Places: Spotsylvania National Military Park

Spotsylvania National Military Park

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia was a micro-siege lasting from May 8 to 21, 1864. The fiercest day of combat came on May 12 when Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an attack on the center of General Robert E. Lee's Confederate lines that were entrenched in a C-shaped spot known as the Mule Shoe Salient. Fighting ranks deep, troops on both sides were assailed by heavy musket fire and engaged in hand-to-hand combat all along the line, especially at the bend they called the Bloody Angle.

Following days of repeated attempts to break Confederate lines, the Federals finally were able to push the Rebels south towards Richmond. The battle ended as a tactical draw, with heavy casualties on both sides.

Spotsylvania National Military Park was established on February 14, 1927.

Bloody Angle and 15th NJ Monument

The "Bloody Angle"

The Bloody Angle was the site of fierce combat on May 12, 1864. Pictured on this spot of the battlefield is the 15th New Jersey Infantry monument.

Photo by CNO

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