. The Ninth Corps of infantry stationed at Warrenton was to cooperate with the Army of the Potomac. Its commander was Gen. Burnside who out-ranked Gen. Meade, and once the unfortunate commander of the Army of the Potomac. The 3 infantry Corps of the Army of the Potomac were commanded as follows: The Second Corps by Gen. Hancock, the Fifth Corps by Gen. Warren and the Sixth Corps by Gen. Sedgwick.
The Confederate Army of Northern Va. lay along