Crisis in the Wilderness
A celebrated battlefield episode of the Civil War happened here at the Widow Tapp Field on the morning of May 6, 1864. The Army of Northern Virginia and its commander, R.E. Lee, face disaster on the Orange Plank Road as a powerful Union attack swept A.P. Hill’s Confederate divisions from the woods one-half mile in front of you. James Longstreet’s long-expected Confederate reinforcements had not yet arrived, so only a thin line of artillery stood between the approaching Federals and decisive victory in the Wilderness.
This trail leads a short distance into the Widow Tapp Field to exhibits that describe the dramatic events that saved the Confederate army, and perhaps its famous commander. From there, a 30-minute loop trail visits three other points of interest.
Marker can be reached from Orange Plank Road (County Route 621), on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
