The Harris Farm Engagement was a military engagement between the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. The Harris Farm Engagement was a part of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. The battle was led by Union Major General

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

and Confederate general

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. L ...

. The battle was caused when the Union commander, Lt. Gen.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

ordered Hancock's Union II Corps to trap Confederate soldiers between

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and Fredericksburg. Before General Hancock could trap the Confederate soldiers, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell, in command of the Confederate Second Corps to ambush General Hancock's troops at the Harris Farm (also known as Bloomsbury Farm).

Background

The Harris Farm Engagement was a part of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. At the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's Federal II Corps to trap receding Confederate troops who were heading to Fredericksburg. Unbeknownst to General Grant, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee heard of this and ordered Richard S. Ewell and the rest of the surviving Confederate Second Corps of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

to ambush Hancock's troops at the Harris Farm. Ewell made camp near the Harris Farm and waited for the Hancock's troops to come near.

Battle

When Hancock's troops came into view Ewell had his men fire at them. Ewell then ordered a charge on Hancock's troops. Early in the battle Ewell had the upper hand until Hancock's superior numbers soon gained the control. Both sides quickly began taking heavy casualties, and Ewell began falling back.

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

, who was observing the battle, ordered Hancock to pursue the remaining troops. The battle continued until General Lee, who was also observing the battle, thought this engagement was about to turn into a battle of itself. Lee ordered his troops to disengage and head to

. Grant and Hancock claimed victory, as they had forced a retreat of the enemy and officially ended the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.

Aftermath

The Harris Farm Engagement claimed 1,598 casualties on both sides. The engagement was the end of the long Battle of the Spotsylvania Courthouse. File:EwellsDeadSpotsylvania1864crop02.jpg, This unidentified, dead Confederate soldier of Ewell's Corps was killed during their attack at Alsop's farm. He was wounded in both the right knee and left shoulder, and probably died from loss of blood. File:Dead Confederate soldier - Ewell's attack, May 19, 1864, near Spotsylvania Court House.jpg, Confederate killed in Ewell's attack May 19, 1864, on the Alsop farm. File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 09 Page 082.jpg, Photograph taken on the Alsop farm showing the positions of the casualties in the two preceding photographs File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14759643141).jpg, A dead Confederate soldier of General Ewell's Corps on a stretcher in front of the Alsop Farm House File:EwellsDeadSpotsylvania1864crop01.jpg, Confederate dead of General Ewell's Corps who attacked the Union lines on May 19 lined up for burial at the Alsop Farm. File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576361887).jpg, The 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment bury dead Confederates at the Alsop Farm May 19, 1864

References

{{authority control Overland Campaign Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Spotsylvania County in the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia May 1864 events