Battle of the Wilderness

1864-05-05 - 1864-05-07

Fought 5-7 May 1864 in Virginia, the first battle of Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Fighting in dense woods produced nearly 29,000 casualties on both sides and was tactically inconclusive. Grant disengaged and continued his advance toward Richmond, beginning a war of attrition against Lee's army.