Editing Battle of the Wilderness (section)

==Aftermath==
===Performance and impact===
{{Further information|List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of the Wilderness}}
[[Image:Gen. Philip H. Sheridan (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|Maj. Gen. [[Philip Sheridan]]|alt= Old picture of an American Civil War general with odd hat]][[Image:Jbgordon.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|Brig. Gen. [[John B. Gordon]]|alt= Old picture of mean-looking Confederate Civil War general]]
Criticisms of the Union performance revolve around the "woefully inadequate" cavalry positioning.<ref name="Rhea110">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|p=110}}</ref> The decision to have Sheridan's most inexperienced general, Wilson, lead the smallest cavalry division to scout the Union army's right flank was not a good one.<ref name="Gallagher117"/> Wilson's 3rd Cavalry Division was not of sufficient size to screen the Union front by itself, and Wilson got his division cut off from the remainder of the Union Army. Earlier, Wilson's inexperience caused him to fail to leave pickets on the Orange Turnpike—resulting in a surprise for the Union infantry and contributing to the Union Army being forced to fight in the Wilderness.<ref name="Rhea110-111">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|pp=110–111}}</ref><ref name="Gallagher117"/> Additionally, the decision to have the cavalry abandon Todd's Tavern on May 6 led to a delay in getting the Union army to Spotsylvania Court House.<ref name="Gallagher129"/> A few of the cavalry's regimental commanders fought well, such as Hammond, Brinton, and the [[1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment]]'s lieutenant colonel, John W. Kester.<ref name="Gallagher126"/> The performance of the Union infantry was also below expectations, and all four corps commanders accomplished little.<ref name="Rhea432-433">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|pp=432–433}}</ref>

Discussions of the Confederate performance revolve around Lee, Longstreet, and Gordon. Lee put Ewell's and Hill's corps in good position to face Meade, but kept Longstreet's First Corps too far away.<ref name="Gallagher164">{{harvnb|Krick|1997|p=164}}</ref> Hill and Ewell defended well on May 5 against enemy forces that were larger.<ref name="Gallagher155">{{harvnb|Carmichael|1997|p=155}}</ref> Lee's decision to let Hill's Third Corps men to rest on the evening of May 5 instead of reforming their lines was called by historian [[Peter S. Carmichael]] "a{{nbsp}}horrendous decision, maybe the worst of his career".<ref name="Gallagher153">{{harvnb|Carmichael|1997|p=153}}</ref> Longstreet's men fought well under his direction, but they enjoyed only brief success after Longstreet retired from the field wounded.<ref name="Gallagher255">{{harvnb|Krick|1997a|p=255}}</ref> Longstreet, surely aware that Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly-fire in the same Wilderness a year earlier, disregarded advice and rode into friendly-fire where he was wounded and others were killed.<ref name="Gallagher251">{{harvnb|Krick|1997a|p=251}}</ref> Ewell and his Second Corps defended well, and the criticism of Ewell and Early by Gordon for delaying his flanking maneuver is not justified. Early had received (incorrect) intelligence that the Union IX Corps was moving between the river and the Confederate left flank, which contributed to his caution against using his outnumbered troops to attack the entrenched Union infantry.<ref name="Gallagher154-155"/><ref name="Rhea410">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|p=410}}</ref>

The Battle of the Wilderness had no obvious winner, and neither side was driven from the battlefield.<ref name="Gallagherx">{{harvnb|Gallagher|1997a|p=x}}</ref> The National Park Service calls the battle "indecisive".<ref name="NPSWildernessDetail"/> One historian says that Lee won a victory because he fought Grant to a standoff, but he also adds that the battle was a failure for the Confederacy because it was unable to maintain the initiative and Lee's offensive capacity was eliminated.<ref name="Rhea441">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|p=441}}</ref> A major point discussed by historians is that after the battle, Grant did not retreat north across the nearest river—like other leaders earlier in the war.{{#tag:ref|Unlike his predecessors, Grant did not retreat; this is discussed, or at least mentioned, by historians Chernow,<ref name="Chernow386">{{harvnb |Chernow |2017 |p=386}}</ref> [[Gary W. Gallagher]],<ref name="Gallagherix"/> McPherson,<ref name="McPherson726"/> Rhea,<ref name="Rhea446-447">{{harvnb |Rhea |2004 |pp=446–447}}</ref>  [[Brooks D. Simpson]],<ref name="Gallagher14-15">{{harvnb |Simpson |1997 |pp=14–15}}</ref> and Stephen Z. Starr.<ref name="Starr93">{{harvnb |Starr |2007 |p=93}}</ref>|group=Note}} Instead, the Union army continued south, presenting a threat to Lee's army and the Confederate capital city of Richmond.<ref name="Eicher671"/> This was the first time in a Virginia campaign that the Army of the Potomac continued on the offensive after an initial battle, and morale was boosted to the point that the Union soldiers sang as they marched south.<ref name="McPherson728">{{harvnb|McPherson|1988|p=728}}</ref> Sherman called this movement "the grandest act of [Grant's] life", and added that he now felt "that the rebellion will be crushed".<ref name="Chernow386"/> The battle confirmed a warning made by Longstreet to Lee about Grant, that he would fight "every day and every hour till the end of the war".<ref name="Rhea447">{{harvnb|Rhea|2004|p=447}}</ref> By April 1865, Lee's army needed supplies and his men were starving.<ref name="Eicher815-816">{{harvnb|Eicher|2001|pp=815–816}}</ref> His army was trapped between Sheridan's and Meade's forces. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered his army to Grant after the [[Battle of Appomattox Courthouse]].<ref name="Eicher818">{{harvnb|Eicher|2001|p=818}}</ref>

===Preservation===
Portions of the Wilderness battlefield are preserved as part of [[Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park]], established in 1927 to memorialize the battlefields of [[Battle of Fredericksburg|Fredericksburg]], Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Wilderness.<ref name="NPSFSNMP">{{cite web |title=Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park |publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |url=https://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917050033/https://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to the land that has been protected by the National Park Service, two major volunteer organizations have been active in preservation activities. The Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield have been active in helping to preserve and enhance Ellwood Manor (the Lacy House), which was the headquarters for Major General Warren during the battle and is the site of a family cemetery where Confederate lieutenant general, [[Stonewall Jackson]]'s, arm was buried.<ref name="Friends">{{cite web |title=Friends of Wilderness Battlefield – The Visitor's Experience |date=April 28, 2012 |publisher=Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Inc. |url=http://www.fowb.org/index.php/ellwood-manor/the-visitors-experience/ |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821164318/http://www.fowb.org/index.php/ellwood-manor/the-visitors-experience/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[American Battlefield Trust]] has saved more than {{convert|294|acres}} through mid-2023.<ref name="ABT">{{cite web |title=The Wilderness Battlefield |publisher=American Battlefield Trust |url=https://www.battlefields.org/visit/battlefields/wilderness-battlefield |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021024353/https://www.battlefields.org/visit/battlefields/wilderness-battlefield |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:NPS Battle of the Wilderness park.png|thumb|center|upright=1.5|Map of the Battle of the Wilderness portion of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park|alt=map of the national park for the Battle of the Wilderness]]