Editing Battle of the Wilderness (section)

===Hammond's cavalry===
[[File:BattleOfTheWilderness - HammondAndHill.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Hammond found A.P. Hill's Third Infantry Corps|alt=map showing troop positions]]
At 5:00 am on May 5, Wilson's Division proceeded southward from Parker's Store.<ref name="Gallagher117">{{harvnb|Rhea|1997|p=117}}</ref> The 5th New York Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel [[John Hammond (U.S. Representative)|John Hammond]], was detached and instructed to patrol west of the Parker's Store area until relieved by Warren's V Corps.<ref name="Gallagher117-118">{{harvnb|Rhea|1997|pp=117–118}}</ref> A probe west on the Orange Plank Road discovered Confederate soldiers. Despite being reinforced, the Union probe was driven back toward Parker's Store. It was soon discovered that they were fighting infantry from most of Hill's Third Corps.<ref name="Gallagher117-118"/>

Hammond's total force consisted of only about 500 men.<ref name="Starr89"/> Hammond understood that the dense woods and the large infantry force made fighting on horseback inadvisable. The command fought dismounted and spread out as a skirmish line while utilizing their Spencer repeating rifles. The regiment slowly retreated east, moving toward and beyond Parker's Store on the Orange Plank Road.<ref name="Rhea115-116">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|pp=115–116}}</ref> Once the Confederates advanced east of Parker's Store, the remainder of Wilson's cavalry division was cut off from Meade and Warren's V{{nbsp}}Corps.<ref name="Gallagher119">{{harvnb|Rhea|1997|p=119}}</ref>