Lee's Army during the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study

by Alfred C. Young III

Overview

The initial confrontation between Union general Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Virginia during the Overland Campaign has not until recently received the same degree of scrutiny as other Civil War battles. The first round of combat between the two renowned generals spanned about six weeks in May and early June 1864. The major skirmishes—Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor—rivaled any other key engagement in the war. While the strength and casualties in Grant's army remain uncontested, historians know much less about Lee's army. Nonetheless, the prevailing narrative depicts Confederates as outstripped nearly two to one, and portrays Grant suffering losses at a rate nearly double that of Lee. As a result, most Civil War scholars contend that the campaign proved a clear numerical victory for Lee but a tactical triumph for Grant.

Questions about the power of Lee's army stem mainly from poor record keeping by the Confederates as well as an inordinate number of missing or lost battle reports. The complexity of the Overland Campaign, which consisted of several smaller engagements in addition to the three main clashes, led to considerable historic uncertainty regarding Lee's army. Significant doubts persist about the army's capability at the commencement of the drive, the amount of reinforcements received, and the total of casualties sustained during the entire campaign and at each of the major battles.

In Lee's Army during the Overland Campaign, Alfred C. Young III addresses this deficiency by providing for the first time accurate information regarding the Confederate side throughout the conflict. The results challenge prevailing assumptions, showing clearly that Lee's army stood far larger in strength and size and suffered considerably higher casualties than previously believed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807151723
Publisher:	Louisiana State University Press
Publication date:	05/06/2013
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Alfred C. Young III is an independent scholar living in Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Foreword Gordon C. Rhea vii

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Part 1 Lee's Army: An Overview 5

1 The Initial Strength of the Army of Northern Virginia 7

2 Reinforcements to the Army of Northern Virginia during the Overland Campaign 14

3 Casualties during the Overland Campaign: An Overview 17

Part 2 Unit Discussions, with Casually Breakdowns 27

4 First Corps 29

Kershaw's Division 29

Field's Division 43

Pickett's Division 60

Artillery 69

5 Second Corps 72

Johnson's/Gordon's Division 72

Early's/Ramseur's Division 90

Rodes's Division 102

Artillery 117

6 Third Corps 121

Heth's Division 121

Wilcox's Division 136

Anderson's/Mahone's Division 152

Artillery 167

7 Cavalry Corps 171

Fitzhugh Lee's Division 173

Hampton's/Butler's Division 180

W. H. F. Lee's Division 189

Horse Artillery 197

8 Separate Commands 199

Hoke's Division 199

Breckinridge's Division 209

Maryland Line 212

Miscellaneous Units 214

Summary and Conclusions 218

Appendix A Tables 227

Appendix B Maps 337

Appendix C Army of Northern Virginia Order of Battle during the Overland Campaign 380

Notes 383

Index 417

Editorial Reviews

For scholars of the carnage between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in the spring of 1864, Lee’s Army During the Overland Campaign is comparable in significance to the Dead Sea Scrolls. . . . Few books published during the sesquicentennial will prove as valuable to Civil War scholars as this one. Alfred Young deserves our thanks.

America’s Civil War

For scholars of the carnage between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in the spring of 1864, Lee’s Army During the Overland Campaign is comparable in significance to the Dead Sea Scrolls. . . . Few books published during the sesquicentennial will prove as valuable to Civil War scholars as this one. Alfred Young deserves our thanks.

America’s Civil War