WILDERNESS, a large forest in Spottsylvania county, Vir ginia, U.S.A., on the south bank of the Rapidan, extending from Mine Run on the east to Chancellorsville on the west. It is famous in military history for the battles of Chancellorsville (1863) and Wilderness (1864) during the American Civil War.
May 1863 a three days' battle was fought at Chancellorsville between the Army of the Potomac, under Gen. Hooker, and Gen. Lee's army of Northern Virginia, which had stemmed the previous tide of invasion in the east by holding successfully a position on the heights along the right or south bank of the Rappahannock. Gen. Burnside had suffered a severe repulse in front of the Confederate position at Fredericks burg in Dec. 1862, and his successor resolved to adopt the alter native plan of turning Lee's flank and so gaining the road to Richmond. Lee was at the time weakened through having, by direction of the War Department, detached Longstreet's two divi sions and three cavalry brigades to collect provisions from the neighbourhood of Suffolk, 120M. distant. Hooker had now at his disposal 12,000 cavalry, 400 guns, and 120,000 infantry and artillery, organized in seven corps (I. Reynolds, II. Couch, III. Sickles, V. Meade, VI. Sedgwick, XI. Howard, XII. Slocum). Lee counted only 55,000 men of all arms effective. Hooker detached ro,000 cavalry, under Stoneman, to sweep round Lee's left, destroy the railways in Lee's rear and cut his line of retreat, and the I. and VI. corps under Sedgwick (40,000) to cross below Fredericks burg and pin Lee in his entrenched position, while with the remainder he himself turned Lee's left by a wide manoeuvre. Hooker moved up the Rappahannock, crossed that river and after wards the Rapidan, and on April 3o fixed his headquarters at Chancellorsville, a farmhouse in the Wilderness. Lee's cavalry under Stuart had duly reported the Federal movements and Lee, judging that Sedgwick's advance was only a feint, called up "Stonewall" Jackson's four divisions from below the Massaponax as soon as Sedgwick's corps crossed the river at Fredericksburg. At Chancellorsville, Anderson's division was in position, and McLaws was sent to support him, while Jackson took three divi sions to the same point, leaving Early's division (ro,000) to observe Sedgwick. At II A.M. on May 1, Hooker began his advance towards Fredericksburg, an advance which was intended to be a hammer crushing Lee against Sedgwick's anvil. But when
he encountered the columns of the Confederates, also advancing, in the forest tracts of the Wilderness, the absence of all but a fraction of his cavalry meant an absence of information. Believing that the whole of Lee's army was upon him, he fell back to Chan cellorsville, where he had cleared and entrenched a position in the forest. This was almost impregnable to attack from the east or south—and Hooker decided to invite such an attack. Lee, how ever, discovered a route by which the Federals might be attacked from the north and west, and arranged with Jackson to execute the turning movement and fall upon them. At 4 A.M. on May 2 Jackson marched westward with his corps of 26,000 men and by a detour of ism. passed round the Federal right flank, then moved to take the Federals in reverse, while Anderson and Mc Laws with 17,000 men demonstrated in front of Hooker's army and so kept 70,000 men idle behind their earthworks. One of Stuart's cavalry brigades neutralized Stoneman's ro,000 horse men. Sedgwick was being contained by Early. Jackson's attack at 6 P.M. surprised the Federals, who fled in panic at nightfall, but Jackson was mortally wounded, and with his fall the attack lost impetus and the chance of an annihilating victory. Next day the attack was resumed under the immediate direction of Stuart, who was reinforced by Anderson, while McLaws now threatened the left flank of the Federals and Fitz Lee's cavalry brigade oper ated against their line of retreat. Hooker finally gained the shelter of an inner line of works covering the ford by which he must retreat. Meanwhile Early had checked Sedgwick, who had already abandoned his attack when Lee, on receiving word that Early was hard pressed, ceased to press Hooker's retreat and moved to Early's aid. Thus on May 4 Sedgwick was assailed by Early, McLaws and Anderson, and driven over the Rappahannock to join the remainder of Hooker's beaten army, which had recrossed the Rapidan on the night of May 5 and marched back to Fal mouth. That day Lee had once more countermarched to concen trate afresh against Hooker, but his attack, delayed by rain, found that his quarry had slipped away. Phisterer's Record puts the Federal loss at .7.6,000 and the Confederates at I 2,000 men.