Editing Battle of the Wilderness (section)

===Grant crosses the river===
[[File:Overland Campaign May4.png|thumb|upright=1.75|Overland Campaign begins as Union (blue) and Confederate (red) troops move to the Wilderness in Virginia|alt=old map with troop positions and movements]]On May 4, 1864, the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan River at three places and converged on the Wilderness of Spotsylvania in east central Virginia.<ref name="Hogan17">{{harvnb|Hogan|2014|p=17}}</ref> [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[James H. Wilson]] led his 3rd Cavalry Division across the river at Germanna Ford between 4:00{{nbsp}}am and 6:00{{nbsp}}am, and drove off a small group of Confederate cavalry [[Picket (military)|pickets]]. After engineers placed [[pontoon bridge]]s, the V Corps (Warren) and later the VI Corps (Sedgwick) crossed safely. Wilson continued south on the Germanna Plank Road toward Wilderness Tavern and the Orange Turnpike. He halted at Wilderness Tavern at noon to wait for the V Corps, and sent scouts to the south and west.<ref name="Gallagher113-115">{{harvnb|Rhea|1997|pp=113–115}}</ref>

A few miles east, Brigadier General [[David McMurtrie Gregg|David M. Gregg]] led his 2nd Cavalry Division across the river at Ely's Ford.<ref name="Gallagher115">{{harvnb|Rhea|1997|p=115}}</ref> They tried to capture the nearby Confederate outpost, but the southerners fled into the darkness. By 9:00{{nbsp}}am a pontoon bridge was placed across the water, and the II Corps (Hancock) began crossing. Gregg's cavalry moved south to [[Chancellorsville, Virginia|Chancellorsville]], where Hancock's men planned to camp. Once Hancock's men began arriving, Gregg moved further south to Alrich near the intersection of the Orange Plank Road and Catharpin Road, where they would protect Hancock and the army's wagons.<ref name="Gallagher115"/>

The IX Corps (Burnside) remained north of the river near Germanna Ford, with orders to protect the supply train.<ref name="Gallagher11">{{harvnb|Simpson|1997|p=11}}</ref> Although Grant insisted that the army travel light with minimal artillery and supplies, its supply train was 60 to 70 miles (97 to 110&nbsp;km) long.<ref name="Esposito121">{{harvnb|Esposito|1959|p=121}}</ref> Meade had an estimated 4,300 wagons, 835 ambulances, and a herd of cattle.<ref name="Hogan16"/> The supply train crossed the Rapidan at Ely's and Culpeper Mine fords.<ref name="Hogan17"/> At Culpeper Mine Ford, it was guarded by Brigadier General [[Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert|Alfred T. A. Torbert]]'s 1st Cavalry Division. Grant and Meade gambled that they could move the army quickly enough to avoid being ensnared in the Wilderness, but Meade halted the II and V corps  to allow the wagon train to catch up.<ref name="Esposito121"/>