The Story of Gordon's Flank Attack

“DEDICATED to those thousands of Confederate and Federal troops that were in The Wilderness, Orange County, Virginia the evening of May 6, 1864. We remember those that wrote what they heard and saw and those that are forever listed as missing but not forgotten.”


Based on eyewitness reports, this is the story and analysis of the action which capped the second day of the May 5 – 6, 1864 Battle of the Wilderness.  It was the first time Grant and Lee opposed each other in battle, and unintentionally was the opening of Grant’s Overland Campaign.  Had Army of Northern Virginia Gen. John B. Gordon received approval earlier in the day for his proposal, could this flank attack have resulted in an undeniable Confederate victory?