✦ History

Part of American Civil War

Battle of Spotsylvania

May 8–21, 1864 · Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia

Result Inconclusive

The battle was tactically inconclusive, but both sides claimed victory: the Confederacy because it held its defenses, the Union because the Federal offensive continued while Lee's irreplaceable losses mounted. With almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, Spotsylvania was the costliest battle of the campaign.

On the map Contemporaries

Union

Confederacy

United States
Confederate States of America
Ulysses S. Grant George Meade John Sedgwick military commander
Robert E. Lee

Strength and losses

Strength
108,000–115,400100,000, 100,000
Casualties
18,39918,000
Killed
2,7252,730, 2,725
Wounded
13,41613,470, 13,416
Missing
2,2582,300, 2,258
Strength
52,000–63,00052,000, 50,000
Casualties
12,68712,000
Killed
1,5151,000
Wounded
5,4144,000
Missing
5,7584,000
Guns lost
18

Units

Army of the Potomac IX Corps (Union Army) V Corps (Union Army) Iron Brigade 20th Maine Infantry Regiment Irish Brigade (Union Army) Union Army 14th Infantry Regiment (United States) 1st Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment 4th Infantry Regiment (United States) 7th Indiana Infantry Regiment 87th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
Army of Northern Virginia First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia 44th North Carolina Infantry Regiment

Related events 1 degree away • 2 degrees away

 
Battle of the Wilderness
 
Battle of Spotsylvania
 
Battle of New Market

Also involved 4