Overview
Following the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–6, 1864), Ulysses S. Grant refused to retreat and ordered George Meade’s Army of the Potomac to move southeast toward Spotsylvania Court House. Robert E. Lee responded quickly, and the Army of Northern Virginia reached Spotsylvania first. From May 8 through May 21, the armies fought a series of smaller battles. Unable to break Lee’s defenses, Grant ordered another movement southeast on May 21.
Lee moved in the same direction, and both armies raced toward the North Anna River. The Confederates reached the south side first and prepared to block the Union advance. On the evening of May 23, three Union brigades under Winfield Scott Hancock captured an earthen fort and a bridge across the river. At the same time, Gouverneur K. Warren’s troops crossed about four miles upstream. Confederate forces under A.P. Hill nearly destroyed Warren’s command but withdrew after a Confederate brigade broke and retreated.
As Meade’s army crossed the river, it moved into a dangerous position. Lee arranged the Army of Northern Virginia in an inverted “V” formation between the Union crossings. This formation allowed him to hold one part of the Union army in place while concentrating an attack against the other.
Lee became ill before he could carry out his planned attack. Grant recognized the danger to his army and ordered his troops to build temporary defenses. Starting on May 26, the Union army withdrew and continued southeast. Although the Confederates remained on the battlefield and technically won the Battle of North Anna, they failed to stop Grant’s continued advance south.
Essential Facts
- Date: May 23–26, 1864.
- Location: North Anna River, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Ulysses S. Grant, George Meade, Winfield Scott Hancock, Gouverneur K. Warren.
- CSA Commanders: Robert E. Lee, A.P. Hill.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of North Anna.
- Campaign: Overland Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, May–August, 1864.
United States of America
- Casualties: Approximately 1,973, including 223 killed.
- Forces Engaged: Not provided in the text.
- Troop Strength: Not provided in the text.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Approximately 2,017, including 304 killed.
- Forces Engaged: Not provided in the text.
- Troop Strength: Not provided in the text.
Significance
The Battle of North Anna is important to American History because of Ulysses S. Grant’s determination to continue advancing against Robert E. Lee during the Overland Campaign. Lee placed the Union army in a dangerous position by arranging his forces in an inverted “V,” but illness prevented him from carrying out a planned attack. Grant recognized the threat, withdrew, and continued southeast. Although Confederate forces technically won because they remained on the battlefield, they failed to stop the Union advance. North Anna was also the only major engagement of the Overland Campaign in which Confederate casualties exceeded Union casualties.
History
Grant in Charge
On March 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Grant brought with him, from his successes in the western theater of the war, a reputation for the doggedness Lincoln was seeking. Unlike other Union generals, Grant was tenacious.
The Overland Campaign — Grant Pursues Lee
Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to get the various Union armies in the field to act in concert. He also devised his Overland Campaign to invade east-central Virginia. Unlike previous campaigns into that area, Grant’s offensive focused on defeating Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia instead of capturing or occupying geographic locations. Grant instructed General George Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac, “Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.” Grant realized that with the superior resources he had at his disposal, Lee would lose a war of attrition, as long as Union forces persistently engaged the Confederate army.
Into the Wilderness
On May 4, 1864, Grant launched the Overland Campaign when the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers, occupying an area locally known as the Wilderness. The Wilderness was a tangled area of dense forest and undergrowth that had hampered the maneuverability of Federal forces during previous Union defeats at the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 11–15, 1862) and the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30–May 6, 1863). Major General George Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac, but as General-in-Chief of the Armies, Grant chose to accompany Meade’s army in the field so that he could personally supervise overall campaign operations. Grant hoped to use the Wilderness to screen his operations, but he also planned to pass through it before it impeded the Union army as it had done before. Hoping to see history repeat itself, Confederate General Robert E. Lee hastened to engage the Federals before they could escape the Wilderness.
Battle of the Wilderness
From May 5 to 6, the two armies met along the two plank roads that passed through the tangled forest. The Battle of the Wilderness was one of the more gruesome engagements of the war, as raging fires in the thick undergrowth burned many of the wounded soldiers to death. When the battle ended, Grant had suffered the same fate as John Pope and Joseph Hooker before him. Lee had inflicted about 18,000 casualties on Meade’s army while suffering only about 7,800 casualties himself. Unlike his predecessors, however, Grant did not retreat. Rather, on May 7, he ordered Meade to move his army deeper into Confederate territory, southeast towards Spotsylvania Court House.
Race to Spotsylvania Court House
Lee recognized the critical consequences of allowing Grant to position Meade’s army between Lee’s army and Richmond. Thus, on May 8, the race was on to Spotsylvania. Unfortunately for the Federals, the Confederates reached the community first, enabling them to establish superior defensive positions.
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
From May 8 through May 21, the two armies built networks of complex trenches and engaged in a series of give-and-take battles around Spotsylvania that again resulted in high casualties. On May 12 and 13, a Union attack at a place known as the Bloody Angle nearly split Lee’s army in half, but the Confederates regrouped and repulsed the Federals in a fight that continued for nearly twenty hours. Unable to break Lee’s lines, Grant disengaged once more and ordered Meade to move his army southeast on May 21.
May 23–26 — Clash at North Anna
Lee responded by moving his army in the same direction, and the two armies raced for the North Anna River. Again, the Army of Northern Virginia was quicker and arrived on the south side of the river in time to impede a Federal crossing. The Battle of North Anna began on the evening of May 23, when three Union brigades, under the command of Winfield Scott Hancock, captured an earthen fort on the north side of the river as well as a bridge that spanned the river. At the same time, Northern forces, commanded by Gouverneur K. Warren, began to ford the North Anna River four miles upstream from Hancock’s men. Confederate soldiers under A.P. Hill almost destroyed Warren’s force but withdrew in confusion when a Confederate brigade broke and retreated.
Meade’s army was now on the south bank of the river, but the Northerners were walking into a trap. Lee had positioned his army in an inverted “V” formation, between the two crossings, with the tip at the river. The formation would enable Lee’s army to fight a holding action on one side of the “V” while attacking from the other side. Fortunately for the Federals, Lee took ill, and the trap was never sprung. Upon realizing his tenuous position, Grant had the army temporarily entrench and, starting on May 26, march off to the southeast once again.
Aftermath
At the Battle of North Anna, the Union army suffered approximately 1,973 casualties, including 223 soldiers killed, while the Confederate army suffered 2,017 casualties, including 304 soldiers killed. Technically, the Battle of North Anna was a Confederate victory, as Southern forces remained on the battlefield after Northern soldiers evacuated, but Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia failed to stop Grant’s and Meade’s Army of the Potomac’s advance further south. The Battle of North Anna was the only major engagement in Grant’s Overland Campaign where the Southerners suffered greater casualties than the Northerners.
Timeline
- 1864, March 10 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, March 10 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as the General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, May 4 — Grant launched his Overland Campaign when the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock River and the Rapidan River.
- 1864, May 5–7 — The inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness took place.
- 1864, May 11 — Union forces won the Battle of Yellow Tavern.
- 1864, May 8–21 — The inconclusive Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place.
- 1864, May 21 — Grant ordered George Meade to move southeast toward the North Anna River.
- 1864, May 23 — Union troops under Winfield Scott Hancock captured an earthen fort and bridge while Gouverneur K. Warren’s forces crossed the North Anna River upstream.
- 1864, May 23–26 — The inconclusive Battle of North Anna took place.
- 1864, May 26 — Grant withdrew his army and continued moving southeast.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of North Anna (1864) — The Battle of North Anna was fought from May 23–26, 1864, during Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign. Union forces captured an earthen fort and bridge while other troops crossed the North Anna River upstream. Robert E. Lee positioned his army in an inverted “V” that threatened to divide and defeat the Union forces, but illness prevented him from carrying out his plan. Grant recognized the danger, withdrew his army, and continued southeast. Although the Confederates won the battle, they failed to stop Grant’s advance.
Alignment
The Battle of North Anna is part of the following AP US History sections:
